"I don't enjoy wrestling. I don't enjoy entertaining. And I'm not here for the money either. I just like to drop people on their heads and get away with it."
| Steve Rourke | |
|---|---|
| |
| Billing information | |
| Ring Names | Steve Rourke |
| Height | 6'4ft (1.95m) |
| Weight | 283lbs (128kg) |
| Born | November 2, 1985 (age 34) |
| Hometown | Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Resides | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Billed From | Portland, Oregon |
| Wrestling information | |
| Alignment | Heel |
| Trainer(s) | Baker Institute |
| Styles | MMA |
| Professional career | |
| Debut | 2018 |
| Retired | N/A |
Steven Gabriel Rourke (born November 2, 1985) is an American CAW wrestler, currently signed to AWS and FORCE. He also appears in Omega Pro Wrestling. A former mixed martial artist, Rourke's ruthlessness, inhuman strength and punishing shoot attacks have made him one of the fastest rising CAW wrestlers of all time.
Background[]
Rourke's journey into the world of mixed martial arts started through boxing at the age of 5. Growing up, he idolized Mike Tyson and was deemed a prodigy. He was undefeated in the sport, but never turned pro as he decided to switch into MMA after attending the UFC 33 event in Las Vegas, his father's hometown. Rourke soon moved to Nevada and trained rigorously. He made his amateur MMA debut in 2002 and was never defeated. He however suffered a surgery-requiring training injury in 2005, having to withdraw from his supposed professional debut. Rourke finally made his professional debut in 2008, and went on a ten-year undefeated streak in the minor leagues. He was on the radar of the UFC for a decade, but Rourke's reported attitude problems and legitimate aggressiveness led to him being turned down on multiple occasions.
In January 2018, Rourke fought a catch weight fight due to his opponent's inability to make weight for the heavyweight division. Resultingly, Rourke dominated the match but was disqualified after using an illegal piledriver and temporarily paralyzing his opponent. Rourke was subsequently permanently banned from mixed martial arts.
Following his exile from MMA, Rourke opted to try out professional wrestling. He seeked training from Clifton Baker IV at the Baker Institute in Reno. Rourke completed his training in under two months, deemed a natural by Baker.
FORCE Wrestling (2018-present)[]
After graduating from the Baker Institute, Rourke received a letter of invitation from Baker's old rival, Tommy Thunder, who invited Rourke to take part in his new promotion FORCE's inaugural championship tournament.
First FORCE World Champion[]
Rourke made his FORCE debut in the Gold Rush tournament, defeating Dylan Frost in the first round and TJ Nicholson in the second round in order to advance to the finals. There, he scored the pinfall victory over Jack Logan after his notorious piledriver maneuver, becoming the first ever FORCE World Champion and thereby winning his first ever heavyweight championship in only his third professional match. At Second Coming, Rourke retained his championship against Logan in a 2 out of 3 Falls match, without being scored a fall on. The following week at Locked and Loaded, Rourke successfully defended his championship against renowned CAW star Joe Omega. His next defense came against Adrian Snyder at Gone With the Windmills, where Rourke won by pinfall. Rourke's first ever loss came at Awakens, where Jack Logan defeated him, ending his FORCE World Championship reign at 178 days.
NAWverse (2018-present)[]
Rourke made his first NAWverse appearance at the pre-show of Cawllision 2018, successfully defending the FORCE World Championship against TJ Nicholson.
Omega Pro Wrestling (2018-present)[]
In late July 2018, it was announced Rourke had signed a contract with OPW and would join it's newly created Static brand. Rourke made his debut on the second episode of Static, defeating Al Cabrera in a championship tournament first round match. In the next episode, Rourke faced Minoru Suzuki and infamously made him submit, a feat earlier considered impossible. Rourke would then fight to a double countout with Bobby Lashley after launching a vicious ringside attack, leading to both men advancing to the tournament finals. The match would eventually shape out to be a four way match for the newly created OPW Action Zone Championship, between Rourke, Lashley, Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam. Rourke would go on to win the match and the championship, marking his second world heavyweight title victory less than two weeks after his CAW wrestling debut. Rourke defended the title in a triple threat match at Golden Kingdom against Al Cabrera and Shane Corson, but lost as Corson pinned Cabrera.
Personal life[]
In his spare time, Rourke claims to "eat raw eggs and break bricks with bare hands." He resides and runs an underground MMA gym in Las Vegas, while also owning a summer cottage in the backwoods of Oregon.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Double underhook piledriver
- Rolling kneebar
- Signature moves
- Camel clutch
- Double axe handle to a bent-over opponent
- Multiple suplex variations
- Olympic slam, sometimes off the top rope
- Running clothesline
- Samoan drop
- Entrance themes
- "Face the Pain" by Stemm
Championships and accomplishments[]
- FORCE Wrestling
- FORCE World Championship (1 time)
- Omega Pro Wrestling
- OPW Action Zone Championship (1 time)
- OPW Southern Islands Championship (1 time)