 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2019) |
 Haskins in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1988-06-25)25 June 1988 (age 37) Faringdon,Oxfordshire, England |
Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mark Haskins[1] Skins the Chav[1][2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 209 lb (95 kg) |
| Billed from | Faringdon, Oxfordshire[3] |
| Trained by | Mark Sloan[1] |
| Debut | July 2006[1] |
Mark Haskins (born June 25, 1988), is an Englishprofessional wrestler. He is known internationally for his time inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling, as well as his appearances inRing of Honor,Progress Wrestling,Revolution Pro Wrestling,Dragon Gate,[4]Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, andInternational Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom.[5]
Haskins debuted on July 22, 2006, for FWA Academy by teaming up with Tom Langford to defeatMark Sloan and Ollie Burns. He was involved in his first cage match just days after his debut, losing to Mark Sloan and Ollie Burns. He debuted for Premier Promotions on September 7, 2006. Haskins would go on to wrestle many matches for Premier Promotions over the years, mostly British Rules matches. He was part of the FWA Academy Championship Number One Contendership tournament and got to the semi-finals before being eliminated by Max Voltage. His last match for FWA Academy came at the beginning of 2007 by teaming with Tommy Langford and defeatingDoug Williams andJake McCluskey.
Haskins debuted forInternational Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom on April 1, 2007, with Dan James, Harry Mills, & Tommy Langford defeating Ian Logan, Jake McCluskey, Jamie Brum, and Wade Fitzgerald.[6] He would then team up with The Chavs (Dan James and Harry Mills) in a losing effort on April 4, 2007. Haskins and Mills participated in aOne Pro Wrestling six-team gauntlet match for the1PW Tag Team Championship and also lost to BritRage in a match for the 4FW Tag Team Championship.In August, he debuted forJoint Promotions and real-quality wrestling. He participated in a British National Championship Tournament and got to the quarterfinals before being beaten by Terry Fraizer. For one night on January 13, 2008, he changed his name to Skins and lost toEl Ligero.Haskins teamed with The Saint to take on BritRage for the 4FW Tag Team Championship in February and lost.Haskins won an IPW:UK Championship #1 Contendership Battle Royal only to lose to the championMartin Stone.In March, he lost a 28-man Royal Rumble at IPW:UK.Haskins and Bison Smith lost toKotaro Suzuki andMitsuharu Misawa at A-Merchandise's Noah vs. UK event.Upon making his debut forIrish Whip Wrestling on December 6, 2008, he beatRed Vinny,The Ballymun Bruiser and Vic Viper for the RQW Cruiserweight Championship.At the beginning of 2009, he lost a 4FW Heavyweight Championship Number One Contendership five-way ladder match. On February 28, 2009, he lost the Extreme Measures 2009 Tournament, and at Premier Promotion, he lost in the finals of a one-night tournament.[7]On April 6, 2009, Haskins and Mark Sloan won the PWF Tag Team Championship Tournament for the vacantPWF Tag Team Championship by defeatingRoy Knight andZak Zodiac.He lost the RQW Cruiserweight Championship to the British Eagle only to win it back days later.Haskins lost a three-way match for the wXW World Lightweight Championship on July 4, 2009. He also won the 2009 Ian Dowland Trophy.On his return to Europe from Dragon Gate, he performed at the British Allstar Wrestling Alliance, losing to Team H8 (Gideon and Jeckel).At All-Star Wrestling, he lost toMikey Whiplash for the World Mid-Heavyweight Championship. In the 2011 16 Carat Gold Tournament, Haskins advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated byBig Van Walter.[8]
Haskins formed a team withJoel Redman known as The Thrillers; on their debut match together, they lost to The South Coast Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ian Logan and Jake McCluskey) on July 14, 2007, which involved a special guest referee. The team would go on a losing streak for the next few months and even lost to The Kartel (Sha Samuels andTerry Frazier) in a match for the IPW:UK Tag Team Championship. The Thrillers won their first match as a tag team in a dark match by defeatingJP Monroe andJules Lambrini on January 27 January 2008.[9]
The team debuted for Real Quality Wrestling on February 16, 2008, and defeated the Maximum Head (Dan Head & Max Voltage) and would next month beat The Lost Boys (Danny Darko andJo FX). After their two successful matches, they challenged The Damned Nation (Cameron Kraze and Dragon Aisu) on April 26, 2008, for the RQW Tag Team Championship which they won.[9]
