TJ Nicholson

Travis Jonathan Nicholson (born April 28, 1992) is an American CAW wrestler, better known by his abbreviated ring name TJ Nicholson. Currently signed to AWS, EMPIRE, FORCE, NAEW, New-NAW, and Omega Pro Wrestling, Nicholson regularly appears in other promotions as well. He is also the majority owner and CEO of New-NAW's European territory, known simply as New-NAW Europe.

As a singles competitor, Nicholson is a two-time world champion. He is also a prolific team wrestler, most notably as the leader of Los Proscritos and it's sub-group, The Nicholsons, which he forms with his younger brother Eddie and their cousin ACE. He's also known as one third of The Crusade, alongside with Joe Omega and Norm Dailey.

Apex Wrestling Syndicate (2019-present)
In December 2019, TJ Nicholson was announced as the first major signing of the newly founded and vastly funded promotion AWS. Nicholson publicly declared his excitement for the new promotion, and stated his contract was an extensive, non-exclusive multi-year deal.

Nicholson made his first appearance at the debut episode of AWS SmackDown, where he was defeated by his brother Eddie in the main event. In the next episode, the Nicholsons teamed up to defeat Sebastian Quinn and Shane Saxton. The following week, Nicholson victoriously faced Quinn in a singles match.

Empire Wrestling (2018-present)
Nicholson debuted in Empire Wrestling at Backlash, easily defeating Curt Hawkins. Later on the same show, Nicholson viciously attacked Daniel Bryan in the parking lot, powerbombing him through a car windshield. At the following Empire episode Nicholson defeated Hawkins again, this time by submission, but was then given chase to by a retaliating Daniel Bryan. Nicholson would go on to defeat Bryan several times. He then took part in the Conquest Rumble, entering at number 30 and lasting until the final three, but was eliminated by Tyson Gore.

At Empire 18, Nicholson defeated Mustafa Ali before being confronted by Gore. It was then announced Nicholson and Gore would face off at No Escape for a world championship opportunity. Upon the match's beginning, it was joined by Al Cabrera, but Gore was victorious. During the match, Nicholson was attacked and laid unconscious by Troy Saint.

Nicholson then stated his intention was to compete in the Emperor's Climb ladder match at Empire Strikes Back. On Empire 22, Nicholson qualified for the match by defeating CAW veteran Matt Eichorn. Nicholson impressed in the ladder match at the grand event, but the match was eventually won by Nicholson's rival Troy Saint.

World title hunt
On the debut episode of Empire Atlantic, Nicholson defeated Adam Cole and advanced in a four-man tournament held to decide a new number one contender to the Empire World Championship. At Empire's collaboration show with OPW, Nicholson teamed up with the Empire World Champion Tyson Gore and the Empire Tag Team Champions Matthew Stone and Ryan Evans against a team composed of Troy Saint, Hugo, Shane Corson and Sakamoto. Nicholson would win the match for his team by pinning Hugo after The Gallows Bird. Soon, Nicholson would defeat Aleister Black, becoming the number one contender in the process.

FORCE Wrestling (2018-present)
Nicholson made his first FORCE appearance at the promotion's debut show, Gold Rush, and took part in an eight-man single elimination tournament to determine the inaugural FORCE World Champion. He defeated Hayden Matthews in the first round, but was eliminated by eventual tournament winner Steve Rourke in the semi-finals. Shortly afterwards, it was announced Nicholson had signed a five year contract with the promotion. At Second Coming, Nicholson faced off against his former ASJ mentor and rival Hajime Suzuki, finally defeating him after failing to do so in their two previous encounters. The following week at Locked and Loaded, Nicholson went one-on-one with Adrian Snyder but was defeated after being busted open and hit with three Zonderling's. His next appearance took place two weeks later at Ace of Maples, where he defeated old ASJ rival John Porter. At King of the Cruiserweights, Nicholson defeated Ryan Henderson before teaming with his brother Eddie to defeat Al Cabrera and Ryan Evans.

