Joseph Coffey (born 22 May 1988) is a Scottish professional wrestler now signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as the leader of Gallus.[1] Coffey wrestles for many promotions in the British independent wrestling circuit,[2] including Insane Championship Wrestling where he is former 2 time ICW World Heavyweight Champion and a former ICW Zero-G Champion.[3][4] Coffey has also earlier fought in Japan for Pro Wrestling ZERO1 where he became the first ever Scottish wrestler to perform in the Korakuen Hall.[5][6] Coffey's younger brother Mark Coffey is also a professional wrestler and the pair often tag team together as "The Coffey Brothers".[7]
Joe Coffey | |
---|---|
Coffey in April 2019 | |
Birth name | Joseph Coffey |
Born | Glasgow, Scotland | 22 May 1988
Relatives | Mark Coffey (brother) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Joe Coffey |
Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg) |
Billed from | Glasgow, Scotland |
Trained by | Killian Dain Finn Bálor Johnny Moss |
Debut | 30 May 2009 |
Professional wrestling career
editInsane Championship Wrestling (2011–2018)
editOn 6 February 2011 Coffey made his Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) debut at The Notorious ICW, in a match where he teamed with Vinnie James in a defeat against The Bucky Boys (Davey Blaze and Stevie Xavier). On 3 April, at Nightmare on Renfrew Street Coffey was unsuccessful at winning the ICW Zero-G Championship in a Six-Way Championship Scramble match won by Noam Dar. On 6 May 2012 at Up In Smoke! Coffey teamed with his brother Mark Coffey to defeat Andy Wild and Noam Dar in the First Round match of the ICW Tag Team Championship tournament. On 1 July at Insane In The Membrane The Coffey Brothers were defeated in the Semi Final match of the tournament.
On 31 July 2016, Coffey defeated Big Damo to win the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, only for Wolfgang to cash in his Square Go contract to win the title. On 16 April 2017 at BarraMania 3, Coffey defeated Trent Seven to become the ICW World Heavyweight Champion for the second time. After the match he aligned himself with Red Lightning after attacking Mark Dallas, turning heel in the process. At Shug's Hoose Party 4, he retained the title against Jack Jester in a steel cage match. Coffey would have a number of successful title defences of the championship over the next few months against the likes of Jack Jester, Pete Dunne, NXT's Kassius Ohno, and others. At Fear and Loathing X at the SSE Hydro, in front of ICW's biggest crowd to date Joe lost the ICW World Heavyweight Championship against BT Gunn in his second consecutive main event of that event. The following day via Twitter, Joe announced his departure from ICW after 6 years.[8]
On 29 April 2018 at Barramania 4, Joe returned to the company and challenged brother Mark to an ICW Zero-G Championship match at Shugs Hoose Party 5, which was later rescheduled for Fear and Loathing XI due to a clash with WWE NXT UK tapings. At Fear and Loathing XI, he defeated Mark to win the championship.
WWE (2018–present)
editNXT UK (2018–2022)
editCoffey's debut was made during the second night of the 2018 NXT At Download live event in Donington Park, Leicestershire, England where he eliminated Tucker in the first round of the NXT United Kingdom Championship Tournament.[9] He advanced to the semi-finals held on the opening night of the 2018 WWE UK Championship Tournament but was eliminated by Travis Banks.[10] Coffey joined the inaugural run of NXT UK on the October 17 episode during which he defeated Mark Andrews. On the November 7 episode of NXT UK, he reunited with his longtime tag team partner Mark Coffey and debuted in NXT UK as The Coffey Brothers.[11]
On the January 9 episode of NXT UK, Joe and Mark Coffey debuted their new stable name Gallus after joining forces with Wolfgang. They defeated team British Strong Style in a six-man tag match during this episode. On January 12 at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, Coffey had a title match for the NXT UK Championship against Pete Dunne, where he lost. After the match, Coffey was hit by a Big Boot by a debuting Walter.[12] On the May 8 episode of NXT UK, Coffey won a title shot qualifier for the NXT UK Championship after defeating Flash Morgan Webster. He advanced to the June 5 episode of NXT UK where he competed in a Number One Contender Fatal Four Way Match against Travis Banks, Dave Mastiff, and Jordan Devlin. At NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, Coffey lost a NXT UK title match against Walter.[13]
On 30 June 2020, Coffey was suspended by WWE following sexual misconduct allegations that were made public as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.[14] He returned to WWE later in 2020.[15]
NXT (2022–present)
editAt NXT Heatwave, Coffey and the rest of Gallus made their NXT debuts, attacking Diamond Mine.[16] Gallus was suspended in September for attacking officials. Coffey returned at NXT Stand & Deliver, helping Gallus retain the NXT Tag Team Championship against Creed Brothers and The Family.[17]
In April 2024, ESPN reported that Gallus help trained The Rock for his tag team match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at Night 1 of WrestleMania XL.[18] On the May 14, 2024 episode of NXT, and as the show was going off the air, the cameras went backstage, showing Wes Lee, Josh Briggs and Ivar assaulted backstage. The attackers were revealed to be Gallus, making their first televised appearance on NXT since the February 13, 2024 episode of NXT.[19] Later, NXT General Manager Ava announced that Joe would replace Ivar on the triple threat match.[20] The following week, both Coffey and Lee pinned Briggs, and the two men were considered the winner. Later that night, NXT General Manager Ava set up a triple threat match between Coffey, Lee and Oba Femi for the NXT North American Championship, where Femi successfully retained his title on June 9 at NXT Battleground.[21][22]
Personal life
