Mike Venom Keith Walker ( May 15 , 1978 ) is an American professional wrestler who competes in North American and international promotions including Ring of Honor , Harley Race ' s World League Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah . In November 2006 , he signed a World Wrestling Entertainment developmental contract and assigned to Deep South Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling before being released from his contract the next year . Since then , he and Rasche Brown have been competing as the SkullKrushers , and currently hold the record for the longest reign as NWA World Tag Team Champions . Career . Early life and career . Born and raised in Chicago , Illinois , Walker was a wrestling fan as a child and whose favorite wrestlers included Hulk Hogan , Ric Flair and The Road Warriors ( Hawk and Animal ) . He also often went to events at the Rosemont Horizon . Attending North Park University , Walker graduated with a bachelor of science and a degree in exercise physiology as well as having an athletic career competing in college football , baseball and wrestling . He also competed in amateur bodybuilding during college , winning second place in the 2002 and 2003 Mr . Illinois competition . In 2003 , he began training to become a professional wrestler . His trainer Eric Priest was himself trained by independent wrestlers Danny Dominion and Ace Steel . Prior to his debut , he had a brief stint with the National Indoor Football League playing for the Myrtle Beach Stingrays . Following his debut , Walker wrestled throughout the United States both under his real name and as Mike Venom , winning numerous championship titles on the independent circuit as well as facing his boyhood idols The Road Warriors in several tag team matches . World League Wrestling . Walker joined World League Wrestling soon after his debut and took part in the Harley Race - Pro Wrestling Noah training camp during 2005 and 2006 . On September 24 , 2005 , Walker scored one of his first major victories defeating Kenny Omega , later aired by Pro Wrestling Noah on Japanese television , and feuded with WLW Heavyweight Champion " Wild " Wade Chism . At the end of the year , he lost to Chism in a three - way mach with Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake on December 10 , 2005 . The following month , the title was held up , in part to interference by the villainous referee Trevor Murdoch , during a match between the two in Eldon , Missouri on January 28 , 2006 . On February 24 , Walker lost a 3 - way dance when Jason Bates was pinned by Chism in St . Joseph . The next night however , Walker was pinned by Bates in a second 3 - way dance with Chism to win the title . Walker also toured Japan with Pro Wrestling Noah in April . A month later , with manager Johnny Gold , he defeated Wade Chism for the WLW Heavyweight Championship in St . Joseph on May 13 although he lost it back to Chism two days later . In mid - June , he teamed with Shane Hagadorn against Irish Airborne ( Jake and David Crist ) and defeated Bobby Dempsey and C . J . Otis in a three - way match in back - to - back appearances for Ring of Honor . On November 2 , Walker was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and left the promotion . He did , however , continue to make appearances with other independent promotions during the next week . On November 4 , he lost to Tyler Black at a show for AAW in Berwyn , Illinois and , less than a week later , he and Egotistico Fantastico defeated Matt Longtime and Mickey McCoy at a Brew City Wrestling card . World Wrestling Entertainment . Deep South Wrestling . A month after signing with WWE , Walker was assigned to its developmental territory Deep South Wrestling . On December 21 , he made his debut losing to Jake Hager in a dark match . Early the next year , he wrestled as Keith Samson Walker against Kofi Nahaje Kingston and , the next week , under the name Keith Samson when he defeated Robert Anthony in a dark match on January 11 , 2007 . He would alternately use both names during his time with DSW and teamed with Johnny Curtis losing to The Major Brothers and Henry Godwinn and Ray Gordy . On March 1 , he defeated Ray Gordy and , with Frankie Coverdale , lost a tag team match to Robert Anthony and Johnny Curtis later that night in what turned out to be his last appearance with the promotion . Florida Championship Wrestling . Two months later , he was assigned to another WWE developmental territory , Florida Championship Wrestling , making his debut in a tag team match with Rycklon Stephens to defeat Eric Perez and Kofi Nahaje Kingston on June 26 , 2007 . They also defeated Team Elite ( Mike Knox and Derrick Neikirk ) that same week . On August 4 , he and Heath Miller lost to Jake Hager and Ted DiBiase , Jr . The next month , he defeated Hager and Neikirk in a three - way match on September 2 . On September 15 , he and Shawn Osborne lost to Egotistico Fantastico and Johnny Curtis . After another defeat by Ted DiBiase , Jr . on October 2 , Walker was released from his WWE contract due to a " lack of progress " . Return to WLW . On October 27 , Walker made his return to World League Wrestling defeating Derek McQuinn for the WLW Heavyweight title in Waterloo , Iowa . On November 9 , Walker also defeated Dinn T . More for the AWA - Brew City Wrestling Heavyweight Championship . The next night at the NWA Pro Wrestling Summit in Hammond , Indiana , Walker lost to Misterioso . On November 24 , he lost to AAW Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lynn at an All American Wrestling event . He also teamed with Dan Lawrence to defeat Derek St . Holmes , Kris Hybrid and Bonebreaker Brooks on December 15 , 2007 . National Wrestling Alliance and AWA Superstars of Wrestling / Wrestling Superstars Live . At an event for Brew City Wrestling , he and Skullkrusher fought to a double - countout on January 12 , 2008 . He lost the WLW Heavyweight title a little over three months later to " The Masterpiece " Chris Masters on February 9 in Fordland , Missouri . On March 29 , Walker lost to reigning AWA Superstars of Wrestling United States Championship Ricky Landell in an " MMA vs . Wrestling " match to crown the first WSL Fighting World Champion . Following this match , the United States title was abandoned . He later teamed up with Rasche Brown , formerly known as Skullkrusher , to form the Skullkrushers . On October 4 , the Skullkrushers defeated Los Luchas to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship . Walker again defeated Landell on February 21 , 2009 in Michigan City , Indiana to win the Wrestling Superstars Live World Heavyweight Championship . On November 20 , 2010 , Walker and Brown lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship to the Dark City Fight Club ( Kory Chavis and Jon Davis ) , ending their reign at 778 days . Pro Wrestling Noah . On April 14 , 2010 the team of Keith Walker and Bison Smith defeated Takeshi Rikio and Muhammad Yone to become the GHC Tag Team Champions in Osaka . On August 31 , however , Walker ' s father died . He later chose not to immediately return to Japan , and on September 10 he and Bison Smith were stripped of the GHC Tag Team Championship .