Ricky Knight
| Ricky Knight OBE | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Patrick Frary |
| Born | 24 December 1953 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Paige Roy Knight Zak Zodiac |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed from | Norwich, England |
| Trained by | Jimmy Ocean[1] |
| Debut | 1978 |
Patrick Frary, OBE ( 24 December 1953) is an English professional wrestling trainer, promoter, owner, and former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Ricky Knight.[2] He is the owner of the World Association of Wrestling promotion in Norwich.
Professional wrestling career
Knight was working as a bouncer when he first met professional wrestler Jimmy Ocean. Ocean trained Knight, and the duo formed a tag team.[1] Throughout the 1990s, they teamed together as The Superflys on the English independent circuit. The team was managed by Knight's wife Sweet Saraya. The Superflys wrestled in All Star Wrestling, holding the British Open Tag Team Championship four times together.[3]
Knight, Sweet Saraya, and Jimmy Ocean formed the World Association of Wrestling in 1994 in Norwich. Ocean left the business one year later.[1] The promotion also included a wrestling school, The WAW Academy, which trained Roy Knight and The UK Pitbulls. The WAW Academy is Europe's longest running wrestling school.[3] As a member of the roster, Knight has held the WAW World Heavyweight Championship one time. He also held the WAW Tag Team Championship with Ocean.[4]
Personal life
Knight was in prison for eight years, mostly due to violent offences.[2]
Knight is married to Julia Bevis, who wrestles under the name Sweet Saraya.[2] They have three children. Their sons Roy Knight and Zak Zodiac wrestle on the independent circuit as the UK Hooligans. Their daughter Paige wrestled for WWE, winning the NXT Women's Championship and the WWE Divas Championship before retiring due to a serious neck injury.[2] The family was featured in The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, a 2012 documentary.[2] The documentary was adapted into a feature film, Fighting with My Family, by Dwayne Johnson's production company Seven Bucks Productions. The film was directed by Stephen Merchant, with Nick Frost playing the role of Knight,[5] and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019.
Championships and accomplishments
- All Star Wrestling
- British Open Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Jimmy Ocean[3][6]
- Extreme World Wrestling
- EWW St George's Championship (1 time)[6]
- Herts and Essex Wrestling
- HEW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[6]
- Premier Promotions
- PWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- PWF Mid-Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Roy Knight[6]
- Real Deal Wrestling
- RDW British Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- RDW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Zak Zodiac[6]
- The Wrestling Alliance
- British Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- British Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Roy Knight[3][6]
- World Wide Wrestling League
- W3L Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Interview: Zak Knight, Sweet Saraya and Ricky Knight". The Student Pocket Guide. July 1, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Deacon, Michael (19 July 2012). "The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, Channel 4, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d "The History of WAW". World Association of Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Ricky Knight". World Association of Wrestling. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 8, 2017). "Lena Headey & Nick Frost Join Dwayne Johnson In 'Fighting With My Family'". Deadline. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ricky Knight - Titles". CageMatch. Retrieved March 2, 2017.