Mark Andrews Mark Andrews ( January 23 , 1992 ) is a Welsh professional wrestler , entrepreneur and musician , best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) under the ring name Mandrews , after spending several years appearing worldwide on the independent circuit . Professional wrestling career . Independent circuit ( 2006 – 2016 ) . Andrews started training at the age of 13 , upon discovery of the NWA Wales training school in Newport . As well as training there under Edd Ferris , Andrews would travel to Kent three times a year to attend NWA UK Hammerlock ' s training camps , where he learned off the likes of John Ryan , Paul Tracey and Andre Baker . It is here that he met Zack Sabre , Jr . , who would go on to become Andrews ’ s mentor . It was for NWA Wales that Andrews made his wrestling debut , appearing in a battle royal in 2006 , in a show which also featured future TNA wrestler Magnus . Shortly afterwards , Andrews began competing under a mask , using the name “ The Lightning Kid ” . He has stated that this was to hide his young age from audiences . Andrews ’ rise as The Lightning Kid was gradual , with most his appearances in 2006 and 2007 limited to promotions in South Wales . His first appearance outside Wales was at the 2007 Holbrooks Festival in Coventry , which was notable as it ' s where he first met his long - time friend ( and wrestling rival ) , Pete Dunne . January 2008 saw Andrews make his first international appearance , when he was flown out to Madrid to compete for La Super Wrestling Alliance ( SWA ) . In 2009 , Andrews first began to gain exposure on Britain ’ s independent wrestling scene , making appearances for British Championship Wrestling and Premier British Wrestling ; where he competed against fellow future TNA British Bootcamp finalist Noam Dar . On November 2009 also saw Andrews wrestled at ' s event in Chatham , Kent , against his mentor and friend Zack Sabre Jr . In 2010 , Andrews started to appear regularly for Coventry - based Triple X Wrestling . He appeared as part of a stable called “ The NexXxus ” , a parody of the “ Nexus ” faction in the WWE . Under the name “ Mandrews Tarver ” , Andrews joined fellow ‘ rookies ’ Wade Helix ( Helix ) , Hitch Sheffield ( Wild Boar ) , Phil Otunga ( Phil Ward ) and Gav Gabriel ( Morgan Webster ) as the group ambushed and attacked various members of the roster . Andrews ’ time in the NexXxus is notable for being the only heel run of Andrews ’ s career . In 2011 , Andrews debuted for Insane Championship Wrestling in Glasgow , and competed at Premier British Wrestling ’ s annual “ King of Cruisers ” six - way match in Irevine . Andrews also made two appearances for the newly reformed Frontier Wrestling Alliance ( FWA ) , most notably in an encounter against long - time rival Wild Boar at Thorpe Park . Andrews started to make appearances for Preston City Wrestling , where he twice came up short in encounters for Bubblegum ’ s PCW Cruiserweight Championship ; including in a three - way match that also included Austin Aries . Perhaps most notably , Andrews ' match against Kris Travis at “ PCW SuperShow 4 ” received widespread acclaim , including being nominated for “ UK Match of the Year ” in the Fighting Spirit Magazine Reader Awards 2014 ; the second year running Andrews had been nominated for the honour . In Attack ! Pro Wrestling , Andrews continued heavy involvement in the creative direction of the organization . May saw Andrews reprise his role as Pikachu , as ATTACK ! presented the second instalment of their popular video game themed shows , “ Press Start Level 2 ” . Taking on Arthur Klauser - Saxon ( Tyler Bate ) , who was styled as Machoke , Andrews picked up the win to gain the hold of the 24 : 7 Championship for a second time . As with his first reign , he did not hold the title for long – with T - Bone winning the title almost immediately , styled as Bowser . At the following show , “ The Weird And Wonderful World Of ATTACK ! Pro Wrestling ” , Andrews again regained the title , defeating current holders Sam Bailey and Zack Gibson in a soccer - themed tag team match , alongside Pete Dunne . For a third time , Andrews lost the title almost as quickly as he had won it , with Lana Austin and Nixon Newell striking the same evening to take the belt . Andrews also made another short trip to the US independents in 2014 , which included a dark match appearance at DREAMWAVE ’ s “ Good As Gold ” event in LaSalle , Illinois . In addition to the USA trip , Andrews also made his debut for Germany ' s award - winning Westside Xtreme Wrestling . Appearing on the Mülheim leg of the “ wXw Drive Of Champions Tour ” , Andrews teamed with Pete Dunne and Chris Brookes , losing out to Big Daddy Walter , Axel Dieter Jr . and Da Mack . Andrews ' most successful year - to - date earned him three nominations at the Fighting Spirit Magazine Reader Awards 2014 , where he was shortlisted for " Best UK Wrestler " and " Best UK Tag Team " ( with Eddie Dennis ) , alongside his " UK Match of the Year " nomination for his PCW encounter against Kris Travis . Meanwhile , the online message board UKFF voted Andrews the 3rd best wrestler in the UK , with a series of complimentary comments , including : " Mark ' s the poster boy of the resurgence British wrestling is seeing at the moment . Talented , likeable , and genuinely