The Thrillers returned to IPW:UK on May 4, 2008, triumphant with tag team gold in the form of the RQW Tag Team Championship, only to lose the championship to The Kartel (Sha Samuels & Terry Frazier) in a championship unification match that also involved the IPW:UK Tag Team Championship. The team debuted forOne Pro Wrestling losing to BritRage (Mark Sloan & Wade Fitzgerald). However, they would beat The Kartel on September 28, 2008, for the Unified British Tag Team Championship. The Thrillers would then debut forWestside Xtreme Wrestling at the beginning of 2009 and win awXw Tag Team Championship contendership match defeatingAdam Polak andLazio Fe. With that win, they challengedDoug Williams and Martin Stone for the wXw Tag Team Championship the following month, but were unable to win the title.[9]
Upon their return to IPW:UK, The Thrillers lost the Unified British Tag Team Championship to The Leaders of The New School (Marty Scurll andZack Sabre Jr.). The Thrillers tried to regain the championship on two separate occasions, the first ending in DQ and the second where they were defeated cleanly in a tables, ladder and chairs match.[9]
Haskins debuted forDragongate on October 31, 2009, during their European tour stop in Germany, teaming withTommy End in a losing effort againstThe Young Bucks. A day later, in the UK, Haskins defeatedKagetora. Haskins joined Dragon Gate in February 2010 for a two-month tour, making his Japanese debut on February 6 and losing toDon Fujii. The Haskins tour finished on March 22, teaming withAkira Tozawa and Kagetora and losing toMakoto Hashi,Naoki Tanizaki andPac at theRyōgoku Kokugikan. Haskins returned to Dragon Gate in May for another two-month tour, finishing up on July 11 at Dragon Gate's biggest show of the year, the Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival. In August, Haskins teamed up with Pac to take part in theSummer Adventure Tag League, finishing the tournament with one win and four losses.[10] On September 6, Haskins lost to Pac in his final Dragon Gate match in Japan. Haskins has further competed in Dragon Gate as part of their European and UK tours in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.[11]
Haskins wrestled on TNA's European Tour in January 2011. He made another appearance with TNA on July 10 atDestination X, where he was defeated by compatriotDouglas Williams.[12] Haskins made his return to TNA on the August 11, 2011 edition ofImpact Wrestling, appearing in a backstage segment whereEric Bischoff introduced new rules to the X Division.[13] On August 18, 2011, TNA announced that Haskins had signed a contract with the promotion.[14] On that evening's episode ofImpact Wrestling, he took part in agauntlet match to determine the X Division rankings. After eliminatingAlex Shelley andRobbie E from the match, Haskins was himself eliminated byZema Ion, placing him sixth in the rankings.[15] Haskins returned toImpact Wrestling on February 2, 2012, losing toX Division ChampionAustin Aries in a match taped inLondon.[16] During the match, Haskins suffered a concussion and a neck injury, rendering him inactive for several months.[17] After several months of inactivity, on September 14, 2012, it was reported that Haskins had parted ways with TNA, after the promotion opted not to renew his contract.[18]
Although signed to TNA, Haskins continued to perform for British independent promotions. He made his return to the British independent circuit on February 4, 2012, atAll Star Wrestling where he lost to Dean Allmark and the next day lost to him again in the semi-final of a one-night tournament. Haskins would appear frequently for International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom,New Generation Wrestling and Southside Wrestling Entertainment. At Preston City Wrestling's Blood, Sweat, and Beers, Haskins lost to T-Bone in a match for the PCW Championship, which also included Johnny Moss. The Thrillers would reunite at IPW:UK No Escape 2012 and lost to Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby).
At NGW Destiny 2012, Haskins took part in a NGW Heavyweight Championship number one contendership 30 Man Royal Rumble. At SWE Speed King, Haskins lost to Ego Dragon in the semi-final of the SWE Speed King Championship Tournament and, a month later, took onMarty Scurll for the same championship. At IPW:UK Extreme Measures 2012, Haskins lost toAkira Tozawa in the semi-final of the Extreme Measures 2012 Tournament. At SWE Supremacy, Haskins lost to Stixx in a match to decide the SWE Heavyweight Champion. Two days later, he would lose toPrince Devitt in a fatal four-way fight for the IPW:UK British Cruiserweight Championship, which also included El Ligero andNoam Dar. On January 19, 2013, Haskins lost to Zack Sabre Jr. in a qualifying match for the 16-carat gold tournament. When Dragon Gate returned to tour the UK, he wrestled at all three events, where he developed a small feud with Marty Scurll, which, on February 24, 2013, culminated with Scurll going over Haskins. On March 16, 2013, at Eastmount Recreation Centre in Hull, Haskins defeated 29 other men to become the new New Generation Wrestling Champion. On May 18, 2013, he went on to successfully defend the title against Kris Travis at Victoria Hall, Keighley (just outside Bradford). In June 2013, Mark defeated Jimmy Jacobs in the main event, and in August 2013, Mark defeated Sabu in a main event hardcore match, both for Wu-Tech Wrestling, which was based in Worcester, England, and the match happened at the Rainbow Hill Club, in Worcester.
