Timothy Andrew Moura (born March 17, 1983), better known by the ring name Timothy Thatcher, is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Pro-Wrestling NOAH and Major League Wrestling (MLW). He was previously signed to WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand.[6]
Timothy Thatcher | |
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![]() Thatcher in January 2023 | |
Birth name | Timothy Andrew Moura[1][2] |
Born | [2][3][1] Alameda County, California, U.S.[1] | March 17, 1983
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Tim Moura Timothy Thatcher Bryce Braxton-Collins |
Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[4] |
Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg)[4] |
Billed from | Sacramento, California |
Trained by | SPW Training Academy[5] APW Bootcamp[6] |
Debut | 2005[2] |
Moura is best known for his work in Evolve, where he is the longest-reigning Evolve Champion, as well as a former (and final) Open the Freedom Gate Champion[7] and the 2014 Style Battle Tournament winner.[8] In addition to his work for WWNLive promotions,[9][10] Thatcher has worked internationally for numerous notable promotions, including Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Progress Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), Preston City Wrestling (PCW), Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) and, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW).[11][12][13][14][15]
Moura is the second and final man (after Drew Galloway) to simultaneously hold the Evolve and Open The Freedom Gate Championships.[16]
Professional wrestling career
editEarly career (2005–2013)
editMoura began watching professional wrestling as a child with his grandmother. He later studied journalism and wrote an article about Supreme Pro Wrestling for a publication that folded before it could be published. He continued to attend SPW shows with the intention of being involved, becoming a referee and training to wrestle.[17]
Moura made his professional wrestling debut in September 2005 for SPW in a match lost against Drake Smith. Between the names Tim Moura and Timothy Thatcher, he appeared in promotions including Supreme Pro Wrestling, All Pro Wrestling (APW), Pro Wrestling Bushido, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood (CWFH) and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) among others. Thatcher would later work for Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) and Source Wrestling, Preston City Wrestling (PCW), Progress Wrestling (Progress), Southside Wrestling Entertainment (SWE), and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a former Unified World Wrestling Champion and World Tag Team Champion with Walter. Thatcher became a Triple Crown Champion in Supreme Pro Wrestling, winning the SPW Extreme Championship, Heavyweight Championship and Tag Team Championship. While in All Pro Wrestling, Thatcher became a two-time APW Universal Heavyweight Champion and a two-time APW Worldwide Internet Champion.
Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2013–2019)
editThatcher debuted in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in 2013 during its Ambition 4 tournament, in a quarter final match lost against Heddi Karaoui. The following night, he also competed in wXw's Back To The Roots XII event, losing in a singles match against Axel Dieter Jr. During his tenure in wXw, Thatcher became a one-time wXw World Tag Team Champion with Walter, and a one-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion.
Evolve (2014–2019)
editThatcher made his Evolve debut at Evolve 31 in a Round Robin Challenge, losing to Drew Gulak. At Evolve 45, Thatcher became a double-champion, winning both the Open the Freedom Gate Championship and the Evolve Championship. Thatcher was the longest reigning Evolve Champion in history until he lost to Zack Sabre Jr. on February 25, 2017, at Evolve 79, ending his reign at 596 days.
WWE (2020–2022)
editOn February 2, 2020, it was reported Thatcher signed a developmental contract with WWE.[18] On the April 15 edition of NXT, Thatcher was revealed as Matt Riddle's tag team partner, replacing Pete Dunne (who was unable to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Thatcher and Riddle defended the NXT Tag Team Championship against Undisputed Era. However, on the May 13 edition of NXT, Thatcher and Riddle lost the titles to Imperium when Thatcher walked out on Riddle during the match, turning heel in the process.[19] Thatcher would then face Riddle later on in the evening, with Riddle picking up the win. Following the match, Thatcher would attack Riddle and lock him in his Fujiwara armbar submission. Their storyline would end the following week in a Fight Pit match with Kurt Angle as the special guest referee, where Thatcher won after Riddle passed out to a rear naked choke.
On the June 17, 2020 episode of NXT, Thatcher debuted a new gimmick of a submission specialist who taught students his "Thatch-as-Thatch-Can" style of training.[20] On the September 16 episode of NXT, Thatcher had his first singles championship match in WWE when he faced Damian Priest for the NXT North American Championship where he was unsuccessful. At NXT TakeOver XXX, he had his first Takeover match where he lost to Finn Bálor.
