HC Loc Matthew " Matt " Knowles ( October 8 , 1974 ) is an American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name , HC Loc . He is perhaps best known for his tenure in Ring of Honor , where he is a one time World Tag Team Champion with Tony DeVito as a part of The Carnage Crew . Professional wrestling career . Early career ( 1996 – 1999 ) . After watching a television advertisement for " Crunchers Gym " , a professional wrestling school operated by Bob Bailey , Knowles decided to enroll in order to become a professional wrestler . Despite being uncertain as to whether or not he would be accepted into the school , given that he was exceptionally small for a professional wrestler in the mid - 1990s , Knowles contacted Bailey and was admitted to the school . He would then train under Bailey and T . C . Reynolds for six days a week over the course of fifteen months . After taking part in several tag team matches and battle royal s , he wrestled his first singles match on August 8 , 1996 against Steve Corino in Bailey ' s own promotion . Knowles originally wrestled under his own name , but later renamed himself to HC Loc . The " HC " stood for " Hard Core " ( as in hardcore music , not hardcore wrestling ) . From 1996 to 1999 , Knowles wrestled on the independent circuit in the northeast , appearing on occasion as an enhancement talent with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . Knowles also competed in the WWF ' s first - ever intergender match on the April 6 , 1998 edition of " Raw " against Luna , but lost . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( 1999 – 2001 ) . In the summer of 1999 , Knowles attended a training seminar held by Dory Funk , Jr . in Ocala , Florida . Funk arranged for Knowles to have a try - out match with Extreme Championship Wrestling , which he wrestled the next week in Queens , New York . Knowles was hired by ECW on the basis of the match , and originally worked as a member of the ECW ring crew , constructing and dismantling the ring before and after shows . He also acted as a referee who wrestled on occasions . Like many other ECW employees , Knowles received several bounced paychecks as owner Paul Heyman ' s debts began to spiral out of control . Ring of Honor ( 2002 – 2005 ) . Knowles debuted on the inaugural ROH show , Era of Honor Begins , on February 23 , 2002 as a referee . On April 27 , Knowles formed a tag team with his longtime friend DeVito known as The Carnage Crew . The Carnage Crew was later expanded to include Masada and then again to include Justin Credible . Credible left ROH in 2004 , while Masada turned against Knowles and DeVito on May 22 , 2004 . After briefly feuding with Special K , the Carnage Crew began feuding Dan Maff and B . J . Whitmer . After Maff left ROH , they began feuding with Whitmer and his new partner Jimmy Jacobs . On July 9 , 2005 , The Carnage Crew defeated Whitmer and Jacobs for the Tag Team Championship . Only a few weeks later at The Hoemcoming , the Carnage Crew re - lost the title to Whitmer and Jacobs on July 23 . On August 20 at Night of the Grudges II , the Carnage Crew wrestled their final match in ROH and lost to The Ring Crew Express . After leaving ROH , Knowles took a hiatus from wrestling . Return to wrestling ( 2008 – 2011 ) . On January 25 , 2008 , the National Wrestling Alliance territory NWA Upstate announced that after a three - year - long hiatus , Knowles , under his HC Loc ring name , would be returning to their promotion on February 23 , 2008 to compete at their event February Fallout . At the event , Loc teamed with Eric Everlast to defeat Super Assassin and Triple X . Later on in the year , he teamed with Cody Deaner to defeat Kid Justice and Rik Matrix on the September 7 episode of Pier 6 Wrestling ' s Shakedown television show . On April 4 , 2009 , Loc lost to Nunzio at an Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling event . On July 10 , 2010 at , Loc and DeVito reunited and reformed the Carnage Crew and wrestled in a four - way tag team match also involving the H8 Club and Da Hit Squad , which was ultimately won by The S . A . T .