Super Dragon

Infobox Wrestler
name=Daniel Lyon


names=Super Dragon
height= 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
weight= 200 lb (91 kg)
birth_date=birth date and age|1975|5|23
birth_place = Orange County, California
trainer=Handsome Boy
debut=1997
retired=|

Daniel Lyon (born May 23 1975), better known by his ring name Super Dragon is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, and Combat Zone Wrestling. Dragon is also one of the six owners of the Southern California based promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Career

Early career and Revolution Pro

Super Dragon's career began in a match against Tiger Joe, in the famous Anaheim Market place, though it was a losing effort, it was to be the debut of arguably Southern California's biggest star. Super Dragon became friends with Blitzkrieg, during a tour of Mexico Blitzkrieg became noticed by wrestlers backstage. After this Blitzkrieg and Super Dragon were granted a dark match for WCW with the help of American Wild Child, who was friends with Konnan. He joined Revolution Pro in 1999. Super Dragon was part of the New Generation that hit Revolution Pro along with Disco Machine, TARO, Excalibur, and Shogun. His first real peak was winning the Rev J in 2001, against B-Boy. During this time Dragon, along with other Rev Pro stars were featured on a few XPW shows. At Pride of the Mask on October 25th 2002, Super Dragon and Shogun won a tag team match. The stipulation was the two winners would face in a Mask vs. Mask match. Super Dragon beat Shogun and claimed his mask, adding to the increasing legend he was building throughout Southern California. Throughout his Rev Pro run, Dragon had made a change in his wrestling style and attire. Super Dragon had become a guardian of So Cal of sorts. Many young stars like Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Scorpio Sky, and TARO had career matches with Dragon. His feud with TARO was especially a heated one. They had battled nearly five years, finally culminating in a Mask vs. Mask match at Revolution Pro's fourth anniversary show. The loser was to unmask. The match was seen as many to be one of the greatest in So Cal history, in the match Super Dragon sported an old-school mask he had worn previously. TARO was put to rest after a violent series of Lariats. After the match TARO announced his retirement, and unmasked, as he and Super Dragon embraced. This was perhaps seen as the high point of Revolution Pro. In March 2004, Dragon squared off against Babi Slymm, at Revolution Pro's "One Step Beyond" it was seen as arguably Revolution Pro's finest show.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

Super Dragon is one of the six owners of SoCal promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, collectively known as the "PWG Six". At PWG's debut show on July 26, 2003, Super Dragon defeated M-Dogg 20. The next two PWG shows featured the Badass Mother 3000 tournament to determine the first PWG Championship. Super Dragon got to the semifinals, but was eliminated by Joey Ryan.

Super Dragon was one of the original members of the S.B.S. stable along with Disco Machine and Excalibur. At "PWG...The Musical", Dragon and Excalibur won the tag team titles from Chris Bosh and Quicksilver. They became the first team to successfully defend the titles, but later lost them to Joey Ryan and Scott Lost. At "Free Admission (Just Kidding)", Super Dragon beat Frankie Kazarian to win the PWG Championship. He defended the title against Samoa Joe, Homicide, Kevin Steen, and others, and lost it to AJ Styles at "All Star Weekend - Night Two".

At "Uncanny X-Mas" after Dragon's match with Jonny Storm, a second Super Dragon came to the ring and attacked the real Super Dragon by delivering some of Super Dragon's signature moves. This man attacked again at "All Nude Review", and just a few months later at "Jason Takes PWG", Excalibur revealed himself as the mastermind of the attacks and defeated Super Dragon in a Guerrilla Warfare match with help from Kevin Steen, who was the second Super Dragon. Excalibur and Disco Machine kicked Dragon out of S.B.S. and replaced him with Steen. This began a feud between Steen and Dragon. At "Chanukah Chaos (The C's Are Silent)", Kevin Steen, was defending the PWG title against Joey Ryan. During the match, Super Dragon came out and gave Steen two Psycho Drivers, causing him to lose the title. The feud ended in a Guerrilla Warfare match, in which Super Dragon came out victorious.

Super Dragon was forced to team with Davey Richards to challenge for the tag team titles against El Generico and Human Tornado at "After School Special". Working well together as a team, Dragon and Richards managed to win the titles. They had a dominant reign and defeated many teams, such as Excalibur and Disco Machine, Cape Fear, Los Luchas, Kings of Wrestling, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans, and A. J. Styles and Christopher Daniels. Scott Lost and Chris Bosh defeated them for the titles at "Enchantment Under The Sea".

