Tim Worthington

Physical Appearance:

Bearing a likeness to Bobby Fish, Tim has short brown hair which is beginning to recede. He’s commonly unshaven, preferring some “designer” stubble to being clean shaven. Big brown eyes and very expressive eyebrows (ie he can raise them a fair amount). Tim is a little larger build than other wrestlers of his size, mainly due to the fact he’s been out of the game for a while. He is aiming to bring this down over the coming months. Out of the ring Tim will always be seen in a smart grey suit, complete with waistcoat. Usually with a crisp white shirt, light blue tie and smart black shoes.

Ring Attire:

White trunks, knee pads and boots. The trunks with a light blue “rising sun” design on the back. And he wears a black elbow pad on his right elbow.

Gimmick: Clean Cut Gentleman

Personality: Never takes a cheap shot to gain the advantage. Never uses weapons and abhors anyone who does. Will often remove weapons from the ring if they are present. Will never attack another, will often be the person who comes out to “make the save” for a fellow good guy. Through these traits he often befriends those he helps. Hates cage matches, mainly since being thrown off of one back in 2002. Is keen on becoming a champion to prove to himself that he still has what it takes.

Strengths:

* Extremely resilient – Known to be tough to put away for the three count, will continue to fight on, even through injury etc.

* Great friendships – Found a tag partner/manager in August Joyce who helped reinvigorate Tim’s career. Also has several friends who are all wrestlers who help him train etc.

* Top research – Will go to great lengths to study upcoming opponents but also review previous matches.

Weaknesses:

* Totally Clean: May not sound like a weakness, but Tim won’t end a match ‘cheaply’- can lead to more work or even a beat down.

* Out of the game for a while – Ring rust has become a big problem for Tim.

* Depressive history – After the death of his family in 2007 Tim has had problems with depression. His mood sometimes drops, even when in the ring, and then his judgement can be impaired. I.e. taking risks he wouldn’t usually.

Finisher: Atlantic 24 [Elevated Boston Crab]

Can be applied from standing, starting with a trip, or more commonly when the opponent is already down. With the opponent laying on their back Tim grabs both legs and twists, turning the opponent over. Tim prefers to leave the opponent slightly twisted, rather than turning them completely. He then leans backwards putting strain on the opponents back.

Secondary Finisher: Hope ‘n Glory [Fame Asser]

Can be performed from standing position, after doubling over his opponent with a boot to the gut, or while running towards his opponent in a similar position. Also occasionally performed from the top rope.

Signature Moves:

-          Tilt-a-whirl Backbreaker

-          Sidewinder Lariat (Running Lariat to side of seated opponent’s head)

-          Sleep it Off (kick to the head/European uppercut/forearm/superkick combo)

-          Swandive Headbutt

-          Shining Triangle

General Move List:

-          Suplex (Vertical, Snap, Stalling, Tiger, German, Exploder, T-Bone, Sleeper)

-          Backbreaker

-          Lariat (Regular, Diving, Discuss, Rebound)

-          Figure Four Leglock

-          Ankle Lock

-          Springboard Moonsault

-          DDT (Reverse, Jumping)

-          Gutwrench Powerbomb

-          Spinebuster

-          Russian Leg Sweep

-          European Uppercut

-          Standing Wrist lock

-          Dragon Screw

Biography:

Timothy James Worthington was born on Christmas Day 1979, only child of Emma Worthington. At school he excelled at sports, and in his mid teens he decided to follow up on his dream to become a professional wrestler, signing up with a wrestling academy in his home town of Southampton, run by Matt Montell, much to the disapproval of his mother.

From there he embarked on several academy tours across Europe. It was during one tour in Cyprus when Tim was involved in a hit and run incident, injuring his back and putting him out of action for over a year. During this time his mother passed away, and with Tim never knowing his father Matt Montell became more of a parental figure than trainer.

Worthington made his professional debut in a tag-team match at a show for the British Wrestling Alliance (BWA) on 5th July 2001. The match pitted Worthington and Montell against the team of “The Man” Ed Sharples and Alan Galpin. Montell helped Tim to get the pin over Galpin, which saw Worthington pick up the American eXtreme E-wrestling (AXE) Inter-Continental Championship.

Having won a title in his debut match Tim headed to the US and had a brief stint with the AXE. His first title reign did not last long, but it was a great learning experience. The AXE soon closed and Montell took Worthington all over the US, training with some of the most respected coaches and Indy feds around, before returning to the UK. Worthington remained in the US along with Montell’s friend, Hannah Kendall, who became Worthington’s best friend and manager.