On February 11, 2013, Haskins won a six-man match to be crowned thePremier British Wrestling "King of Cruisers" 2013, winning overNoam Dar,Kenny Williams, Joey Hayes,El Ligero and CJ Banks.[19]
Mark Haskins has been a regular at Southside Wrestling Entertainment since August 2012 and won the heavyweight title on October 27, 2013. He subsequently defended the title againstUhaa Nation and made a second defence against former WWE starTrent Barreta on March 9 March 2014.[20]
In 2017, Haskins was part of the ROHWar of the Worlds UK defeatingSilas Young on night 2 but losing toHiromu Takahashi on night 3.[21] In August he wrestled againstShane Strickland for theCZW World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.[22]
On December 4, 2017, Haskins debuted for Defiant Wrestling at #WeAreDefiant as a heel, attacking Martin Kirby with Chris Ridgeway.Austin Aries ran down to seemingly save Kirby; however, he attacked Kirby instead and aligned himself with Haskins and Ridgeway.[23] On the 29 December episode of Defiant, Haskins, alongside Ridgeway, Aries and other members of the IPW:UK roster, attacked the ring crew,Jimmy Havoc, Primate,BT Gunn, andJoe Coffey, and also attacked the commentator team, choking Dave Bradshaw, knocking out James R. Kennedy, and destroying the ring.On March 26 March 2017, Haskins and Jimmy Havoc defeatedAussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) and BT Gunn & Joe Coffey to win the Defiant Tag Team Championships.[24]
Haskins first competed inProgress Wrestling at Chapter Seven[25] and quickly made a name for himself in the promotion as part of the hated Screw Indy Wrestling stable alongsideNathan Cruz,Rampage Brown,Sha Samuels andMartin Stone. Haskins and Cruz made several attempts to become Progress Tag Team Champions, but were ultimately unsuccessful in every attempt. In singles action, Haskins facedRicochet andZack Sabre Jr. in a three-way match at Chapter Nine.[26] OnceRampage Brown left the group, he and Haskins became involved in a heated rivalry that culminated in a no-disqualification match at Chapter Eighteen which Brown won.[27]
Following a two-month absence due to injury, Haskins evolved into a fan favourite, exhibiting an MMA striking and submission-oriented wrestling style. He entered the inaugural Super Strong Style 16 tournament in 2015, beating Jack Gallagher in the opening round[28] before losing to tournament winnerWill Ospreay in the quarterfinals.[29] He won the 2015 Thunderbastard match,[30] but was unsuccessful in his subsequent attempt to win theProgress Championship from Ospreay at Chapter Twenty-One.[31]
In the 2016 Super Strong Style 16 tournament, he beatPete Dunne in the first round[32] but did not compete further due to exhaustion and illness. He returned to Progress at Chapter Thirty-Two, answeringJohnny Gargano's open challenge for his Smash Wrestling Championship.[33] Haskins won the match and the title, becoming the first British wrestler to hold that belt. At Chapter Thirty-Three, Haskins won a number-one contenders match against Ospreay[34] and announced that he would face the Progress Champion in September at Chapter Thirty-Six, Progress' biggest ever show. At the Brixton show, Haskins pinnedMarty Scurll in the main event triple-threat match, also involvingTommy End, to become Progress Champion for the first time. Haskins successfully defended his title against Zack Gibson at Chapter 37[35] and against bothMarty Scurll andJimmy Havoc at Chapter 38.[36] After the latter victory, Haskins was forced to give up the championship due to injury.
In January 2017, Haskins made his return to Progress at Chapter Forty-Three, joining with the returning Flash Morgan Webster to saveJimmy Havoc from Dunne andTrent Seven, revealing that both he and Webster were medically cleared to compete again.[37] In March 2017, Haskins went on to face Progress Champion Pete Dunne for the title at Progress Orlando.[38] He andMark Andrews fought to a draw for the number one contendership at Chapter Forty-Seven,[39] and both lost to Dunne at Chapter Forty-Eight in the three-way match for the championship.[40] Haskins entered the 2017 Super Strong Style 16 Tournament, winning against Flash Morgan Webster in the first round[41] before losing toTyler Bate in the quarter-finals.[42]
Haskins then became embroiled in a feud withJimmy Havoc, both men determined to regain the Progress World Championship. Initially forming a tag team, the pair were defeated by the Origin (Zack Gibson andNathan Cruz) at Chapter Fifty[43] and byBritish Strong Style (Trent Seven andTyler Bate) in a match for the Progress Tag Team Championship at Chapter Fifty-Three.[44] During this match, Haskins' wife Vicky was grabbed byPete Dunne as a distraction, which led to Haskins and Havoc's defeat and caused Haskins and Havoc to brawl after the match.[45] This led to a death Match between the two at Chapter Fifty-Five, held atAlexandra Palace, where Havoc was victorious.[46]
At Chapter Fifty-Six, Haskins turned heel and, alongside Havoc, attackedDavid Starr and Jack Sexsmith with a spiked bat. Now accompanied by Vicky Haskins, Haskins and Havoc have been undefeated as a team since Chapter Fifty Seven. At Chapter 63, Haskins and Havoc defeated Grizzled Young Veterans to win the Progress Tag Team Championships.[47] They lost the title back to Grizzled Young Veterans in Chapter 64.[48] At Chapter 76: Hello Wembley!, Haskins defeatedMatt Riddle in Riddle's farewell match on the independent scene.[49] At Chapter 77, Haskins defeated Chris Brookes and Jimmy Havoc to become the number one contender for the Progress World Championship.[50] He would get his opportunity at Chapter 78, where he unsuccessfully challengeWalter.
