Ivar (wrestler) explained

Ivar
Birth Name:Todd James Smith
Birth Date:March 3, 1984
Birth Place:Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Names:Don Chesterfield
Handsome Johnny
Ivar
Johnny Hayes
Todd Hansen
Todd Hanson
Todd Smith
Hanson
War Beard Hanson
Warbeard Hanson
Height:6 ft 2 in[1] [2]
Weight:304 lb[3]
Billed:Overseas
Reno, Nevada
Lynn, Massachusetts
Trainer:Killer Kowalski
WWE Performance Center
Debut:2001

Todd James Smith (born March 3, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ivar. He is in a tag team with Erik called The Viking Raiders.

He is also known under the ring name Hanson, which he used from 2013 to 2019. Smith and Raymond Rowe (now known as Erik), have been a regular tag team since 2014, initially under the name War Machine, then later War Raiders, The Viking Experience, and currently The Viking Raiders. Smith and Rowe have held tag team championships on two continents, being two-time IWGP Tag Team Champions in Japan and having won the ROH World Tag Team Championship, the NXT Tag Team Championship, and the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship in the United States.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2001–2013)

Trained by Killer Kowalski, Smith made his debut in 2001.[4] For the next several years, he worked for a number of independent professional wrestling promotions throughout New England, most notably New England Championship Wrestling and Chaotic Wrestling. Well known for his tag team background, he was part of The Trendsetters with Max Bauer and Pretty Psycho with Psycho. He and Brian Milonas were also the head instructors at the Chaotic Wrestling training facility in North Andover, Massachusetts.[5] [6]

Smith appeared on Velocity on December 17, 2005, losing to Doug Basham. The following year, on September 15, 2006, he appeared on SmackDown as Todd Hansen in a losing effort to Sylvester Terkay.[7] [8]

On February 16, 2008, Smith defeated Brandon Locke for the NECW Television Championship in Quincy, Massachusetts. The title was vacated on April 22, 2008, due to an injury Smith suffered in a title defense. On June 1, 2008, Smith became the champion again after defeating Chase Del Monte in a tournament final held at Suffolk Downs. In late 2008 a series of vignettes featuring Smith began to air during Chaotic Wrestling live events and on the web, showed Handsome Johnny discovering himself on a trip abroad and lead to the introduction of "The Duke of Elegance" Don Chesterfield into Chaotic storylines. Smith also used this character for the Eastern Wrestling Alliance as well as Front Row Wrestling. In NECW, he changed his ring name in 2010 to "Handsome" Johnny Hayes.

Ring of Honor (2013–2017)

Smith made his ROH debut on July 27 a losing effort in a four-corner survival also featuring Brian Fury, Kongo, and Vinny Marseglia.[9] A few months after this, he was announced as the eighth participant in the 2014 edition of the Top Prospect Tournament.[10] He defeated Cheeseburger and Andrew Everett in the opening rounds before going on to win the tournament at Wrestling's Finest by defeating Raymond Rowe in the final.[11] As a result, he earned an ROH World Television Championship match against reigning champion Tommaso Ciampa at the 12th Anniversary Show, but was unsuccessful.

He then formed a tag team with Raymond Rowe known as War Machine. On April 11, 2014, Hanson and Rowe both signed contracts with ROH.[12] On August 22, 2015, War Machine defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) in a non-title match and afterwards challenged them to a match for their GHC Tag Team Championship, a title owned by the Japanese Pro Wrestling Noah promotion.[13] War Machine received their title shot in Japan on September 19, but were defeated by the Killer Elite Squad.[14] On December 18 at Final Battle, War Machine defeated The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[15] They lost the title to The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) on May 9, 2016, at War of the Worlds.[16] War Machine's final appearance with ROH was on December 16, 2017.[17]

Japan (2015–2018)

On September 14, 2015, Hanson and Rowe made their Japanese debuts for Pro Wrestling Noah, teaming with Takashi Sugiura in a six-man tag team main event, where they defeated Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki).[18] This led to a match five days later, where War Machine unsuccessfully challenged Smith and Archer for the GHC Tag Team Championship.[19]

In November 2016, War Machine made their debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) by entering the 2016 World Tag League.[20] They finished the tournament on December 7 with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals.[21]

