Marinelli, using thering name Matt Taven, made his professional wrestling debut on March 7, 2008.[1] During his first year, Taven worked mainly for Top Rope Promotions (TRP) and Collision Pro Wrestling (CPW) in Massachusetts.[5] While working for TRP he challenged for the vacant TRP Interstate Championship in a six-wayladder match that also included Buck Nasty, Gregory Edwards, J. Freddie, Ryan Waters, andSpike Dudley, but lost to Buck Nasty.[6]
Matt Taven wrestles Vinny Marseglia at a 2015 outdoor event in Rhode Island
Taven's first match forRing of Honor (ROH) was on May 8, 2009, where he lost to Jaleel Patel in adark match.[7] Taven competed in tag team matches over the course of 2010 and 2011, but lost every outing.[8] At ROH'sBoiling Point show on August 11, 2012, Taven lost a four-way match, where the winner would receive an ROH contract.[9] He would go on to win the2013 Top Prospect Tournament the following year, with the storyline reward being that Taven would earn a full-time ROH contract.[10][11] With that win, Taven also earned aROH World Television Championship match againstAdam Cole. Taven went on to defeat Cole to win the television championship at the11th Anniversary Show. During the match he established himself as aheel afterTruth Martini hit Cole in the back of the head with the Book of Truth, allowing Taven to apply hisClimax finishing move to pick up the win.[12] On April 5, atSupercard of Honor VII, he successfully defended the title against Adam Cole andMatt Hardy.[13]
On April 6, he would successfully defend the title againstA. C. H. AtBorder Wars 2013 he would successfully defend the title againstMark Briscoe.[14] On June 22 atBest in the World 2013, Taven successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship againstJimmy Jacobs and Jay Lethal in athree-way match.[15] On August 3 at All Star Extravaganza 5, he faced Roderick Strong in a losing effort in the first round of the tournament to determine the new a champion after the ROH World Championship was vacated. On September 20, 2013, atDeath Before Dishonor XI, Taven,Michael Bennett andreDRagon (Bobby Fish andKyle O'Reilly) lost to the team of Adrenaline Rush (ACH and TaDarius Thomas) and C&C Wrestle Factory (Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander)[16][17] On September 21 he successfully defended the title against Jay Lethal. On October 26 atGlory by Honor XII, he teamed with reDRagon and Adam Cole in anEight-man elimination tag team match where he was eliminated by Michael Elgin.[18][19]
On November 15 at Pursuit Night, he retained the title againstZach Gowen. On December 14 atFinal Battle 2013, Taven lost the ROH World Television Championship toTommaso Ciampa.[20] Matt Taven's reign as World Television Champion was the longest in the company's history to date at 287 days and he accrued the most title defenses, 12, in an individual reign.[21] Taven fired Truth Martini at ROH's Wrestling's Finest show. Later that night he unsuccessfully challenged Tommaso Ciampa for the ROH World Television Championship in a three-way match that also included Jay Lethal. At the12th Anniversary Show, he defeatedSilas Young. On March 7, 2014, at Raising The Bar Day 1, he unsuccessfully challenged Adam Cole for theROH World Championship.[22]
Taven then entered a feud with Jay Lethal, unsuccessfully challenging him for the ROH World Television Championship on three different occasions. The first was atGlobal Wars in a four corner survival match that also included Tommaso Ciampa and Silas Young.[23] AtWar of the Worlds he teamed with ACH and Tommaso Ciampa to defeatForever Hooligans (Alex Koslov andRocky Romero) andTakaaki Watanabe.[24] The second was atBest in the World in a singles match.[25] The last was at Field of Honor on August 15, where he was defeated by Lethal in a steel cage match after interference by Truth Martini. On August 19, 2014, Taven announced he had decided not to re-sign with ROH and would be leaving the promotion.[26] This was an angle used to explain why Taven left the company. Taven returned to Ring of Honor in October 2014.[27]
Taven suffered a knee injury during the December 18, 2015 match at Final Battle, tearing ananterior cruciate ligament andmedial meniscus and rupturing alateral meniscus, which forced him to undergo a four-and-a-half-hour surgery on January 12, 2016. He was expected to be sidelined for nine months.[32] During his injury, Bennett left ROH and, when Taven made his return in September 2016, he was put in a new version of The Kingdom as the leader, withT. K. O'Ryan andVinny Marseglia as his new partners. The Kingdom won a tournament to become the firstROH 6-Man Tag Team Champions, defeatingJay White,Kushida andLio Rush at the Final Battle 2016 PPV.[33] They lost the title toBully Ray and The Briscoes on March 11, 2017, in a match where Silas Young replaced an injured T. K. O'Ryan.[34]
On May 10, 2017, during the second night of ROH/NJPW War Of The Worlds, Taven was unsuccessful at winning the ROH World Championship against Christopher Daniels. AtFinal Battle 2017, Taven defeatedWill Ospreay.[35] In January 2018, Taven started a rivalry withCody Rhodes, attacking him and stealing his "Ring Of Honor". On theROH 16th Anniversary Show, Taven was defeated by Cody.[36] On May 9, 2018, atROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Tour, The Kingdom would regain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship by defeating SoCal Uncensored.[37] During a match for the ROH World Championship, Taven achieved a three count in the match, however the referee was not looking and the match ended with Jay Lethal winning the title. The Kingdom would lose the titles toBullet Club, later known as The Elite (Cody and the Young Bucks).