In late 2020, Thatcher began a feud with Tommaso Ciampa which led to a match at NXT TakeOver War Games where Ciampa won.[21][22] On the January 20, 2021, episode of NXT, Thatcher fought Ciampa in the Fight Pit where he came out victorious. After the match, Thatcher and Ciampa showed respect to one another and Ciampa asked Thatcher to be his partner for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic which Thatcher accepted, turning face in the process.[23] They defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese in the first round, The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Roderick Strong), in the quarter-finals, before being defeated by the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) in the semi-finals. On the June 15 episode of NXT, Ciampa and Thatcher defeated the Grizzled Young Veterans in a tornado tag match to earn a future NXT Tag Team Championship match. They faced the champions, MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter) on July 6 at The Great American Bash but were defeated.
On the August 24, 2021 episode of NXT, Thatcher faced Ridge Holland in a losing effort and after the match would be brutally attacked by Holland, writing him off television. This would mark his final appearance on television as he would transition to a coaching role at the WWE Performance Center. On January 5, 2022, Thatcher was released from his WWE contract.[24]
Pro Wrestling Noah (2022–present)
editOn June 7, 2022, Thatcher made his debut in Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) teaming with Sugiura-gun members El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Hideki Suzuki, Rene Dupree and Takashi Sugiura, subsequently becoming the newest member of the stable.[25] The next day, he defeated Shuhei Taniguchi in his first singles match for Noah.[26] On July 16, Thatcher won the vacant GHC Tag Team Championship with Suzuki, defeating Masa Kitamiya and Yoshiki Inamura.[27] They would lose their titles to Takashi Sugiura and Satoshi Kojima on September 25, ending their reign at 71 days. On October 11, He would face Kaito Kiyomiya for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, in a losing effort.
On April 16, 2023, at Green Journey in Sendai, Thatcher and Saxon Huxley began teaming with each other, and the two developed a good chemistry with one another. Later that night, Hideki Suzuki on the behalf of Thatcher and Huxley challenged Shuhei Taniguchi and Takashi Sugiura to a title match for the GHC Tag Team Championship. After the relationship between Sugiura-gun members had just fizzled out over the previous months, Suzuki stated that Sugiura-gun wasn't working and was over, leading Sugiura to confirm that the stable had disbanded. On April 22, their stable was named "Real". On May 4 at Majestic, Thatcher and Huxley defeated Sugiura and Taniguchi to win the GHC Tag Team Championship. In August, Thatcher took part in the 2023 N-1 Victory, finishing the tournament with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals of the tournament. On September 24 at Grand Ship In Nagoya, Thatcher and Huxley lost the GHC Tag Team Championship to Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris and Anthony Greene).[28]
From February 24 to March 10, Thatcher and Huxley took part in the 2024 Victory Challenge Tag League, where they finished the tournament with a record of five wins and two losses, advancing to the tournament's finals. On March 10, they were defeated in the finals of the tournament by Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa.[29] However on March 17, it was announced that Kiyomiya, was forced to withdraw from the title match for the GHC Tag Team Championship due to a spinal cord concussion sustained during training, leading Huxley and Thatcher, who finished as the Victory Challenge Tag League runners-up to replace them. At the title match, at Great Voyage in Yokohama, Thatcher and Huxley unsuccessfully challenged Jack Morris and Anthony Greene for the GHC Tag Team Championship.[30]
All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2023)
editThatcher made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on February 1, 2023, facing off against Bryan Danielson on AEW Dynamite after being (kayfabe) contracted by MJF, where he was unsuccessful.
Thatcher debuted in AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), on thr February 18, 2023 edition of ROH on HonorClub, where he confronted the ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta. The following week, they wrestled for the Pure Championship, with Thatcher losing.