On April 9, 2017, at Sakura Genesis 2017, War Machine defeated Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[22] They lost the title to Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) on June 11 at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall,[23] regaining it in a no disqualification match on July 1 at G1 Special in USA.[24] They lost the title to Killer Elite Squad in a three-way match, also involving Guerrillas of Destiny, on September 24 at Destruction in Kobe.[25]

WWE (2018–present)

See main article: articles and The Viking Raiders. On January 16, 2018, WWE announced that Hanson had signed a contract with the company and would be reporting to the WWE Performance Center. On March 17, 2018, Hanson and tag team partner, Rowe made their NXT debut at a house show, defeating the team of Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi in their first match.[26] On the edition of April 11, 2018 of NXT, he and Rowe, dubbed War Machine, made their TV debuts, attacking Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight) and the team of Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli. Two days later on the April 13, 2018 edition of NXT, they went on to defeat the team of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan.[27]

Throughout the beginning of the year, the team of Hanson & Rowe, now dubbed the War Raiders would continue their winning streak, by defeating several tag teams in the NXT division, including The Mighty and Heavy Machinery.[28] At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, War Raiders would team up with Ricochet and Pete Dunne in the main event to defeat The Undisputed Era in the eponymous WarGames match.[29] At, War Raiders defeated the team of Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong to win the NXT Tag Team Championship. On April 15, 2019, they debuted on Raw as The Viking Experience under the new ring names of Erik (Rowe) and Ivar (Hanson). The following week, their name was changed to The Viking Raiders.[30] On September 7, 2020 episode of Raw, The Viking Raiders teamed up with Apollo Crews and Ricochet in an eight-man tag team match against The Hurt Business in a losing effort, where Cedric Alexander scored the pinfall over Ricochet. The match was forced to an abrupt ending due to Ivar suffering a legitimate cervical injury during the match.[31] [32] On September 14, Ivar underwent successful surgery to repair a neck injury.[33] [34] Ivar would return to in ring action on April 12 edition of Raw, teaming up with his tag team partner Erik going up against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander in a winning effort.[35] As part of the 2021 Draft, both Ivar and Erik were drafted to the SmackDown brand.[36] [37]

As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, both Ivar and Erik were drafted to the Raw brand.[38] On the April 9, 2024, Ivar returned to NXT to challenge NXT North American Champion Oba Femi for the title but failed to defeat Femi at Week 2 of Spring Breakin'.[39] [40] At Night 1 of the 2024 WWE Draft, Ivar was drafted to the Raw brand in the supplementary draft.[41] On the May 14 episode of NXT, Wes Lee, Ivar, and Josh Briggs argued over who should get a title match. Femi decided to let the three fight amongst themselves, and a triple threat match between Lee, Ivar, and Briggs was scheduled for the following week, where the winner would face Femi for his title at NXT Battleground. Later that same night, Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang) made their return attacking the three competitors.[42] Ivar ended up injured and out of action for an indefinite period of time.[43]

Personal life

Todd Smith, along with his teammate Raymond Rowe, are straight edge.[44]

Other media

Ivar made his video game debut as part of the Titans Pack of downloadable characters available for WWE 2K19.[45]

