Shawn Spears | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ronnie William Arneill |
Born | St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada | February 19, 1981
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Gavin Spears[1] Shawn Spears Stan Tye Dillinger[2] |
Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2] |
Billed weight | 223 lb (101 kg)[2] |
Billed from | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada[2] |
Trained by | Cody Deaner[1] Derek Wylde[1] Eric Young[1] |
Debut | March 2002[3] |
Ronnie William Arneill[1] (born February 19, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Shawn Spears. He previously performed in WWE from 2013 to 2019 under the name Tye Dillinger. He is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2019 to 2023.
Having begun his career on the independent circuit in 2002 as Shawn Spears, Arneill initially joined WWE in 2006 and worked for the company between 2006 and 2009, performing in the developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) as well as briefly on the main roster brand ECW under the slightly modified ring name Gavin Spears. After being released from WWE in 2009, he returned to the independent scene, before rejoining WWE in 2013 where he was assigned to NXT under the new gimmick of Tye Dillinger. After a rise in popularity, he was promoted to the main roster in April 2017, working on the SmackDown brand until his second release from the company in February 2019.
Shortly after leaving WWE, he signed with the newly founded AEW in May 2019, reverting to his Shawn Spears name. After his AEW contract expired at the end of 2023, Arneill rejoined WWE in February 2024 and was assigned once more to the NXT brand, retaining the Shawn Spears character.