Super Dragon returned to PWG on September 2nd as a participant in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament. On the first night, he defeated Necro Butcher, and on the second, he defeated Frankie Kazarian and Jack Evans. He advanced to the finals, but was unable to compete in the finals due to injuries he sustained in the previous night. Davey Richards would go on to win the tournament, but instead of wanting a World title shot, he wanted a rematch for the tag titles. The match was set to take place at "Self Titled", but a conflict prevented Richards from being at the show. Instead of waiting for Richards to return, Super Dragon chose B-Boy as his partner and they went on to defeat Chris Bosh and Scott Lost for the championship.On November 17, 2006, Richards won the PWG World Tag Team Championship for a second time, teaming up with Roderick Strong to defeat the champions, B-Boy and Super Dragon. The next night, in the Main Event of the show, the duo lost the belt to the men they'd won them from. The match also included the Kings of Wrestling, as well as the team of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Dragon won the match for his team after a Psycho Driver on Richards, showing the beginning signs of a feud between the two.

Soon after, Dragon and B-Boy lost the tag team titles to Cape Fear, and split as a tag team. Since then, Dragon has suffered defeats at the hands of Ronin in a singles match, and a pinfall by Los Luchas in a tag team match. Soon after that Dragon broke his ankle and eventually made his return at All Star Weekend V during a match between Arrogance and Roderick Strong & Jack Evans when he and Davey Richards came out and attacked everyone and announced that Super Dragon would be Davey's partner for the tag tournament. Upon this return, it was noticed that Super Dragon had gained 40-50 lbs of non-muscle weight. Some fans in the audience pondered whether it was really TNA Superstar Samoa Joe in the outfit, as Joe had a match on that show later in the evening.On May 19, at the Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, the reuniting Super Dragon and Davey Richards lost in the first round to the makeshift team of Roderick Strong and Pac, who would go on the win the tournament.

On October 27, 2007, Night 2 of PWG's European Vacation II Dragon and Davey Richards were able to defeat Kevin Steen and El Generico for the PWG World Tag Team Championships giving Richards his third reign and Dragon his fifth, this is their second reign as a team. At "Pearl Habra" Super Dragon was stripped of his tag team titles after Richards no-showed the event. In January 2008, Super Dragon was scheduled to face Susumu Yokusuka for night one of All Star Weekend 6, and Taro for night two. It was speculated among PWG fans that Super Dragon was out of his mind for believing he was ready for a match with the likes of Yokosuka from Japan due to his massive weight gain and extreme lack of stamina. Not giving a chance for the horrible critique that would have followed the match, Super Dragon simply took himself off the match, and instead Yokosuka faced CIMA. The following night, Super Dragon wrestled Taro in what is not only considered the worst Super Dragon match, but possibly the worst match in PWG's 5 year existence.

On March 21, 2008 Super Dragon gave Jade Chung a Psycho Driver during a tag team match between the Dynasty and Kevin Steen and El Generico.

On April 7, 2008 Super Dragon and Joey Ryan renewed their rivalry during a segment at "It's A Gift....And A Curse" brawling all over the building culminating in Super Dragon giving Ryan a Psycho Driver off the stage through a table.

Dragon and Richards teamed up once more for 2008's "DDT4" tournament, losing to Generico and Steen in the first round. (The match was also for the World Tag Team Titles.) During the match, Dragon received a concussion and was unable to complete the next night.

Super Dragon has yet to return to action since then and some wonder if he can return to his old form but with multiple concussions and mounting injuries sustained over the past two years, It is unlikely that Super Dragon will be able to once again return to the ring and re-establish himself as such a dominating force in wrestling.

Combat Zone Wrestling

Super Dragon started wrestling for Combat Zone Wrestling in 2002 at Best of the Best 2 against long time rival B-Boy. When he returned in 2004, he wrestled many tag team matches with partner Excalibur, and challenged Chris Hero for the Iron Man championship. In 2005, he was involved in a feud against The Blackout. At "Cage of Death 7", Dragon beat Ruckus for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship. This win made Super Dragon the first masked wrestler to hold the title. During the match, he gave Blackout manager Robbie Merino, who was already injured previously by Super Dragon, a Curb Stomp onto the stage. At the next show, "An Afternoon of Main Events", Dragon teamed with the Kings of Pro-Wrestling (who were also feuding with Blackout) in a six man tag team match against Blackout, which turned into a brawl. Super Dragon lost the title back to Ruckus in February 2006 in a match also involving Kevin Steen.