AtDeath Before Dishonor XVI, The Kingdom attacked Will Ospreay and Jay Lethal. After the assault, Taven pulled out of a bag a copy of the Ring Of Honor World Championship which was purple instead of black leather, saying he is the true Ring Of Honor World Champion.[38] On November 2, 2018, The Kingdom would win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship for the third time, beating The Elite,[39] holding them until March 16, 2019. On March 15, 2019, at theROH 17th Anniversary Show, Taven challenge Lethal for the Ring of Honor World Championship, with the match ending in a 60-minute time-limit draw.[40] The following month atG1 Supercard, Taven would defeat Lethal andMarty Scurll in a ladder match to win the ROH World Title, and with that becoming the second ROH Grand Slam winner.[41][42] His title win over the more popular Marty Scurll has been criticized,[43][44] usually calling him a "critical and financial flop".[45] During a 411Mania podcast, Jerome Cusson said his title win "actively hurt ROH" since it was not "a draw" and he "wasn't over".[46] On September 27, 2019, atDeath Before Dishonor, Matt Taven was defeated by Rush for the ROH Championship, ending his reign at 174 days.[47] On ROH television Vinny Marseglia turned and attacked Matt Taven.[48][49] On December 13, 2019, atFinal Battle, Marseglia defeated Taven.[50]
After Final Battle, Taven took a hiatus from ROH. He returned in November 2020, continuing to team with Bennett. In November 2021 atHonor for All, Taven and Bennett defeatedLa Facción Ingobernable to win theROH World Tag Team Championship for a second time; they lost the titles tothe Briscoes atFinal Battle the following month. Later that month, Taven took part in a 12-man "Christmas Wildcard" match, following which ROH went on hiatus.
Through ROH's relationship with NJPW, from November 23 to December 5, 2014, Taven and Michael Bennett took part inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)'s2014 World Tag League.[51] The team finished their round-robin block with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals.[52] Taven and Bennett returned to NJPW on April 5, 2015, atInvasion Attack 2015, where they defeated Bullet Club (Doc Gallows andKarl Anderson) to win theIWGP Tag Team Championship.[53][54] On July 5 atDominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, The Kingdom lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Bullet Club in their first defense.[55] Taven and Bennett returned to NJPW in November to take part in the2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of two wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block.[56]
On March 30, 2018, Taven defeated Volador Jr. to win theNWA World Historic Welterweight Championship.[64] He returned to Mexico in August of that year, starting out by losing the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship back to Volador Jr. at theNegro Casas 40th Anniversary Show.[65] Afterwards Taven and Volador Jr. joined forces they were both attacked byLos Ingobernables ("The Unruly"; the team of Rush andEl Terrible). The storyline withLos Ingobernables built over the following month, withBárbaro Cavernario replacing El Terrible due to an injury, to the main event of theCMLL 85th Anniversary Show. Rush and Cavernario defeated Taven and Volador Jr. on aLucha de Apuesta ("Bet match"). As part of the storyline, Taven turned on Volador Jr., costing their team the match. After the match both Taven and Volador Jr. had their hair shaved off as a result.[66][67] Taven, now bald, returned to CMLL for the 2018International Gran Prix tournament. During the match, Volador Jr. took revenge on Taven for costing them their match and pinned Taven 45 minutes into the match.[68][69] Taven returned to Mexico and CMLL once more in August 2019, this time as ROH World Heavyweight Champion, for the 2019International Gran Prix tournament. For the second year in the row Volador Jr. pinned Taven to eliminate him.[70][71]
In December 2023, Taven and Bennett (wearingmasks and billed as "The Devil's Masked Men") defeatedMJF in ahandicap match to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a third time.[77] AtWorlds End later that month, they revealed their identities, forming a new stable, theUndisputed Kingdom, alongsideAdam Cole,Roderick Strong, andWardlow. He lost to AEW International ChampionOrange Cassidy in a non-title Texas Death Match on the 14th February edition ofDynamite.[78] On August 17 episode of Collision, Bennett and Taven lost their ROH World Tag Team Championships toDustin Rhodes andSammy Guevara.[79] On the October 23 episode ofDynamite, Taven and the rest of the Undisputed Kingdom turned babyface and reginited their feud with MJF, who was now a heel.[80]
Taven and Bennett, as the Undisputed Kingdom, made their return to NJPW for the first time since 2015 on November 8, 2024 atFighting Spirit Unleashed, where they were defeated byShingo Takagi andYota Tsuji.[81]
^"411MANIA".Csonka's ROH Final Battle 2019 Preview.Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 4, 2020.
^"411MANIA".The 411 on Wrestling Podcast: Looking at the Institutional Breakdown & Decline of ROH in 2019, Talking Lucha with the Cubsfan.Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 4, 2020.
^Rosas Plata, Arturo (August 4, 2018)."¡Aceptan el reto!".Ovaciones (in Spanish). Archived fromthe original on September 23, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2018.
^Rosas Plata, Arturo (August 31, 2019)."Volador se roba el triunfo".Ovaciones (in Spanish).Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. RetrievedAugust 31, 2019.
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