Bison Smith

Bison Smith
Smith's Pro Wrestling Noah publicity photo.
Birth nameMark Thomas Smith[1]
BornSeptember 24, 1970[2]
Arcadia, California, United States[1]
DiedNovember 22, 2011(2011-11-22) (aged 41)[3]
Carolina, Puerto Rico[3]
Cause of deathHeart complications
Children2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bison Smith
Bison
Buffalo Bison
Mark Smith
Super Destroyer 2000
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[4]
Billed weight280 lb (127 kg)[4][5]
Billed fromDenver, Colorado, United States
Trained byDonovan Morgan[4]
Michael Modest[4]
DebutApril 12, 1998[5]

Mark Thomas Smith[1] (September 24, 1970 – November 22, 2011) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He was best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan; and World Wrestling Council and International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico.[6] In January 2009, he joined the American promotion Ring of Honor.[5]

After being trained by Donovan Morgan and Michael Modest, Smith began wrestling on the independent circuit. He began competing for the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico in 2003, and held the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on two occasions, the IWA World Tag Team Championship once, the IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship once, and the IWA Hardcore Championship one time. He also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Noah, and on May 23, 2008, he won the GHC Tag Team Championship with Akitoshi Saito and again on April 14, 2010, with Keith Walker. He also won the Global Tag League tournament with Saito in 2008. In January 2009, he debuted for Ring of Honor, where he was pushed as "unstoppable", before he joined Prince Nana's Embassy faction.

  1. ^ a b c "Bison Smith profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  2. ^ Bisontennial: The Story of Bison Smith (FULL DOCUMENTARY) on YouTube
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference DeathPWTorch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Slamobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c "Ring of Honor roster – Bison Smith". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  6. ^ "IWA - Histeria Boricua: Nuevos Campeones Mundiales en Parejas". Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2009.