It later transpired that Montell is actually Tim’s father and, at around the same time, Tim and Hannah became romantically involved. Tim also became Commissioner of the BWA, doing a favour for Hannah’s brother, BWA President Dean Kendall.

Tim got himself a contract with the Millennium Wrestling Alliance (MWA), but was dogged by a man known simply as “you-know-who”. This man had some kind of contract, and control over Worthington’s life. Only a title win could remove Tim from this contract. Worthington came close on several occasions to getting an MWA Title shot, narrowly missing out in a Battle Royal to Ran Smith and losing a close match with Josh Swanson, both for a Title Shot. Then MWA World Champion, Jackie Sweets, agreed to Tim having a shot at the title, and Tim almost came away with the win.

Tim didn’t give up though, and was given a shot at the MWA Heritage Championship and its owner, Lifeless Joe at the MWA Blackout Pay-Per-View in September 2002. But before the event, Hannah was abducted by you-know-who and Tim’s torment was increased. Tim won the match, and the title, freeing himself from the mystery contract. But all of that was for nothing, as Worthington was still left hunting the man who had his girl. Eventually Hannah was released, as her abductor vanished, and she returned to the UK to take over from Tim as BWA Commissioner.

Tim lost his Heritage Title to Johnny Grrrrr on 3rd November 2002 in a match were Tim believes he was screwed by the match official and G5′s friend, Shark Seavers. Tim went for revenge and challenged Johnny to a rematch, a Hell in a Cell match at Rising Sons in Tokyo, Japan on December 1st. Hannah returned from the UK, along with her daughter Emily, to support Tim for the match. Grrrrr used Worthington’s paranoia of his girlfriend’s safety to distract him and throw him from the top of the cell. Johnny won the match, retained the title, and Tim disappeared from the MWA for over four months.

At around this time Tim and Hannah became engaged, and soon after they were married. The BWA closed and, after time off to fully recover from his injury, Tim returned to the ring. After a month or two on the Indy circuit Tim was recruited for a second spell in the MWA. The return started well, with a series of victories, and Hannah announcing her pregnancy. But things were about to sour. Tim came face to face with Stephen Clay, a former lover of Hannah’s and father to young Emily. A bitter custody battle ensued, often spilling into the ring.

Around this time, Tim also had a chance at a re-match with Johnny Grrrrr, who was now MWA World Champion. Tim relished the opportunity, and came away victorious, having won his first World Heavyweight Title.

The situation with Stephen Clay had not died down, however. Clay and Worthington did battle on several occasions, most notably in a Hellmouth Cage match, where Tim defended the MWA Title. Eventually Clay and the Worthington’s worked out their differences, and reached a visitation agreement for young Emily. As the years rolled on the two would actually become friends.

Then came the New School Army, a group causing chaos throughout the MWA. Their leader, Kevin Rollins, was set on becoming the next MWA Champion and, with a little NSA help, he defeated Worthington for the title. Worthington felt hard done by, and demanded a re-match. He eventually got what he wanted, and regained the Championship.

The New School Army went quiet but, being the Champion, there was always someone out to get Tim. And this time it was a very familiar name… Lifeless Joe. The man that Tim had defeated for the Heritage Title the previous year. Joe had been out seriously injured ever since and saw this as a chance for revenge. Joe picked up a couple of wins over Tim, and was granted a Title Shot.

Hannah was now very near giving birth, and Tim feared that his Title defence in Tokyo would mean him missing his child’s birth. Hannah sailed to Japan, to be with her husband. During his match with Lifeless Joe at the Rising Sons Pay-Per-View, Tim’s phone beeped… a message. Tim rolled out of the ring to read it, and then walked up the aisle. MWA staff came to meet him, but Tim walked passed them and out of the arena. Tim walked away from the MWA Title to be at his wife’s side, as his son was being born. Lifeless Joe refused to accept the Title, feeling that he had not deserved it, and so it was vacated.

Tim returned to the UK with his new family. He kept a low profile for some months before he began to accept bookings with Tokyo Pure Wrestling in Japan. TPW had been impressed with his performance at Rising Sons as well as his strong family values and had offered him a full time deal. Worthington rose to the top of TPW and in February 2003 he defeated The Great Sato in a classic contest for the TPW Heavyweight Championship. Worthington held the title for almost six months before Tim had to return to the UK for personal reasons in August 2003. It was the second time he had vacated a title in Tokyo.