2019 season
In the debut episode of FORCE's regular program Match Night, the Nicholson's defeated the team of Helenius, Jayce Flame and FORCE World Champion Jack Logan, with Nicholson pinning Helenius after introducing his new finishing maneuver, The Smoking Gun. TJ would then defeat his brother Eddie's arch rival, Flame, in singles action at Match Night 5. On Match Night 9, Nicholson faced Lewis Blackwell in a winning effort. Several months later, at Match Night 25, Nicholson was given an opportunity to compete for the number one contendership in a triple threat match against Jack Logan and Steve Rourke; Nicholson would go on to win the match and become the number one contender.

NAWverse (2018-present)
Following his re-signing with New-NAW in June 2018, Nicholson was announced as a participant in the NAWverse Best of the Super Middleweights Tour -round robin tournament and inserted into the A Block. Nicholson's first match in the tournament took place on the second day of competition, which saw him defeat Lemarcus Carter. The next two matches were less fortunate, as Nicholson lost to White Panther and rival Al Cabrera.

Nicholson then appeared at the pre-show of Cawllision 2018, unsuccessfully challenging Steve Rourke for the FORCE World Championship.

New-NAW (2014, 2018-present)
Nicholson made a guest appearance at New-NAW Wrestlefest challenging for the New-NAW Hardcore Championship in a 20-man Battle Royal but came up short. At New-NAW Aggression, Nicholson made his official debut by helping former OPW tag partner Norm Dailey defeat Monty Brown for the Intercontinental Championship. It was revealed he had joined The Crusade. Nicholson however was soon released from his contact due to prior commitments with ASJ and OPW that prevented him from appearing in New-NAW as scheduled.

Re-debut
In June 2018, Nicholson returned to New-NAW, representing OPW in a 8-man over-the-top-rope elimination match. He was fairly quickly eliminated by fellow rising OPW star, Bart Balousek. A few days later, New-NAW management confirmed on their official Twitter page that Nicholson had signed a new contract in co-operation with OPW officials to ensure no scheduling issues would arise again.

Nicholson made his official New-NAW re-debut on Page 17, defeating fellow newcomer Al Cabrera in a match that was praised as an instant classic. The two faced off again at Page 19 in a fatal four way match that also involved Mike Valander and Nick Gemini. Nicholson went on to win the match by pinning Gemini after a Cutrope. At Chapter 5, Nicholson was involved in an another four-way, this time an elimination match for the newly created Mountain Range Championship. Nicholson out lasted OPW rival Joe Omega and CAW legend Tyler King, but was eventually rolled up and pinned by Butch Simpson.

Brand extension
Following New-NAW being split into two brands, Nicholson was assigned to the West brand. On Page 21, he faced off against Mike Valander but was defeated after Valander hit Nicholson in the eyes. On the next episode, Nicholson faced Al Cabrera once more, this time defeating him by submission. The two would face again in a rematch on the next episode, a match Nicholson lost. Their feud continued in a Last Man Standing match that Nicholson won after hitting a Hailstone on Cabrera. At Chapter 6, Nicholson interfered in the Mountain Range Championship match between Butch Simpson and Joe Omega, allowing Omega to capture the victory and thus reforming the Crusade. Their first match back together took place at Page 25 against rivals Cabrera and Simpson - Simpson would again roll up Nicholson for the pinfall victory. The following week, Nicholson and Omega lost the rematch as well. In the team's third consecutive encounter, Nicholson scored the decisive pinfall over Butch Simpson. The two faced in a singles match at the next episode, a match that Nicholson lost. At the return of NAW Velocity, Nicholson defeated The Crippler.

Tag team champion; singles glory hunt
With this gained momentum, Nicholson and Omega challenged for the tag team championships once more, and were successful in winning the titles. The two defended their titles multiple times, before engaging in a singles match that Nicholson won. He'd then face both Mason Kronik and Steven Raden in a triple threat match in the main event of Voltage 8, but was pinned by Raden. At Page 36, Nicholson took part in a six-man elimination match, eliminating Zach Starr and making it to the final three until he was again pinned by Raden. Nicholson was then featured in an Elimination Chamber match for the West Coast Championship at Chapter 9, and was one of the final two before being defeated by Omega. At Voltage 9, Nicholson and Omega lost their tag team championships to Aussie Andy and Tasmanian Tiger Mask. In a rematch at Page 38, the Crusade lost again. After the match, Omega left Nicholson alone in the ring, disbanding the team. The two then faced off in a bloody hardcore match at Chapter 10, where Nicholson lost to Omega.