Championships and accomplishments

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hanson. New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
  2. Web site: Hanson. WWE.
  3. Web site: Handsome Johnny. 2008. Chaotic Wrestling. September 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20120915091116/http://www.chaoticwrestling.com/profiles/handsome.htm. September 15, 2012. dead.
  4. Web site: WWE Performance Center signs War Machine. WWE. May 1, 2018.
  5. Web site: Ring of fire: New England's minor-league grapplers wrestle their demons — in vinyl boots and a blaze of glory. Bartlett, Sean. March 23, 2007. The Phoenix.
  6. Web site: School helps young grapplers wrestle with success. Halen, Darrell. August 1, 2008. Wicked Local.
  7. News: Caruso III, Anthony . May 27, 2013 . Hanson living dream as pro wrestler . The Capital Sports Report . February 10, 2016 . February 2, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202114514/https://thecapitalsportsreport.com/2015/05/27/hanson-living-dream-as-pro-wrestler/ . dead .
  8. Web site: Smackdown: The King's court divided?. McNamara, Andy. September 26, 2006. Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Match 6: Sylvester Terkay w/ Elijah Burke vs. Todd Smith. September 27, 2008. July 16, 2012. https://archive.today/20120716200248/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2006/09/16/1848935.html. usurped.
  9. Web site: ROH on SBG #101 . CageMatch . August 24, 2013 . CageMatch.
  10. Web site: 2014 Top Prospect Tournament: Participant #8 . Ring Of Honor . December 16, 2013 . Ring Of Honor . April 1, 2014 . April 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072604/http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/2014-top-prospect-tournament-6 . dead .
  11. Web site: ROH Wrestling's Finest . CageMatch . January 25, 2014 . CageMatch.
  12. Web site: Hanson & Rowe sign with ROH . April 11, 2014 . . April 14, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414053622/http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/hanson-rowe-sign-roh . dead .
  13. Web site: Ring of Honor tag team heading to Pro Wrestling Noah. August 26, 2015. August 26, 2015. Wrestleview.
  14. Web site: Great Voyage 2015 in Osaka. September 19, 2015. Pro Wrestling Noah. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20150915024311/http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1450. September 15, 2015. dead.
  15. Web site: ROH Final Battle 2015 live results: Jay Lethal vs. AJ Styles, Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish. Meltzer. Dave. Dave Meltzer. December 18, 2015. December 19, 2015. Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  16. Web site: Bullet Club reigns supreme: ROH War of the Worlds tour coverage from Dearborn, Michigan. Johnson. Mike. May 9, 2016. May 9, 2016. Pro Wrestling Insider.
  17. Web site: Three new signings expected in new year. Johnson. Mike. December 19, 2017. December 19, 2017. Pro Wrestling Insider.
  18. Web site: http://noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1487 . ja:Shiny Navig.2015～第9回日テレG+杯争奪ジュニア・ヘビー級タッグリーグ戦～ . December 7, 2016 . . ja . https://web.archive.org/web/20180209122215/http://noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1487 . February 9, 2018 . dead .
  19. Web site: Great Voyage 2015 in Osaka . December 7, 2016 . . ja . https://web.archive.org/web/20170927112308/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1450 . September 27, 2017 . dead .
  20. Web site: http://www.njpw.co.jp/61849 . ja:『World Tag』“初出場”外国人チーム決定!! ROHから“凶獣”ウォー・マシンが参戦！WLWからブライアン・ブレーカー＆リーランド・レイスもエントリー！【WT16】 . November 4, 2016 . December 7, 2016 . . ja.
  21. Web site: http://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/13461?showResult=1 . ja:戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents World Tag League 2016 . December 7, 2016 . . ja.
  22. Web site: NJPW Sakura Genesis live results: Okada vs. Shibata . Rose . Bryan . April 8, 2017 . April 9, 2017 . Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  23. Web site: NJPW Dominion live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega . Rose . Bryan . June 10, 2017 . June 11, 2017 . Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  24. Web site: NJPW G1 Special live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Cody . Witner . Arya . July 1, 2017 . July 1, 2017 . Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  25. Web site: NJPW Destruction in Kobe live results: Kenny Omega vs. Juice Robinson . Rose . Bryan . September 23, 2017 . September 24, 2017 . Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  26. Web site: WWE/NXT News: War Machine make their NXT debut. March 17, 2018. www.sportskeeda.com.
  27. Web site: NXT Venice Live Event Results (4/13): Shayna Baszler vs Candice LeRae, The War Raiders Dominate & More!. April 14, 2018. Wrestlezone.
  28. Web site: War Machine Debut New Name at NXT TakeOver Pre-Show Taping. Ryan. Satin. April 8, 2018.
  29. Web site: Ricochet, Dunne, & War Raiders survive the Undisputed ERA & WarGames. Kyle. Decker. November 17, 2018. Cageside Seats.
  30. Web site: War Raiders win the NXT tag titles in another 'Follow that!' TakeOver tag match. Kyle. Decker. January 26, 2019. Cageside Seats.
