MVP
PREVIOUSLY IN LIONS PRIDE SPORTS:
Welcome Back Aggies | January 14, 2018 | College Station, TX (See results)
Texas Takeover | May 19, 2018 | Navasota, TX (See results)
straight from the 305, he has balled around the world, bringing a signature swagger and a championship resume to every event.
lions pride sports is HONORED THAT mvp Is part of the pride.
The early years of life for the man known as Montel Vontaveous Porter were not easy. At a young age, he found himself in a gang in his home state of Florida. Convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, he went to prison at the age of 16 and served nearly a decade behind bars.
But it was during that sentence that a corrections officer put the young man on the professional wrestling path. The officer himself was a wrestler, and through his connections, training began once the prison term ended. Norman Smiley and Soulman Alex G would provide lessons to the man who would first wrestle as Antonio Banks. From 2002 to 2005, he competed in a variety of promotions, including Full Impact Pro and TNA.
His work caught WWE's attention, and he was signed in late 2005, first working in the Deep South developmental territory. It's there that the cocky MVP character was born, one that WWE brought to the main roster in 2006.
SmackDown was the original home of the man from Miami, hailed as a coveted free agent signing. His first major feud was with Kane. The two would battle for the final months of 2006 in a street fight, a cage match, and finally an inferno match.
MVP earned his first WWE gold through a lengthy rivalry with Chris Benoit which culminated in a United States Championship win in May 2007. The rest of the year, Porter and Matt Hardy went back and forth in a memorable feud for WWE's blue brand. Hardy would eventually take the US Title in April 2008. MVP's reign lasted 343 days. At the time, it was the longest US title reign in WWE history.
A lengthy stretch of losses for the man who also hosted the VIP Lounge segment served to endear Porter to the fans. Once he snapped the streak, he used the momentum to win the US Title for a second time in March 2009. The next month, he was drafted to Monday Night Raw, where over course of the next year, he teamed with WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry and feuded with The Miz. He also took part in his third straight Money in the Bank Ladder Match at a WrestleMania.
By April 2010, MVP was sent back to SmackDown through a draft. He faced a wide range of opponents for the rest of that year and served as a mentor in the original version of NXT. He departed WWE at the end of 2010.
Success on the other side of the world quickly followed for MVP, who took his talents to New Japan Pro Wrestling in early 2011. The promotion came to the US in May and held a tournament for the newly-created IWGP Intercontinental Championship. MVP topped Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and Toru Yano to win the tournament and the title, which he would hold until October. He would compete through 2012, including in a number of tag team matches with Shelton Benjamin, before leaving New Japan in early 2013.
A return to TNA came in early 2014, as MVP became one of the company's leading investors to rival evil owner Dixie Carter. He won full control of the company in a Lethal Lockdown match in March.
However, MVP abused his power to give himself a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. An injury kept him from competing, but he helped Bobby Lashley to defeat Eric Young for the title in June. MVP was stripped of his power not long after. In early 2015, he helmed the ruthless Beat Down Clan, wreaking havoc and competing for championships into the summer, when MVP departed TNA.
He continues to compete across the country, and is part of Major League Wrestling, which airs weekly on the beIN network. He's active in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and records music. He also helps at risk youth, encouraging them to take better paths and make better decisions than he did in his youth.
-Written by Steve Fullhart
(Information from various online sources)