Soon after, Nicholson was agitated by Omega's younger brother Aaron, later challenging him to a match at Chapter 11. At the event, Nicholson defeated Aaron. At Page 43, Nicholson was defeated by Aaron in a rematch.

It was soon announced that Nicholson's brother Eddie would make his New-NAW debut at Conquest of Duos, a tag team tournament. The Nicholsons would go on to defeat Sudden Impact in the first round.

North American Elite Wrestling (2019-present)
In October 2019, TJ Nicholson was announced as having signed with Danny Jackpot's new promotion, NAEW. In the promotion's debut show, Upstart, Nicholson faced CAW legend Biff Andreas and captured an upset victory.

Reunion of the Crusade
He'd later continue his winning ways at Second in Command, in a six-man tag team match with Aussie Andy and Al Cabrera against Andreas, Connor James and Lester Barkley. During the match, Nicholson would however not take noticeable part in his team's efforts, raising suspicion. Later the same night, those suspicions came to fruition as Nicholson, alongside with Joe Omega and Norm Dailey, attacked Mason Kronik, reforming The Crusade. Over the next several weeks, Nicholson and Crusade took part in a tournament to crown the first ever NAEW United States Tag Team Champions. With Nicholson scoring many decisive pinfalls, Crusade eventually advanced to the finals where they defeated the team of Lester Barkley and XtremeTony to win the championships.

Debut
It was reported in early 2013, that Nicholson had signed a short time contract with OPW, a CAW company owned by Joe Omega. In his first match in OPW, he defeated his long time idol CM Punk due to an interference by The Undertaker. Later, he was the special referee in a Hell in the Cell match between the two of them at OPW Absolute Zero, which was won by The Undertaker.

Soon, Nicholson became the first ever OPW TV Champion, but the title was deactivated soon after, and at the same time he suffered a strained achilles tendon against Rain Lopez and went out with an injury.

Return
In June 2013, it was rumored that Nicholson would make his re-debut in OPW sometime soon. The month after, it was reported he had signed a new contract with the company. He finally returned on the August 6th episode of OPW Warzone to take part in the Death or Glory series and beat Mick Foley on his first match back. On the first episode of OPW Superstars, Nicholson had a match against John Depp but lost via submission. He was then injured again and was scheluded to be out of action for approx. 6 months again.

Nicholson re-debuted in OPW on December 1, 2013 to fight Rey Mysterio. He viciously attacked Mysterio on the outside before defeating him via pinfall. On OPW Red on December 4, Nicholson saved Norm Dailey from an attack by Bray Wyatt, forming a tag team with Dailey. At OPW Wrestlemania, the team took part in a tag team gauntlet for the Tag Team Championships and survived until the end, before being defeated by the Dudley Boyz.

On OPW's Red second season premiere, Nicholson took part in the main event to determine the number one contender to the OPW Championship. Even eliminating John Cena, he was a part of the final two but was eliminated by Batista. Two days later it was announced online that he would face CM Punk in a number one contenders match at OPW Backlash, the winner of this match would win #1 contendership to the major championship of their brand.

On Superstars on December 19, Nicholson defeated the Legends Champion Razor Ramon in a non-title match. He got a title match for the championship on Kryptonite the following day, but Ramon was able to retain. He then took on a rivalry with CM Punk, which culminated at Backlash at a number one contenders match for the OPW title, which Punk won. Nicholson then had brief encounters with European Champion Seth Rollins, and they were supposed to face for the belt at Judgement Day. However, before the match started, Nicholson was attacked by Roman Reigns and in kayfabe, injured. Out of storyline, he wanted to take time off OPW. Despite him being out of action, he was voted the Breakout Star at OPW's first anniversary show in February 2014.

Against the system
Nicholson returned to OPW on April 22 to take part in the King of the Ring tournament. In the first round, he defeated Sheamus and advanced to the next round. There, he would defeat Crystal 1 via count-out and advance to the semi-finals. The rest of the tournament took place at the namesake pay-per-view, where Nicholson would first beat Seth Rollins to advance to the final round. There, he would ultimately defeat the winner of the first King of the Ring tournament Norm Dailey, and was crowned King of the Ring. A few weeks later, he was arbitrarily forced to defend the crown on Episode 120, inside a steel cage against John Cena. Cena would win the crown from Nicholson, who was then attacked by the Crusade, Nicholson turning face in the process.

