Tony Kozina

Tony Kozina (born October 23, 1970) is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his work in the Pacific Northwest especially in Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance. He has also made appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Tony Kozina
Born (1970-10-23) October 23, 1970
Portland, Oregon[1][2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Canadian Cougar[1][3]
Tony Kozina
Billed height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1][2]
Billed weight174 lb (79 kg)[2]
Billed fromPortland, Oregon
Trained byBilly Jack Haynes[1]
Matt Osborne[1]
North American Wrestling Asylum
Michelle Starr[1]
DebutJanuary 26, 1997[1][2]

Professional wrestling career

Training

In the summer of 1996, Kozina started training with Billy Jack Haynes and "Maniac" Matt Borne and helped train others at North American Wrestling Asylum.[3]

Independent wrestling (1997–present)

On October 20, 1998, Kozina defeated Torch for the newly created NWA Pacific Northwest Junior Heavyweight Championship. On July 21, 2001, Kozina defeated Scotty Mac to claim his sixth NWA Pacific Northwest Junior Heavyweight Championship. The title was vacated on April 5, 2002, due to inactivity.[2] On January 14, 2000, Kozina won his first NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Vince Kaplack. In a rematch at the NWA 52nd Anniversary Show on October 20, Kaplack defeated Kozina to become the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Canadian Wrestling's Elite (2015–present)

On May 5, 2017; at Canadian Wrestling's Elite 8th Anniversary Show in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Kozina defeated Mentallo to become the new Canadian Unified Junior Heavyweight Champion. This marks the first time in nearly 10 years that the title has been active. Following the match, Kozina called out Billy Corgan and the National Wrestling Alliance. He stated he wants a shot at the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

On the January 1, 2018, Canadian Wrestling's Elite stopped in St. Albert, Alberta with the "Pick Your Poison Tour." "The Original" Marky defeated Kozina to become the new Canadian Unified Junior Heavyweight Championship. On January 3, 2018; the CWE "Pick Your Poison Tour" made a stop in Calgary, Alberta. Kozina won the Canadian Unified Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time in a Six Man Scramble which included "The Original" Marky, Chayse Britton, Strife, Darren Burns, and "The Prodigy" Matt Hart.[4]

WWE

On August 10, 2003, Kozina teamed up with Buddy Wayne on an episode of WWE Heat. They lost to the team of Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade.[5]

Ring of Honor

In January 2011, Kozina faced Davey Richards in Ring of Honor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richards won via knockout when the referee stopped the bout in just under 5 minutes.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

On February 16, 2015 (which aired on September 4, 2015) Kozina faced Davey Richards in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling for the TNA One Night Only Gut Check pay-per-view. Richards won when Kozina went up top for a moonsault, but slipped off and Richards got the roll up for the win.[6]

Fale Dojo (2018–present)

On May 28, 2018 Bad Luck Fale owner of Fale Dojo in New Zealand announced Kozina as their head trainer.[7]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Time Toupee Tony Donovan
2017 The Damnedwich Pastor Troy Short
2018 Ring Warriors Himself Documentary

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "CageMatch.de Profile" (in German). CageMatch.de. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  2. ""Tornado" Tony Kozina's profile". ECCW.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2007. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  3. ""Tornado" Tony Kozina's profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  4. Johnson, Mike (January 5, 2018). "CWE PICK YOUR POISON WITH JAKE ROBERTS RESULTS FROM CANADA". PWInsider. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. Obal, Alex (August 10, 2003). "411's WWE Sunday Night Heat Report 08.10.03". 411Mania. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  6. "Csonka's TNA One Night Only Gut Check Review". 411Mania. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  7. "Fale Dojo is very honoured to announce Tony Kozina as it's [sic] new head trainer". Fale Dojo. Twitter. May 28, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  8. "AWA Washington Light Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  9. "Canadian Unified Junior Heavyweight Championship". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  10. "NWA Virginia Junior Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  11. "Pinnacle Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  12. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 2002". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  13. "Slam! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame list". Slam! Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
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