Soon the Kendall family again turned to Tim to help them. Hannah had joined her fathers’ new company, the United Kingdom Wrestling Alliance, as a board member. Tim also joined, as Commissioner. But Tim couldn’t resist the lure of the ring, and joined the Champions League tournament to crown the first UKWA Champion. Ring rust got the better of Tim in his three matches, and he won just one of them. He failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Shane Pinex chose this as a time to poke fun at Tim, saying he was washed up. Tim responded and offered to face Pinex in the ring. Shane agreed, with one stipulation, if Tim lost he would retire from British Wrestling. Tim agreed, but once in the ring, he wished that he hadn’t. Pinex picked up the win, and Worthington’s career was ended.

But the story didn’t end there. The UKWA got into trouble with the MWA, and a legal battle ensued. Eventually the two companies decided that things should not be settled in a court of law, but in a wrestling ring. When Tim appeared on MWA television to announce the show “The Fallen Angel” Dante decided to poke more fun at Tim. Tim revealed that while he was retired from wrestling in Britain, he was still free to wrestle in the US.

The entire UKWA roster flew to Wisconsin, and did battle on 4th July 2004. It was to be the UKWA’s Independence Day. Tim Worthington made an emotional return to the MWA as he went one-on-one with Dante, a man who had evaded him for his entire career. Worthington picked up the win, but it was not enough to help the UKWA to victory. The show was tied, five wins each, and due to a clause in the events contract the MWA took control of their UK counterparts.

Tim returned to compete in the MWA once more, but his return was not only short lived but also did not yield much success. Tim decided to step back from active competition and became partially retired, only appearing in exhibition matches and performing ceremonial roles for the MWA. In 2005, along with old time rivals Kevin Rollins and Johnny Grrrrr, Worthington was inducted into the MWA Hall of Fame.

One of those exhibition matches was a dream Tag-Team match which saw Tim team with old friend Jackie Sweets against Steve Pinex and Tommy Danger. Later that night came a shocking turn of events, as Tim was acting as referee for the MWA Legacy Title match between Andersen and Veronique. Veronique, also known as Marcie du Toit, had been a friend of Tim’s for many years. But, little known to anyone, Andersen had some dirt on her, and used it to turn Tim against her.

It was revealed that Marcie, who suffered with memory loss, was actually romantically linked with Andersen while they were on a wrestling tour of Cyprus. Andersen revealed to Tim that Marcie was the driver involved in his hit and run incident all those years before. Tim and Andersen, along with Joey Phoenix, decimated Marcie on Pay-Per-View and forced her to leave the MWA.

Tim then went through a lot of personal torment. During the summer of 2007 his family was involved in a horrific car accident which ended in the death of his wife Hannah as well as his children Emily and Matthew. Tim slipped into a deep depression, but long time friend Marcie du Toit was there to help him. During the time that had passed since her departure from the MWA they two had reconciled and now she was intent on getting his life back on track, as he had once done for her.

Tim made a return to the MWA for a guest appearance in early 2011 but suffered an attack at the hands of Dan Divine and after this Worthington vowed never to step back into the ring. But a chance meeting with August Joyce in late 2011 changed his mind. Joyce, a long time Worthington fan, persuaded the Hall of Famer to give his career a new twist by teaming up with each other and attempting a comeback. A series of mysterious promos popped up around the MWA and in January 2012, at Rising Sons, the two made their first appearance together.

Around the same time Tim also signed with PREMIER Wrestling, the UK regional promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance (NeWA). It had been eight years since Tim last competed in the UK, due to his career ending loss to Shane Pinex. But with the amount of time passed, as well as the passing of Pinex himself, Tim decided that it was time to step foot back in a British ring. He made his debut in a four person Battle Royal in Birmingham in March 2012 but didn’t return to a PREMIER ring due to differences of opinions with management.

Back in the MWA Rising Sons never did capture the Tag-Team Championships and eventually Tim decided that he needed to step away and let August continue his career solo. After a match of the year candidate against fellow Brit Kacy Knight, Tim’s last MWA contest was against Carolyn Baker in May 2012.

For the following twelve months Tim toured the world doing conventions, book signings and the occasional appearance for Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER and for Tokyo Pure Wrestling; including a tag match with old friend Ren Itou against the War Tigers on the last ever TPW show in November 2012.

Now (April 2013) Tim is gearing up for a return to the ring and is accepting bookings. In the MWA Tim was a hero, someone who had reached the very top. But outside the MWA Tim was a relative unknown. So Tim has vowed to join a new promotion, start at the bottom and make a name for himself all over again!

Achievements

MWA Hall of Famer (Class of 2005)

MWA World Heavyweight Champion (x2)

MWA Heritage Champion

AXE Inter-Continental Champion