Treating Nicholson unfairly would continue in the following episodes. He would manage to beat Victor by submission, but after the match his SummerSlam opponent was announced to be Brock Lesnar. Lesnar attacked Nicholson and knocked him out with three F5's. At SummerSlam, with a little help from the Undertaker, Nicholson beat Lesnar in an epic match. The Authority continued to put him in impossible situations and soon, he faced John Cena again. Nicholson beat Cena by disqualification after Cena hit him with the steel steps. After the match, Triple H attacked Nicholson with his signature sledgehammer, before hitting him with a Pedigree. He was then added as the sixth participant to the 6-man Hell in a Cell match for the OPW Championship at Absolute Zero 2 - this being his first ever world title opportunity. Triple H announced that this way he would make sure Nicholson never walks again.

A couple of weeks later on July 15, Nicholson defeated the Intercontinental Champion Shawn Dynasty in a non-title match. On the next episode, he was defeated by one of the participants of his upcoming Hell in a Cell match, The Rock. At Absolute Zero 2, Nicholson lost as champion Chris Jericho retained the OPW Championship. At OPW Royal Rumble 2, Nicholson entered at number 38, and went on to win the Rumble match. The following night on Episode 140, he beat Randy in a steel cage match. A few weeks later, he interrupted Triple H's rant and as a result, Nicholson was banned from wrestling in OPW until High Octane 2, where he would have to defend his Wrestlemania main event match contract - that he earned by winning the Royal Rumble - against Batista. At High Octane, Nicholson beat Batista in a Last Man Standing match to keep his Wrestlemania spot.

At the following episode on October 18, TJ was attacked backstage by Cyrus Perizma, in an effort to make him unable to wrestle at Wrestlemania 2, in the title match that also would include Perizma's friend John Depp. On November 1, at Wrestlemania 2, Nicholson defeated Brock Lesnar and John Depp to become the OPW Champion, winning his first world championship. However, only one minute later, Mr. Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan, cashed in his contract and ended Nicholson's reign before it properly started. A few weeks later on November 11th, Nicholson announced that he would take time off OPW. He was confronted by Triple H, who immediately put Nicholson into a match against Ace Justice. Nicholson lost to Justice, and after the show, he told the press that he would stay away for a rather long time.

2015 return
In January 2015, at OPW Overhaul, Nicholson returned after the match between OPW Champion Daniel Bryan and Norm Dailey, but was then attacked by the debuting Diablous. In his first match back, Nicholson was beaten by Norm Dailey. A week later, Nicholson fought JDP in an Extreme Rules match, a match that Nicholson won. Soon after, Nicholson's contract with OPW expired. He made a special appearance on OPW television on September 27, losing to the debuting Krow. Afterwards, Nicholson stated he would like to return to OPW full time in the near future. However, Nicholson soon announced his official departure from the promotion.

Third return
In May 2018, Nicholson made his unannounced return to OPW at Warzone, easily defeating Cyrus Perizma. The next day, Nicholson stated he had signed a non-exclusive "multi-year, multi-million contract", although the accuracy of this announcement has yet to be confirmed by OPW officials.

After being permanently drafted to Warzone, Nicholson joined forces with Devon Erik, Neville and Viktor Armada to form Los Proscritos. The group took part in a four-on-four tag team match, winning after Nicholson eliminated all of their opponents by himself. The following week, Nicholson suffered his first loss after returning, getting pinned by Diablous in singles competition. Nicholson then faced Norm Dailey in a losing effort. The next week, Nicholson took part in a six-man over-the-top battle royal and made it into the final two, but was ultimately eliminated by Seth Rollins.

At OPW Overhaul 2, Nicholson unsuccessfully challenged Diablous for the All-Asia Championship. It was later reported Nicholson worked through the match with an undisclosed shoulder injury, which would keep him out of action for a short period of time. He returned to action at Fatal Fourtune in an Elimination Chamber match, but was unsuccessful in capturing the reinstated OPW Intercontinental Championship.

