Vance Nevada
May at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, BMO Centre on 28 April 2012
Birth nameVern May
Born (1975-01-31) January 31, 1975
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Black Dragon
Black Ninja
Blue Power Ranger
Catastrophe
Fabius Maximus
Great Cletus
Insanity
Lucha Larry
Oriental Demon
Red Dragon
Vance Nevada
Vern May
XXX
Billed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1][2]
Billed weight185 lb (84 kg)[2]
Trained byErnest Rheault
Debut1993[1]

Vern May (born December 31, 1975) better known by his ringname Vance Nevada is a Canadian professional wrestler, author, professional wrestling promoter and wrestling historian.[3]

Professional wrestling career

Since his earliest matches in 1993, Vance Nevada has maintained one of the most aggressive touring schedules of his generation, appearing for 64 wrestling organizations from coast to coast in Canada and wrestling in almost every Province and territory in the country during his career. His passion for the sport and his exposure to the regional sub-cultures of professional wrestling and its fans have served to create an immeasurable appreciation for the sport and its history.

In addition to his success between the ropes which has included matches against ring legends and today’s top stars from Jim Neidhart, Matt Borne and the Honky Tonk Man to Kenny Omega, Kyle O'Reilly and the Bollywood Boyz, Vance Nevada is regarded as one of the premiere historians of Canadian ring lore, having published three books on the topic and being awarded with the James C. Melby Historian Award by the U.S.-based Cauliflower Alley Club for his efforts.

Aside from his endeavours to preserve wrestling’s past, while also actively participating in wrestling’s present, Nevada is a life member of the Cauliflower Alley Club, a benevolent organization of wrestling professionals that provides funding and resource support for wrestling’s alumni in the face of medical and personal hardship. In addition to his role on the advisory board and committee appointments, he has served as the editor for the club’s international newsletter since 2020.

Between 1994 and 2009, Nevada was ranked in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine top 500 ten times. In February 2022, he eclipsed the all-time record set by Leo Burke for most Canadian wrestling title reigns at 44.[4][5][6]

Nevada has done four Canadian Death Tours.[7][8][9]

Personal life

[10][11][12][13][14]

Championships and accomplishments

  • 365 Pro Wrestling
    • PWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ice[15]
  • All-Star Wrestling
    • ASW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Adam Ryder[15]
    • ASW Trans-Canada Heavyweight Championship (5 times)[15]
  • Canadian Wrestling's Elite
    • CWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)[16]
  • CanAm Wrestling
    • CanAm Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[15]
  • Cauliflower Alley Club
    • James Melby Historian Award (2010)[17]
  • Canadian Wrestling Federation
    • CWF Junior Heavyweight Championship[15]
    • CWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Bugsy Slugg (1 time), EZ Ryder (1 time), JT Atlas (2 times), and Todd Meyers (1 time)[15]
  • Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling
  • Gold Dragon Wrestling
    • GDW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[15]
    • GDW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bulletproof[15]
  • MainStream Wrestling
    • MSW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Monster Pro Wrestling
    • MPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Michelle Starr[15]
  • National Wrestling Alliance
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him #224 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005[18][19]
  • PrimeTime Wrestling
    • PTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[15]
  • River City Wrestling
    • RCW RCW Can-Am Six Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Canadian Cannonball and Sluggo Smith (1 time)[15]
    • RCW Hardcore Championship[15]
    • RCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)ref name="Titles"/>
    • RCW Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Robby Royce (3 times) and Bugsy Sluggs (1 time)[15]
  • Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
    • Class of 2016[2]
  • Thrash Wrestling
    • Thrash Wrestling Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Adam Ryder (1), Bobby Sharp (1), and Sean Gaston (1)[15]
  • Top Ranked Wrestling
    • TRW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Disco Fury[15]
  • Top Rope Championship Wrestling
    • TRCW International Heavyweight Championship[15]
    • TRCW Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Rob Stardom (1) and TJ Bratt (2)[15]
  • Wild West Wrestling/Hardcore Wrestling
    • WWW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with JT Atlas (1 time) and Scotty Simms (1 time)[15]
  • Other
    • Canadian Unified Junior Heavyweight Championship (6 times)[15]

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Vance Nevada (hair)Scarface (mask)Winnipeg, ManitobaRCW @ WinnipegMay 11, 1995[20]

Works

"(Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy" (2022, Friesen Press)

The Ear, Cauliflower Alley Club newsletter - editor (2020-2022)

CNWA Magazine - lead writer/publisher (2012-2013, nine issues)

History of Professional Wrestling Series #5 - researcher (2002, Crowbar Press)

  • Wrestling in the Canadian West[13]

Central Canadian Professional Wrestling Almanac (1999, self-published)

References

  1. 1 2 "Vance Nevada Overview". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Oliver, Greg (18 March 2016). "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Heatseeker Vance Nevada". Canoe.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Verrier, Steven (24 September 2017). "Bellingham, Washington: The unlikeliest of wrestling capitals". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Lunney, Doug (22 February 2000). "The land of hype & gory". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Clevett, Jason (14 October 2004). "Vance Nevada reflects on 10 years, 1000+ matches". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  6. ↑ Johns, Fred (5 October 2010). "Nevada restoring pride to NWA Canadian title". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Kamchen, Richard (4 February 2008). "Wrestlers brace for Northern Manitoba "Death Tour"". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Oliver, Greg (24 September 2009). "Wrestling exhibition stampedes into University of Saskatchewan". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Oliver, Greg (24 March 2012). "Vance Nevada's brief, shining moment as NWA World champ". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Stewart, Lanny (29 January 2015). "From head locks to a job in the office". Westman Journal. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  11. ↑ Redekop, Bill (14 April 2014). "Grappling with an identity crisis". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  12. ↑ Molinaro, John F. (16 September 1999). "Almanac explores rich Western heritage". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  13. 1 2 Baker, Roger (11 February 2010). "Wrestling in the Canadian West a rich and fascinating book". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Melita New Era - August 7, 2015".
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Vance Nevada Titles". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ "From the CWE to the Hall of Fame: Vance Nevada has joined a list of wrestling legends". Canadian Wrestling's Elite. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  17. ↑ Staff. "List of CAC Award Winners". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "PWI Ratings for Vance Nevada". profightdb.com. The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Vance Nevada Awards". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  20. ↑ "RCW @ Winnipeg". Wrestlingdata - The World's Largest Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
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