  31. Web site: WWE Raw 9/7/20 Results | Fightful Wrestling. www.fightful.com.
  32. Web site: Ivar injured during eight-man tag match on WWE Raw. September 7, 2020. WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results.
  33. Web site: Ivar Reportedly Set For Neck Surgery After RAW Injury. 411 Mania.
  34. Ivar_WWE. 1309247701478002689 . Little over a week post surgery, the road to recovery has begun!!! I can't say Thank you enough to everyone for all the love and support, it has been unbelievably humbling. Better, Stronger, Healthier here I come! Two heartsPoultry legSign of the horns. September 25, 2020. September 27, 2020.
  35. News: Bengel . Chris . WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Drew McIntyre earns title shot at WrestleMania: Backlash with a twist . April 13, 2021 . CBSSports.com . April 12, 2021 . en.
  36. Web site: See all the results from the 2021 Draft.
  37. Web site: 10/4 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the WWE Draft night two, Goldberg returns, the build to WWE Crown Jewel continues. October 4, 2021. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. October 5, 2021.
  38. Web site: See all the results from the 2023 Draft. WWE. April 28, 2023.
  39. Web site: Moore . John . April 9, 2024 . NXT TV results (4/9): Moore's review of the Stand & Deliver fallout show, Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer for the NXT Tag Team Titles . April 10, 2024 . Pro Wrestling Dot Net .
  40. Web site: Moore . John . April 30, 2024 . NXT TV results (4/30): Moore's review of Spring Breakin' Night Two with Oba Femi vs. Ivar for the NXT North American Title, Axiom and Nathan Frazer vs. AOP for the NXT Tag Team Titles . May 1, 2024 . Pro Wrestling Dot Net .
  41. Web site: Every 2024 WWE Draft pick WWE . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240430040256/https://www.wwe.com/amp/article/every-2024-wwe-draft-pick . April 30, 2024 . April 30, 2024 . WWE.
  42. Web site: Moore. John. NXT TV results (5/14): Moore's review of Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame, and Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend in NXT Women's NA Title qualifiers, Charlie Dempsey vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Heritage Cup, Je'Von Evans vs. Noam Dar. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. May 14, 2024. May 14, 2024.
  43. Web site: Ivar Injured, Out Of Action Indefinitely After Gallus Attack On 5/14 WWE NXT. Skylar. Russell. May 16, 2024. May 21, 2024. Fightful.
  44. Web site: March 18, 2018. EXCLUSIVE: Thrown Together, War Machine Reach Championship Success. John . Moorehouse. July 29, 2017. Fightful.com.
  45. Web site: Cole . Caitlin . Complete WWE 2K19 Roster . Rumble Ramble . April 24, 2019 . December 19, 2018.
  46. Web site: Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Title History. Palladino, Rich. 2008. Solie's Title Histories.
  47. Web site: Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Title. 2003. Puroresu Dojo.
  48. cite web|url= https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=14618
  49. Web site: M.W.F. Heavyweight Title (New England). 2003. Puroresu Dojo.
  50. Web site: MWF Heavyweight Title History. 2005. Solie's Title Histories.
  51. Web site: M.W.F. Tag Team Title (New England). 2003. Puroresu Dojo.
  52. Web site: MWF Tag Team Title History. 2005. Solie's Title Histories.
  53. Web site: NWA New England Television Title History. Westcott, Brian. Eric Roelfsema . 2006. Solie's Title Histories.
  54. Web site: N.W.A. Cold Front Television Title. 2003. Puroresu Dojo. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20030430165700/http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/nwa-newengland/nwa-ne-tv.html#nwa. April 30, 2003.
  55. Web site: NWA New England Tag Team Title History. Westcott, Brian . Eric Roelfsema . 2006. Solie's Title Histories.
  56. Web site: C.W.A./N.W.A. New England Tag Team Title. 2003. Puroresu Dojo. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100324230807/http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/nwa-newengland/cwa-t.html#nwa. March 24, 2010.
  57. Web site: NECW Television Title History. Westcott, Brian. 2008. Solie's Title Histories.
  58. Web site: N.E.C.W. Television Title. 2003. Puroresu Dojo.
  59. cite web|url= https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=4657&page=4&s=700
  60. cite web|url= https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=143612
  61. Web site: Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016. September 2, 2016. The Internet Wrestling Database.
  62. Web site: VIP Limitless " Events Database " CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Philip. Kreikenbohm. www.cagematch.net.
  63. Web site: WCPW Tag Team Championship. October 3, 2017. What Culture Pro Wrestling. https://web.archive.org/web/20170710190022/https://wc.pw/title/wcpw-tag-team-championship. July 10, 2017. dead.
  64. Web site: NXT Tag Team Championship. WWE. April 2, 2020.
  65. Web site: Raw Tag Team Championship. WWE. April 2, 2020.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ivar (wrestler)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.