Formation of the Nicholsons
Shortly after the OPW debut of TJ's brother Eddie Nicholson, it was announced Eddie would be joining Los Proscritos. TJ then stated the Nicholsons were planning on challenging stablemates Devon Erik and Herculan for the OPW Tag Championships. The match came to fruition at Starmageddon, where the Nicholsons captured the championships in their very first official match as a team.

Nicholson would still continue a hunt for singles glory, entering the 2018 Death or Glory series. In his first match, he was defeated by Tyson Gore, followed by a loss to Lemarcus Carter in the second match. He would then defeat Samoa Joe in his third match, before taking part in the final four way that also involved his three previous opponents. The match was however won by Carter.

The Nicholsons eventually lost the tag team championships to Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns. Followingly, Nicholson became the number one contender to the OPW United Kingdom Championship. He challenged Bart Balousek for the championship at OPW's top event, Golden Kingdom, but was unsuccessful.

Static
Nicholson was then drafted to OPW's Static brand, along with his fellow stablemates. With and without their help, Nicholson defeated AJ Styles three times in a row. He then took part in the second annual Liverpool Gauntlet, but lost to the Undertaker. On Static 34, Nicholson defeated Styles again, this time via submission. He would then defeat Braun Strowman in a Tables match, becoming the number one contender to the OPW Action-Zone Championship in the process. During the match Nicholson displayed a feat of inhuman strength, powerbombing Strowman through a table for the win.

At Phoenix Rebirth 2, Nicholson challenged champion Shane Corson for the title. After three Bone Through's, Nicholson claimed the second world title of his career, defeating Corson to become the new OPW Action-Zone Champion. A week later at Clash of the Conquerors, Nicholson made his first successful defense against Ryan Evans in a quick match. He made another successful defense against former arch rival Rain Lopez at One Night Stand, in a match that many considered a classic.

At Clash of the Conquerors, Nicholson successfully defended the title against Al Cabrera. He'd then go on to lose the championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at Starmageddon, ending Nicholson's reign at 102 days.

Mr. Money in the Bank
After losing the championship, Nicholson was re-assigned to the Warzone brand, leaving the fate of Los Proscritos in OPW unclear. Nicholson then qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at Fatal Fourtune 3, and won. Nicholson then continued his earlier rivalry with AJ Styles, culminating in a singles match at OPW Golden Kingdom 2 where Nicholson was victorious. On the road to 2020, Nicholson continued teaming with his brother, picking up a victory over Moustache Mountain on Kryptonite. On the following episode, Nicholson lost to a debuting Matt Riddle.

Elitist Pro Wrestling (2018)
Nicholson appeared on the debut episode of EPW, defeating Alex Striker.

Extreme Society Wrestling (2014)
Nicholson made his debut in EWS on October 14 at Breakcodes 4. He defeated Josh Thorn via submission in a quick match.

All Star Japan (2013-2017)
Nicholson made an appearance at All Star Japan in 2013 on December 2, at ASJ Kings of Puroresu. There he would challenge Hajime Suzuki for the ASJ World Championship, but lost. Nearly a year later on October 16, Nicholson wrestled a tag team match at ASJ Road to Bunka no Hi. The match saw him team up with KAKE against the stable of John Porter and Tajumi Sosa. Nicholson's team was victorious when TJ made Porter submit to a cross armbar. Nicholson wrestled an another match at ASJ's supershow on October 21, defeating Porter with a top rope Face Foetal. On January 3 at New Year Combat 2015, he lost to KAKE in a singles match. Nicholson would then return to ASJ on December 5 to defeat Shinichi Mouri. At ASJ's final event in 2017 on July 2, Nicholson faced off against Hajime Suzuki once more in a losing effort.

New-NXT (2013)
Nicholson debuted on the first episode of New-NXT in August 2013. He defeated Austin Aries by pinfall, but after the match he got a low blow from Aries. On the following episode, he was defeated by Joe Omega after Aries tossed a chair to Omega while the referee was distracted. Nicholson and Aries were scheduled for a match the next week, but the federation was defunct before then due to financial issues.