editCoffey is a supporter of Scottish football team Celtic F.C.[23]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Discovery Wrestling
- Y Division Championship (1 time)[24]
- Discovery Awards (4 times)
- Wrestler of the Year (2015)[25]
- Match of the Year (2015) – vs. Chris Hero at Live in Edinburgh[26]
- Match of the Year (2016) – vs. Jay Lethal at Superkick Party Vol. 2[26]
- Match of the Year (2018) – vs. Christopher Saynt at Live in Edinburgh[26]
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[27]
- ICW Zero-G Championship (1 time)[28]
- ICW "Iron Man" (2014, 2015)
- Wrestler of the Year Award (2014, 2016)[29]
- Male Wrestler of the Bammy Year Award (2015)
- Square Go! (2017)[30]
- Pro Wrestling Elite
- Elite Rumble (2017)[31]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Scottish Wrestling Alliance
- Scottish Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[33]
- SWA Laird of the Ring Championship (2 times)[33]
- Battlezone Rumble (2015, 2016)
- Target Wrestling
- Target Wrestling Championship (1 time)[33]
- W3L Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mark Coffey[33]
- WrestleZone
- WrestleZone Undisputed Championship (1 time)[33]
References
edit- ^ "Joe Coffey". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Roster". Wrestle Zone Scotland. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ "ICW: Joe Coffey". Insanewrestling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Career « Joe Coffey". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Matches « Joe Coffey". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Joe Coffey — Pro Wrestling Elite". Prowrestlingelite.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Coffey Brothers « Tag Teams Database". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Greer, Jamie (23 November 2017). "Joe Coffey Finishes Up With ICW".
- ^ "WWE U.K. Championship Tournament First Round results". WWE. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (25 June 2018). "6/25 WWE UK Championship Tournament 2018 Day One live review: A tournament for a shot at the WWE UK Championship, Undisputed Era vs. Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate, Triple Threat for a shot at the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ "WWE Profile". WWE.
- ^ Powell, Jason (12 January 2019). "1/12 Powell's NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool live review – Rhea Ripley vs. Tony Storm for the NXT UK Women's Championship, Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey for the WWE UK Championship, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. Zack Gibson and James Drake to become the first NXT UK Tag Champions". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (12 January 2020). "1/12 NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool II results – Powell's live review of Walter vs. Joe Coffey for the WWE UK Championship, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang vs. Zack Gibson and James Drake vs. Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel in a ladder match for the NXT UK Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "NXT UK STAR SUSPENDED | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com.
- ^ "Joe Coffey Returning To WWE NXT UK". Cultaholic. 23 October 2020.
- ^ Moore, John (16 August 2022). "8/16 NXT 2.0 Heatwave results: Moore's review of Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Title, Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark for the NXT Women's Title, Carmelo Hayes vs. Giovanni Vinci for the NXT North American Title, Tony D'Angelo vs Santos Escobar in a Street Fight, Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (1 April 2023). "NXT Stand & Deliver results: McGuire's live review of Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title, Roxanne Perez vs. Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Indi Hartwell in a ladder match for the NXT Women's Title, Wes Lee vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Axiom for the NXT North American Title, Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Coppinger, Mike; Raimondi, Marc (4 April 2024). "'Like riding a bike': Inside The Rock's return at WrestleMania 40". ESPN. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Walia, Nikunj (14 May 2024). "Gallus Lays Carnage Backstage In Their Return on 5/14 WWE NXT". Ringside News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (20 May 2024). "Joe Coffey Replaces Ivar In Triple Threat Match On 5/21 NXT". Fightful. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Moore, John (21 May 2024). "NXT TV results (5/21): Moore's review of Joe Coffey vs. Wes Lee vs. Josh Briggs for a shot at the NXT NA Title, Thea Hail vs. Fallon Henley, and Brinley Reece vs. Jaida Parker in NXT Women's NA Title qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Valdez, Nick (9 June 2024). "WWE NXT Battleground: Oba Femi Retains NXT North American Championship in Brutal Triple Threat". ComicBook. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Top UK Wrestler Set To Wear Celtic Inspired Gear to Worldwide Audience". celtsarehere. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Y Division Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Wrestler Of The Year". Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Match Of The Year". Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Shug's Weekender - Shug's Hoose Party 3 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Cagematch.net.
- ^ "ICW Fear and Loathing XI results". 3 December 2018.
- ^ "ICW: Joe Coffey To Challenge For The ICW Heavyweight Championship at Barramania!". Insanewrestling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Insane Championship Wrestling 'The 6th Annual Square Go!' FULL Results". 5 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "#Results: PWE (@ProWrestleElite) "Elite Rumble IV" *Title Change*". 19 March 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2019 - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Titles « Joe Coffey «". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
External links
edit- Joe Coffey on WWE.com