| H. C. Loc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Matthew Knowles |
| Born | (1974-10-08)October 8, 1974 (age 50)[1] Elmira, New York[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | H. C. Loc[1] Loc[2] Matt Knowles[2] The MaskedChicago Superstar[2] The MaskedWisconsin Superstar[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 195 lb (88 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Chicago Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Bronx |
| Trained by | Bob Bailey[1][3] T.C. Reynolds[3] Dory Funk Jr. |
| Debut | August 8, 1996[2] |
Matthew Knowles[1] (born October 8, 1974) is an Americanprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring nameH. C. Loc. He is perhaps best known for his tenure inRing of Honor, where he is aone-time ROH World Tag Team Champion withTony DeVito as one-half of theCarnage Crew.
After watching a television advertisement for "Crunchers Gym", aprofessional wrestling school operated by Bob Bailey, Knowles decided to enroll in order to become a professional wrestler. Despite being uncertain as to whether or not he would be accepted into the school, given that he was exceptionally small for a professional wrestler in the mid-1990s, Knowles contacted Bailey and was admitted to the school. He would then train under Bailey and T.C. Reynolds for six days a week over the course of fifteen months.
After taking part in severaltag team matches andbattle royals, he wrestled his first singles match on August 8, 1996, againstSteve Corino in Bailey's own promotion.[1] Knowles originally wrestled under his own name, but later renamed himself to H. C. Loc. The "H. C." stood for "Hard Core" (as inhardcore music, nothardcore wrestling).
From 1996 to 1999, Knowles wrestled on theindependent circuit in thenortheast, appearing on occasion as anenhancement talent withWorld Championship Wrestling and theWorld Wrestling Federation. Knowles also competed in the WWF's first-ever intergender match on the April 6, 1998, edition ofRaw againstLuna, but lost.[4]
In the summer of 1999, Knowles attended a training seminar held byDory Funk Jr. inOcala, Florida. Funk arranged for Knowles to have a try-out match withExtreme Championship Wrestling, which he wrestled the next week inQueens, New York. Knowles was hired by ECW on the basis of the match, and originally worked as a member of the ECW ring crew, constructing and dismantling the ring before and after shows. He also acted as a referee who wrestled on occasions.[1] Like many other ECW employees, Knowles received several paychecks that bounced as ownerPaul Heyman's debts began to spiral out of control.
Knowles debuted on the inaugural ROH show, Era of Honor Begins, on February 23, 2002, as a referee.[2] On April 27, Knowles formed a tag team with his longtime friendDeVito known as the Carnage Crew.[1] The Carnage Crew was later expanded to includeMasada and then again to includeJustin Credible. Credible left ROH in 2004, while Masadaturned against Knowles and DeVito on May 22, 2004. After brieflyfeuding with Special K, the Carnage Crew began feudingDan Maff andB. J. Whitmer. After Maff left ROH, they began feuding with Whitmer and his new partnerJimmy Jacobs. On July 9, 2005, The Carnage Crew defeated Whitmer and Jacobs for theTag Team Championship.[5] Only a few weeks later at The Hoemcoming, the Carnage Crew re-lost the title to Whitmer and Jacobs on July 23.[5] On August 20 at Night of the Grudges II, the Carnage Crew wrestled their final match in ROH and lost to The Ring Crew Express.[6] After leaving ROH, Knowles took a hiatus from wrestling.
On January 25, 2008, theNational Wrestling Alliance territory NWA Upstate announced that after a three-year-long hiatus, Knowles, under his H. C. Loc ring name, would be returning to their promotion on February 23, 2008, to compete at their event February Fallout.[1] At the event, Loc teamed with Eric Everlast to defeat Super Assassin and Triple X.[6] Later on in the year, he teamed withCody Deaner to defeat Kid Justice and Rik Matrix on the September 7 episode of Pier 6 Wrestling's Shakedown television show.[6] On April 4, 2009, Loc lost toNunzio at an Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling event.[6]
On July 10, 2010, atAcid-Fest: A Tribute to Trent Acid, Loc and DeVito reunited and reformed the Carnage Crew and wrestled in afour-way tag team match also involving the H8 Club and Da Hit Squad, which was ultimately won byThe S.A.T.[6]