Personal life
A second generation wrestler, Nicholson is the oldest son of Finnish-American CAW wrestling legend Tommy "Thunder" Nicholson. Nicholson's younger brother Edward and cousin Andrew are both wrestlers as well. Nicholson has been engaged to an English actress named Cheryl since 2015, with whom he resides in Los Angeles.

Nicholson was born left handed, but is gradually considered ambidextrous. Alongside with English, he is fluent in Finnish, Swedish and French.

Although straight edge in his youth, Nicholson has later dropped the habit. He notes Scotch whisky as his favorite, owning shares in the Laphroaig brand. Nicholson takes great pride in a sophisticated lifestyle, presenting himself as a professional in and outside the ring.

Nicholson is a fan of both classic and electronic rock music, as well as soft metal, jazz and country. He enjoys action and western films, claiming Die Hard and Once Upon a Time in the West as his favorite movies. Nicholson is also a self-proclaimed sports fanatic, and cites rock climbing as one of his favorite past-times. He especially closely follows ice hockey, supporting both his hometown NHL team Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.

In wrestling

 * Finishing moves
 * Bone Through (Back-to-back double underhook piledriver) - 2014-2019; used occasionally thereafter
 * Face Foetal (Fireman's carry cutter) - 2012-2015; used as a signature move thereafter
 * Gallows Bird (Diving corkscrew shooting star press) - used rarely
 * Hailstone (Front facelock cutter)
 * Nicholson Deathlock (Arm-trap crossface)
 * The Smoking Gun (Butterfly canadian rack into a corkscrew neckbreaker) - 2019-present
 * Signature moves
 * Avalanche (Slingblade)
 * Corkscrew shooting star plancha to the outside
 * Cutrope (Jumping reverse bulldog)
 * Dead or Alive (Pumphandle powerbomb)
 * Diving elbow drop
 * Emerald flowsion
 * Frog splash - adopted from Tommy Thunder
 * High Noon (Swinging complete shot transitioned into a flowing DDT)
 * Kneeling powerbomb
 * Lifting sitout reverse DDT
 * Multiple suplex variations
 * Back
 * German, sometimes rolling, straight-jacket or transitioned from a back
 * Lifted and dropped into a knee strike
 * Rolling snap
 * Sitout slam
 * Nigel (Pendulum lariat)
 * Outdrawn (Spinning high-impact roundhouse kick)
 * Pikes Peak (Springboard forearm smash, often to the outside)
 * Sixth Sense (Spider suplex from the top rope, often followed by a frog splash)
 * Springboard 450° splash
 * Springboard high-angle senton bomb
 * Springboard roundhouse kick, sometimes from the apron into the ring
 * Superkick, often off a faint leg feed
 * Tiger Driver '92 (Kneeling double underhook release powerbomb) - used rarely


 * Nicknames
 * "Denver Desperado"
 * "The Fastest Gun"
 * "Iron Beard"
 * "John Wayne Kinda Mayne"
 * "The Last Gunslinger"
 * "The Outlaw/El Proscrito"
 * "The Professional"
 * "The Rocky Mountain Renegade"
 * "The Scotch Man"
 * "The Shooter"
 * "Son of Thunder"
 * "Tremendous"
 * "Wanted Dead"


 * Entrance themes
 * ​"Move" by Thousand Foot Krutch (July 2013 - November 2013)
 * "I Don't Wanna Stop" by Ozzy Osbourne (November 2013 - November 2014)
 * "Ultranumb" by Blue Stahli (November 2014 - present)
 * "Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone (September 2018 - present)

Championships and accomplishments

 * EMPIRE Wrestling
 * EMPIRE World Title #1 Contender Tournament Winner (2019)
 * NAEW
 * NAEW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time, current and inaugural) - with Norm Dailey
 * New-NAW
 * New-NAW Western Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Joe Omega
 * Omega Pro Wrestling
 * OPW Action-Zone Championship (1 time)
 * OPW Championship (1 time)
 * OPW Legends Championship (1 time)
 * OPW Tag Championship (2 times) - with Norm Dailey (1), with Eddie Nicholson (1)
 * King of the Ring (2014)
 * Money in the Bank (2019, current)
 * Royal Rumble (2014)