Ring of Honor

The first time Super Dragon appeared in Ring of Honor was at "Do or Die II" on March 13, 2004, when he defeated Excalibur. He would reappear two years later in 2006 as a part of Combat Zone Wrestling during their feud with ROH. Along with many other CZW wrestlers, he helped beat down B.J. Whitmer at "Arena Warfare". At "The 100th Show", Dragon was part of Team CZW along with Chris Hero and Necro Butcher as they defeated Team ROH of Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, and Adam Pearce. This match saw Dragon hit a Psycho Driver on Whitmer from the apron to the floor through a table. Dragon lost his last match in ROH at the "Weekend of Champions: Night Two" to BJ Whitmer when Whitmer gave him a super exploder '98 through a table on the floor.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves:*"Psycho Driver" / "Psycho Driver 2000" (Torture rack piledriver, sometimes from the top rope):*"Psycho Driver II" / "Supernatural Driver" (Pumphandle reverse piledriver):*"Psycho Driver III" / "Cut–Throat Psycho Driver" (Cut–throat torture rack piledriver):*"Psycho Driver IV" (Arm clutch fisherman driver):*"Violence Party" (Multiple backhand chops and forearm strikes to a cornered opponent, continued with headbutts, football kicks, knee strikes, kawada kicks and then finished with a lariat or an axe kick):*"Dragon Driver" (Double underhook superbomb):*"Barry White Driver" (Gory special flipped over into a piledriver) – Used on special occasions:*"Curb Stomp" (Standing reverse Indian deathlock surfboard with a head stomp) – Innovated:*"UFO" (Springboard spinning wheel kick to the back of the head):*"Badunkadunk Bomb" (Diving senton):*"Dragon Twister" (Corkscrew 450° splash):*"Roaring Elbow" (Discus elbow smash):*Standing or a diving double foot stomp, sometimes to an opponent's head:*Dragon suplex:*Corkscrew moonsault:*Rolling wheel kick, sometimes done to a cornered opponent:*Spin–out powerbomb, sometimes from the top rope:*STF:*Running sitout turnbuckle powerbomb:*Suicide dive:*Cross armbreaker:*450° splash:*Shooting star press:*Cartwheel into a suicide senton or moonsault to the outside

*With the Kings of Professional Wrestling:*"Super Curb Stomp" (Reverse Indian deathlock with arms in surfboard and diving double foot stomp)

*With Davey Richards:*Powerbomb (Dragon) / Double knee backbreaker (Richards) combination:*"Spike D.R. Driver II" (Spike double underhook brainbuster):*Diving double foot stomp (Dragon) / Surfboard (Davey) combination:*Standing double foot stomp to an opponent's head (Dragon) / Standing shooting star press (Davey) combination

*Entrance Themes:*"Shadow Boxing" by GZA & Method Man:*"Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A:*"Earth People" by Dr Octagon:*"Falling to Pieces" by Faith No More:*"Rockets on the Battlefield by Black Elvis

Championships and accomplishments

*All Pro Wrestling:*APW Internet Championship (2 times) [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2002-05.html | title=Independent Wrestling Results - May 2002 | accessdate=2008-07-06|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com] [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2002-12.html | title=Independent Wrestling Results - December 2002 | accessdate=2008-07-06|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com]

*Combat Zone Wrestling:*CZW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:*PWG Championship (1 time) [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2004-11.html | title=Independent Wrestling Results - November 2004 | accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com] :*PWG World Tag Team Championship (5 times) – B-Boy (2), Excalibur (1), and Davey Richards (2)

*Revolution Pro Wrestling:*Rev-Pro Lucha Libre Heavyweight Championship (1 time):*Rev-Pro Junior Heavyweight Champion (2 times) [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2003-07.html | title=Independent Wrestling Results - July 2003 | accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com] [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2004-03.html | title=Independent Wrestling Results - March 2004 | accessdate=2008-07-04|publisher=onlineworldofwrestling.com] :*Rev-Pro Pride of the Mask Champion (2 times):*Rev-Pro Revolution J Tournament winner (1 time)

Notes

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20030210085713/http://super-dragon.com/ Official Website of Super Dragon]
* [http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com Pro Wrestling Guerrilla]
* [http://obsessedwithwrestling.com/profiles/s/super-dragon.php Obsessed with Wrestling profile]