Buddy Wayne Explained

Buddy Wayne
Birthname:Steve Finley
Names:Atomic Kid
Buddy Wayne
Canadian Cobra
Steve Finley
Wayne Gillis
Height:5 ft 6 in
Weight:180 lb
Birth Date:May 27, 1967
Birth Place:Everett, Washington, U.S.
Death Place:Everett, Washington, U.S.
Trainer:Buddy Rose
Ole Olson
Debut:1985
Family:Ed Moretti (father-in-law)
Children:Nick Wayne (son)
Spouse:Shayna Edwards

Steve Finley (May 27, 1967 – June 17, 2017), better known by his ring name Buddy Wayne, was an American professional wrestler. At his death in 2017, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer called Finley a great worker, but said his size, heart problems, and the death of the wrestling territories kept him from being a bigger star, despite his popularity in the Pacific Northwest.[1] He is the father of current All Elite Wrestling wrestler Nick Wayne.[2]

Professional wrestling career

Finley was trained by Buddy Rose and Ole Olson in Portland, Oregon.[3] He began his wrestling career in 1985 with NWA All-Star Wrestling based in Vancouver, Canada. At one point in the 1980s, he wrestled around the Canadian Maritimes in Grand Prix Wrestling for promoter Emile Duprée using the ring name Wayne Gillis. He also worked under the names the Atomic Kid in the U.S. and Canada and King Cobra while wrestling in Mexico, among others.[3] He spent most of his career in the Pacific Northwest, with stints in smaller promotions such as Championship Wrestling USA where he held the championship. From the 1990s through 2003, he worked a number of enhancement matches in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling against wrestlers such as Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, Edge, Scott Hall, Ricky Steamboat, Diamond Dallas Page, and Shawn Michaels.[1] He had matches featured on WWE Velocity and WWE Heat, including defeats against Tajiri, Mark Jindrak, and Garrison Cade.[2]

Wayne had a history of heart problems and underwent two open-heart surgeries. He returned to the ring in 2013 and often performed alongside his trainees on the independent circuit. Because of this, he never officially retired from in-ring performing. He became a staple in Pacific Northwest Wrestling and one of the most well-known wrestlers in the region.[4]

Legacy

After his son Nick signed for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2023, Wayne's death became a central topic of a storyline involving Darby Allin, Christian Cage, Luchasaurus (since renamed Killswitch), and his wife Shayna, with Cage claiming to be Nick's new "father figure." Nick, Killswitch and Shayna (renamed as "The Matriarch" Mother Wayne by Cage) joined Cage to form The Patriarchy stable.[5] After Cage, Killswitch and Nick won the vacant AEW World Trios Championship in July 2024,[6] Cage awarded the title to Mother Wayne in place of Killswitch for giving birth to Nick. This exchange is not recognized by AEW.[7]

Training career

Finley ran the Buddy Wayne School of Wrestling in his hometown of Everett, Washington. He claimed that he loved training other wrestlers even more than performing.[4] His wife Shayna, who is a member of the Giovannetti family and the daughter of Moondog Ed Moretti, continued to run the school after her husband's death.[8] [3] [2] Finley's students included future All Elite Wrestling talent Darby Allin and Kevin Knight who would later wrestle for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[9] [10]

Death

Finley died at his wrestling school from a heart attack at age 50 on June 15, 2017.[1]

Other Buddy Wayne

Finley is often confused with another wrestler using the ring name of Buddy Wayne. That wrestler, who faced the likes of Jerry Lawler, was active in the 1960s to 1980s and was famous in the Memphis territory. He died in 2015.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meltzer . Dave . Buddy Wayne passes away at 50 years old . Wresting Observer Figure Four Online . 29 November 2023.
  2. Web site: DSilva . Roy . Buddy Wayne: 5 things you need to know about the former WWE star Christian Cage dissed on AEW TV . Sportskeeda . 29 November 2023.
  3. Web site: Oliver . Greg . Mat Matters: Pacific Northwest Mainstay Buddy Wayne Dead at 50 . slamwrestling.net . 29 November 2023.
  4. Web site: Dubey . Dushyant . WWE News: Former WWE Superstar Buddy Wayne passes away . Sportskeeda . 29 November 2023.
  5. Web site: Mutter . Eric . Nick Wayne Discusses Difficulty Dealing With Family History In AEW Storyline . Busted Open Radio . 29 November 2023.
  6. Web site: Murphy . Don . July 20, 2024 . AEW Collision results (7/20): Murphy's review of Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Juice Robinson vs. The Patriarchy for the vacant Unified Trios Titles, Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo in a lumberjack match . July 21, 2024 . Pro Wrestling Dot Net .
  7. Web site: Powell . Jason . August 3, 2024 . AEW Collision results (8/3): Murphy's review of Lee Moriarty vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tomohiro Ishii for a shot at the AEW Continental Title, Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe, FTR vs. The Beast Mortos and The Kingdom . August 4, 2024 . Pro Wrestling Dot Net .
  8. Web site: Nick Wayne is 16 and Headlining-What Could Be Next?! . slamwrestling.net . 29 November 2023.
  9. Web site: Douglas . Martin . The L.A. Dojo standout speaks on always knowing he'd make it as a pro wrestler and more . Fanbyte . 29 November 2023.
  10. Web site: Lambert . Jeremy . Darby Allin Comments On Using Real Life Fallout With Buddy Wayne In Story With Nick Wayne . Fightful . 29 November 2023.