Haskins won the Smash Wrestling Championship at aProgress Wrestling show in June 2016,[33] successfully answering championJohnny Gargano's open challenge for the title. It was the first time the belt changed hands on British soil and Haskins is the first ever British Smash Wrestling Champion.
He went on to successfully defend the title against Tarik in August 2016,[51] his first appearance for Smash in the company's home country. During the three Progress vs. Smash shows in September 2016, Haskins successfully defended the belt against Smash Wrestling regulars Maybach Beta,[52] Brent Banks,[53] and Mike Bailey.[54] Due to injury, Haskins had to relinquish the Smash Wrestling Championship later that year. He made his return to the company in June 2017, winning the Gold 2017 Tournament by beatingDalton Castle in the opening round and then defeatingEvil Uno, Kevin Bennett, Tarik and Sebastian Suave in the tournament final.[55]On August 13 August Haskins failed to regain the Smash Wrestling Championship against Tyson Dux.[56]
On June 27, 2016, it was announced that Haskins would debut forPro Wrestling Guerrilla by taking part in the2016 Battle of Los Angeles in September 2016.[57] At the event, Haskins beatCedric Alexander in the first round[58] andKyle O'Reilly in the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual tournament winnerMarty Scurll in the semi-finals.[59] Haskins made his return to PWG in May 2017, when he lost toLio Rush.[60]In September 2017, Haskins entered to the Battle Of Los Angeles, losing in the first round against Travis Banks.[61]Haskins competed at All Star Weekend 13, defeating Adam Brooks during Night 1[62] but losing to theYoung Bucks alongside Morgan Webster on Night 2.[63]
Haskins debuted forInsane Championship Wrestling onICW Fight Club in an unsuccessful challenge forBT Gunn'sICW World Heavyweight Championship.[64] For the remainder of 2018, Haskins would align withJimmy Havoc andViper in tag team competition and make hisFear & Loathing debut at theSECC Hydro on 2 December 2018 in a Six WayTables, ladders, and chairs match for anICW Tag Team Championship opportunity.[65]
Haskins returned to ICW in 2022, scoring wins over Andy Wild, Theo Doros, and Stevie James[66][67] while losing another ICW World Heavyweight Championship match toKez Evans atThe 10th Annual Square Go! event.[68]
Haskins made his Ring of Honor debut in May 2018, working during the Honor United tour.[69][70] On August, ROH came back to UK with their 3-day tour Honor Re-United, where Haskins won the International Cup.[71] On the third day, Haskins challenged ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, but he was defeated.[72] On 20 December 2018, Haskins announced he signed a contract with Ring of Honor.[73] On 12 January 2019, Lifeblood'sJuice Robinson, Mark Haskins,Bandido,David Finlay and Tracy Williams defeated Jay Lethal, Jeff Cobb, Jonathan Gresham, Dalton Castle and Flip Gordon when Castle was forced to submit by Haskins. The two sides faced off before shaking hands.[74] At the 2019Tag Wars tournament, Lifeblood's Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams were defeated by Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham in the first round.[75]AtG1 Supercard, Haskins along with Juice Robinson &Flip Gordon defeatedBully Ray, Shane Taylor &Silas Young in a New York City street fight match.[76]During the night 3 of the War of the Worlds, Haskins unsuccessfully challengedMatt Taven for theROH World Championship.[77]Since then Lifeblood started a feud againstVillain Enterprises. AtBest In The Word, Lifeblood's Haskins and Williams along withP. J. Black were defeated by Villain Enterprises for theROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship, after the match they tried to recruitFlip Gordon to the stable, however he turned on them and joined Villain Enterprises. On 29 June, Lifeblood defeated Villain Enterprises in a Street Fight match. At Honor For All, Lifeblood's Haskins and Bandido defeated Villain Enterprises thus earning an opportunity for theROH World Tag Team Championship. AtDeath Before Dishonor XVII, they were defeated by the defending championsThe Briscoe Brothers. At the end of the year, Haskins started a feud with Bully Ray which culminated atFinal Battle, where Haskins defeated Bully Ray in a Street Fight match.
