| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dennis Knight (1968-12-26)December 26, 1968 (age 56)[2] Clearwater, Florida, U.S.[1] |
| Family | Ron Slinker (stepfather) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Dennis Knight Leatherface[1] Mideon[2] Midian Naked Mideon[2] Phineas I. Godwinn[2] Tex Slazenger[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 288 lb (131 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | "Bitters,Arkansas" (as Phineas I. Godwinn)[2] |
| Trained by | Steve Keirn[1] |
| Debut | July 23, 1989 |
| Retired | December 1, 2012 |
Dennis Knight (born December 26, 1968) is an American chef and retiredprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances withWorld Championship Wrestling between 1992 and 1994 under thering nameTex Slazenger and with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) between 1996 and 2001 under the ring namesPhineas I. Godwinn andMideon, as well as his real name.[1][2][4]
Knight grew up in theTampa Bay Area, in the city ofClearwater, Florida. He attendedSalem University inSalem, West Virginia, where he playedAmerican football for the Tigers. After suffering a severe shoulder injury, Knight left Salem College and returned to Florida, where he worked as abouncer.[1]
While working as a bouncer inClearwater, Florida, Knight was introduced toSteve Keirn, who trained him as a professional wrestler.[1] He debuted in 1989 under the ring name "Tex Slazenger", facing his stepfather,Ron Slinker, in his first match. Knight went on to wrestle on theindependent circuit in theCarolinas.[1]
In 1991, Knight joined theMemphis, Tennessee-basedUnited States Wrestling Association, where he adopted the ring name "Leatherface" and agimmick based onthe character from the 1974 filmThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, complete with "bloodstained" apron, leather mask andchainsaw (without the chain). He was pushed as a "monster" in a feud withJerry Lawler. During one infamous match between the two, Knight was set on fire.[5] After dropping the Leatherface gimmick, Tex teamed up withMark Canterbury who wrestled as the masked "Master Blaster".
After leaving the USWA, Knight wrestled inFlorida,Puerto Rico andJapan before receiving a tryout withWorld Championship Wrestling in 1992.[1]
In 1992, Knight was hired byWorld Championship Wrestling, where he was renamed "Tex Slazenger" and given the character of an "ornery Texas outlaw". Knight formed atag team with Canterbury, now wrestling asShanghai Pierce. Knight and Pierce left WCW in 1994.[1]
When both men left WCW, Canterbury signed with theWorld Wrestling Federation under thering name "Henry Godwinn" while Slazenger returned to the USWA. In the USWA, Slazenger captured theUSWA Southern Title on two occasions, defeatingBrian Christopher both times.[6]
In 1996, Knight signed with the WWF and was therefore reunited with Canterbury and renamed "Phineas I. Godwinn" (abbreviated toP.I.G.). The duo were portrayed as being cousins (later brothers) and were collectively known asThe Godwinns. Phineas made his in-ring debut on the January 29 episode ofMonday Night Raw in a tag team victory for Godwinns overThe Bodydonnas and began a feud with Bodydonnas over their managerSunny. They soon entered a tournament for the vacantTag Team Championship and defeated The New Rockers andOwen Hart and British Bulldog to qualify for the finals on the March 31 episode ofFree for All, where they lost to Bodydonnas. They failed to win the titles from Bodydonnas in a rematch for the titles atIn Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies. On May 19, Godwinns defeated Bodydonnas to win the Tag Team Championship at alive event inMadison Square Garden. As a result, they gained Bodydonnas' valet Sunny as their manager on the May 26 episode ofFree for All, where they lost their newly won titles toThe Smoking Gunns.
In 1997, in a match between The Godwinns and theLegion of Doom, Canterbury suffered a crackedC7vertebra when the Legion of Doombotched aDoomsday Device. He was advised by doctors to rest for 15 weeks, but returned to the ring in less than eight weeks.[7] In early 1998, the Godwinns dropped their pig farmer gimmicks and became "Southern Justice", the bodyguards ofTennessee Lee, using their real names.[8] Six months later, Canterburyherniated his C7 vertebra and pinched a spinal nerve, necessitating spinal fusion surgery. This came as a result of him returning to the ring too early after his neck injury. He eventually left the WWF and retired, due to the neck injury suffered in 1997 leaving Knight without a partner.[7]
In late 1998, Knight returned to the WWF after a brief hiatus, and in a short time, was kidnapped by theAcolytes and brainwashed into joining theMinistry of Darkness, a heelSatanic-themedstable led byThe Undertaker, who rechristened him as the derangedsoothsayer "Midian" (spelling later changed to "Mideon"). Throughout 1999, The Ministryfeuded withStone Cold Steve Austin, with Mideon often teaming up withViscera. Mideon "won" theWWF European Championship in this time when he found it inShane McMahon's bag.[6] Mideon held the belt for over a month until losing it toD'Lo Brown atFully Loaded. When The Undertaker was injured in late 1999, the Ministry disbanded, however, Mideon continued the gimmick and union with Viscera, including doing The Undertaker's biddings in matches well after The Ministry had dissolved, although no clear stable was ever established again.
In early 2000, Knight appeared briefly as aMankind imitator.
Knight returned in a limited capacity in mid-2000 as "Naked Mideon", a persona who ran around arenas wearing only afanny pack, a pair ofboots and athong. AtNo Mercy 2000 he tried to reclaim the European Championship fromWilliam Regal, but was defeated.[9] AtArmageddon 2000, Knight briefly interfered in the match betweenChris Jericho andKane. Knight then wrestled in a fewdark matches under his previousmoniker Tex Slazenger, but was released in January 2001.
Following his run with the WWF, Knight returned to his home inTampa, Florida and spent time training students at Steve Keirn's Pro Wrestling school. During this time he also continued to wrestle for several Florida independent promotions such as IPW and the FSPW, as well as touring Europe.
From 2003 to 2004, Knight returned for several dark matches forWorld Wrestling Entertainment under his own name.
Knight appeared at theNWA Total Nonstop Action eventTNA Destination X 2005 on March 13, 2005 during the scheduled match betweenMonty Brown andTrytan. In the course of the match, the lights went off and Trytan vanished from the ring. When the lights came on, a masked Knight was in his place and was quickly pinned by Brown. TNA never revealed on air who was under the mask and released Knight the following day.[10]
Knight retired from professional wrestling in 2006. He wrestled several matches for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling in 2011 and 2012. On November 22, 2020, Knight returned to WWE together withHenry O. Godwinn asThe Godwinns, to take part inThe Undertaker's retirement ceremony atSurvivor Series. Several other members of theBone Street Krew also appeared to pay tribute.
After retiring from professional wrestling, Knight began working as a chef inClearwater, Florida.[1][11]
Knight has aneyeballtattooed on the back of his head and a tattoo ofDoc Holliday on his left arm.
In 2023, Knight lost all of the toes on his right foot after developing an infection that required them to be amputated.[12]
(June 1, 1998) Jeff Jarrett (w/ Tennessee Lee & Southern Justice) pinned Faarooq after hitting him with Lee's belt buckle as Southern Justice distracted the referee; prior to the bout Tennessee Lee introduced the repackaged Godwinns as Southern Justice
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