cool . " After signing a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , it was confirmed that Andrews would be moving stateside . Andrews ’ “ home ” promotion , Attack ! Pro Wrestling , hosted a farewell show on January 24 , 2015 . Titled “ Mandrews Goes To America ” , the show was held at Cathays Community Centre in Cardiff , a small venue just minutes from where Andrews grew up . Headlined by the promise of Andrews vs his long - time friend Pete Dunne , tickets for the show sold out in just 12 minutes . At the event , Andrews defeated Dunne who viciously attacked Andrews afterwards . In early 2016 , Andrews and Nixon Newell formed the tag team Bayside High and on 27 March 2016 defeated # CCK ( Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos ) for the Attack ! Tag Team Trophy Championship in a Ladder match . Chikara ( 2011 – 2015 ) . In August 2011 , Andrews travelled to Pennsylvania , to make his debut for Chikara . Granted a place in the Young Lions Cup IX , Andrews ’ first round match was a four - way eliminator , taking on Tadasuke , Nick Jackson and Sean South . Tadasuke won the match , last eliminating Andrews on the route to victory . In 2014 , he appeared in Chikara ' s yearly King of Trios tournament as Team UK with Pete Dunne and Damian Dunne . The team defeated The Bloc Party in the first round , advancing to the quarter finals , where they were then felled by The Devastation Corporation . On the third night of the tournament , Andrews appeared in singles action , defeating Oliver Grimsly . Andrews was part of Chikara ' s first ever tour of the UK , gaining a victory over Silver Ant at the April 31 , 2015 show in Cardiff , Wales . For the second year running , he took part in Chikara ' s King of Trios tournament , teaming with ‘ Flash ’ Morgan Webster and Pete Dunne as Team Attack . They lost their first round match against the League of Nations . However , during that weekend Andrews also competed for Chikara ’ s annual " Rey de Voladores " title , winning the tournament by defeating Shynron in the finals . Progress Wrestling ( 2012 – 2016 ) . In 2012 , Andrews appeared in Progress Wrestling at Chapter 2 : The March of Progress in June , Andrews resumed his rivalry with Wild Boar , picking up the victory . Andrews returned at Chapter 3 : Fifty Shades Of Pain , defeating Xander Cooper , before then entering the National Progression Series tournament . In his first - round match at Chapter 4 : The Ballad Of El Ligero , Andrews took on Will Ospreay , securing a pinfall win with a springboard hurricanrana . Both men received a standing ovation from the PROGRESS fans after the match . On 2013 , Andrews participated in the Natural Progression Series tournament , which Andrews won to claim the trophy and a guaranteed title shot . Andrews cashed in his shot that evening , defeating Rampage Brown to win the title . However , the reign was short lived , as Jimmy Havoc cashed in another guaranteed title shot on the same evening , stealing the title after a series of chair shots . Andrews received a re - match for the Progress Championship at Chapter 13 : Unbelievable Jeff , which Andrews ultimately lost after interference from Paul Robinson . Over the course of the year , Andrews also teamed with friend Eddie Dennis , entering the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament held at Chapters 11 and 12 . The pair , known as FSU , won the tournament and were crowned the promotion ’ s first - ever tag team champions . This made Andrews Progress ' first ever Triple Crown champion , having won the Natural Progression Series , the Progress Championship and the Progress Tag Team Championship . Eddie and Andrews successfully defended the titles a further two times in 2014 . In January 2015 , at Andrews ’ last Progress show before beginning work for TNA in America , he and Eddie Dennis were scheduled to face each other for sole possession of the tag team titles . But the Faceless attacked and an impromptu match ensued for the tag team titles which the Faceless won . Andrews and Dennis then faced off in a match during the second half of the show , which Andrews lost . Andrews returned to Progress in November 2015 , saving Progress Champion Will Ospreay from a post - match beating by Paul Robinson . Andrews then requested a title shot , pointing out that when the two had previously faced each other in Progress , Ospreay hadn ’ t won either of their lauded matches . Andrews subsequently lost his granted title match against Ospreay at the January 2016 show , though the match achieved the number six spot on the Top 10 Progress Matches of 2015 as voted for by the Progress fans . Andrews subsequently became embroiled in a feud with the Origin – the stable previously known as the Faceless – teaming with Eddie Dennis and Jack Gallagher at the first ever Progress show in Manchester , losing a six - man tag team match to the Origin team of Dave Mastiff , Nathan Cruz and El Ligero . Andrews and Dennis , as FSU , were then granted two shots at the tag team titles in early 2016 , including a no disqualification match , both of which they lost to Cruz and Ligero . In May 2016 , Andrews entered Progress ' s Super Strong Style 16 Tournament for the first time , losing in the first round to Chris Hero . However , as Mark Haskins had to drop out due to illness , Andrews won Haskins ' spot in the tournament via a ten - man scramble match . He went on to beat Mikey Whiplash in the quarter finals and Zack Gibson in the semi - finals , before losing to Tommy End in the tournament final . During the PROGRESS vs . Smash Wrestling event in September 2016 , Andrews competed at all three shows - losing to Brent Banks and winning matches against Scotty O ' Shea and Kevin Bennett . At Chapter Thirty - Six at the Brixton Academy , Andrews teamed with Eddie Dennis , Jack Gallagher and Damon Moser in a losing effort against the Origin . At Chapter 38 , Andrews and Matt Cross wrestled for the number one contendership for the Smash Wrestling Championship , a match Cross won . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2014 – 2017 ) . Andrews competed in a dark match against DJ Z in a losing effort on September 7 , 2014 during a " Impact Wrestling " taping from Fayetteville , North Carolina . In October 2014 Andrews participated in TNA ' s British Boot Camp . After making it into the finals of the competition and ultimately winning , he earned himself a TNA contract . Andrews made his " Impact Wrestling " television debut on the January 23 , 2015 episode during a brawl that involved Ethan Carter III and Jeremy Borash , where he jumped from the crowd to help Jeremy and Rockstar Spud push away Ethan and his bodyguard Tyrus . Andrews made his in - ring debut a week later under his Mandrews nickname , teaming up with Spud to defeat The BroMans ( Robbie E & Jessie Godderz ) . He continued to aid Rockstar Spud and Jeremy Borash in their feud with Ethan Carter III and Tyrus , which included Spud and Mandrews losing a Six Sides of Steel Two On One Handicap match to Tyrus at Lockdown 2015 . Mandrews was included as a participant in the TNA World Title Series as a member of " Group X Division . " However he was unable to win any of the matches he took part in against the other members , receiving zero points and not advancing in the tournament as a result . In early 2016 , Andrews was part of TNA ’ s Maximum Impact tour of the UK . He was called out by Mike Bennett during the February 16 Manchester show and took exception to Bennett ’ s patronizing praise , subsequently losing a match to him . During 2016 , he participated at many X Division match , in a losing effort . On the October 6 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Mandrews took part in a new TNA concept called Team X Gold , teaming with Braxton Sutter and DJZ , with the team known as " Go for Broke . " They would defeat The Helms Dynasty and Marshe Rockett . On the November 24 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , the team defeated The Helms Dynasty and Marshe Rockett and Rockstar Spud and Decay in a three - way tag team elimination match for number one contendership for the TNA X Division Championship . On the December 1 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Mandrews , DJZ and Braxton Sutter faced each other for the X Division Championship , where Mandrews was close to winning after hitting the shooting star press , when DJZ was able to get the pin on Mandrews to retain his championship . When both Mandrews and Sutter helped an injured DJZ , Mandrews attacked DJZ while yelling at Sutter , thus beginning Mandrews ' first heel run in the company . On January 5 , 2017 , it was reported that Mandrews ' TNA contract had expired at the end of 2016 and that he had left the company . Mandrews had his final match in TNA on the December 8 edition of " Impact Wrestling " defeating Aiden O ' Shea . Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( 2015 – 2016 ) . On August 28 , 2015 Andrews made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) by entering the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles tournament , losing to Will Ospreay in his first round match . At December ' s " All Star Weekend 11 " , he lost to Chuck Taylor on Night 1 and to Ricochet on Night 2 . After losing to Roderick Strong at " All Star Weekend 12 " Night 1 in March 2016 , Andrews scored his first PWG victory by beating Player Uno on Night 2 . At " Prince " on May 20 , Andrews lost to Marty Scurll . At the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles , Andrews beat Pete Dunne in the first round and Chris Hero in the quarter - finals but lost to Trevor Lee in the semi - finals . WWE . United Kingdom Championship Tournament ( 2017 ) . On January 5 , 2017 , Andrews was announced as part of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament . Andrews defeated Dan Moloney in the first round , advancing to the quarter finals . The second night of the tournament , Andrews defeated Joseph Conners , advancing to the semi - finals where he was defeated by Pete Dunne . Defend Indy Wrestling . Andrews is the co - founder of “ Defend Indy Wrestling ” , a clothing brand for independent wrestling fans . Inspired by the " DEFEND Pop Punk " message propagated by American band Man Overboard , Andrews created the brand in 2011 with fellow British wrestlers Pete Dunne and Eddie Dennis , producing t - shirts , hoodies and other accessories . Personal life . Outside of Professional Wrestling , Andrews plays in a pop - punk band called ' Junior ' where he is a vocalist and bassist . After studying GCSEs and A Levels at Cardiff High School , Andrews attended the University of Glamorgan .