Major League Wrestling (2023–present)
editOn June 8, 2023, it was announced by Major League Wrestling that Timothy Thatcher would be making his MLW debut against Tracy Williams on July 8 at Never Say Never. Thatcher would lose at the event via referee stoppage.[31]
Other media
editThatcher made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K22.[32]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- All Pro Wrestling
- APW Universal Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[33]
- APW Worldwide Internet Championship (2 times)[34]
- Championship Wrestling from Hollywood
- CWFH Heritage Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Drew Gulak
- UWN Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Drew Gulak[35]
- DDT Pro-Wrestling
- Evolve
- Evolve Championship (1 time)
- Open the Freedom Gate Championship (1 time)
- Style Battle Tournament (2014)[37]
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- Pacific Northwest Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Bushido
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Pro Wrestling Noah
- GHC Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Hideki Suzuki (1) and Saxon Huxley (1)[41][42]
- Supreme Pro Wrestling
- Westside Xtreme Wrestling
- wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Walter[46][47]
- Ambition 9 (2018)
- Road to 16 Carat Gold Tournament (2016)[48]
- World Tag Team League (2017) – with Walter[46]
- Shortcut to the Top (2019)[49]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Timothy Andrew Moura, Born 03/17/1983 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Timothy Thatcher « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ @melomesh (17 March 2019). "Happy Birthday Timothy Thatcher!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Timothy Thatcher debuts July 25 in NYC". 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "SPW Academy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ a b "Casting a WRESTLING REVOLUTION - Day 21". Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Titles « Timothy Thatcher « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Timothy Thatcher Challenges Evolve Roster With His British Style! - Filsinger Games". filsingergames.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ WWNLive (5 August 2015). "EVOLVE Focal Point: Who Is Timothy Thatcher?". Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ WWNLive (2 November 2015). "EVOLVE Mini-Doc: Timothy Thatcher". Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Timothy Thatcher's First Match Since Losing The EVOLVE Championship - WWNLIVE". 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Chapter 26: Unknown Pleasures ‹ This. Is. Progress". Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Revolution Pro Wrestling". hashtagwrest.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Programmhinweis: Big Daddy WALTER & Timothy Thatcher heute live beim WDR". wXw - more than Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Career « Timothy Thatcher « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ WWNLive (18 January 2016). "365 Days: Timothy Thatcher". Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (January 19, 2021). "Old-School Grappler Timothy Thatcher Refuses to Deviate From His Stripped-Down Style". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Powell, Jason (February 4, 2020). "Timothy Thatcher reportedly signs with WWE". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Wwe Nxt Report: Tag Title Match, Takeover Is Coming In June, The Garganos Invite You To Join Them At Dinner, The Tournament Continues, And More". PWInsider.com. 2020-05-13. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- ^ "411Mania". Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
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- ^ "WWE NXT Takeover WarGames 2020 Results The Undisputed Era vs The Kings of NXT". Fightful. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ "WWE NXT Results for 1/20/21 Fight Pit Match, Women's Dusty Classic Begins". Fightful. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ Guzzo, Gisberto (January 5, 2022). "Road Dogg Among Multiple Performance Center Staff Released By WWE, SVP Released". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "NOAH Star Navigation 2022". Cagematch. June 7, 2022. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "NOAH Star Navigation 2022". Cagematch. June 8, 2022. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "2022年07月16日 土 ABEMA presents DESTINATION 2022". プロレスリング・ノア公式サイト | PRO-WRESTLING NOAH OFFICIAL SITE. Archived from the original on 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
- ^ Carlan, Lewis (September 24, 2023). "Pro Wrestling NOAH GRAND SHIP 2023 In NAGOYA Results (9/24/2023), New Champions Crowned". postwrestling.com.
- ^ Black, Ethan (March 9, 2024). "Pro Wrestling Noah Sunny Voyage Night 15 Results – March 9, 2024". pwmania.
- ^ Daly, Wayne (March 18, 2024). "NOAH Results: Great Voyage 2024 In Yokohama – Yokohama, Japan (3/17)". wrestling-news.net. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Timothy Thatcher Set To Face "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams At MLW Never Say Never". fightful.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "WWE 2K22 Full Roster List | Roster WWE 2K22". Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ "All Pro Wrestling Promotion School California". Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "APW Worldwide Internet Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Ironman Heavymetalweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Style Battle 2014 Tournament « Tournaments Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Matches « Timothy Thatcher « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016 - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
- ^ Pro Wrestling Noah (July 16, 2022). 2022年07月16日 (土) ABEMA presents DESTINATION 2022. noah.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 16, 2022). "GHC Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Timothy Thatcher". Archived from the original on 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Title Reigns « SPW Extreme Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "wXw World Tag Team League 2017 Night 3". Westside Xtreme Wrestling (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
- ^ Staff, F4W (11 March 2018). "WXW 16 CARAT GOLD NIGHT TWO RESULTS: WORLD TITLE MATCH SURPRISE". F4wonline. Wrestling Observer Newslleter. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Road To 16 Carat Gold League 2016 « Tournaments Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "wXw Shortcut to the Top". Westside Xtreme Wrestling (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
External links
edit- Timothy Thatcher on WWE.com
- Timothy Thatcher's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- Timothy Moura at IMDb
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