Donovan Strong

**Russell Donovan Tyler** (born May 19, 1962) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name **Donovan Strong**. He started his career in 1984 when he was signed by the **International Wrestling Circuit** promotion, which led to him being its first-ever Triple Crown Champion, having won the World Heavyweight, Tag Team, and Intercontinental titles. He's had a lengthy stint in the **United Wrestling Federation** from 1987 to 2008, the year he retired from in-ring competition. Standing at 6 ft 5 in. tall and weighing 285 lbs., Strong is known for his mixture of power moves and technical ability.

## Early life

Tyler was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, to Nelson Reynold Tyler and Regina Claudette (née Brown) Tyler as the eldest son of 9 children. At a young age, he and his younger brothers were introduced to professional wrestling by their father, boxing legend **"Iron Man" Nelson Tyler**. He instantly fell in love with the sport, becoming a fan of performers such as **Bruce Barlow**, **"Stellar"** **Steve Brewster**, and **Eddie Wylde**. After high school, he went on to York University in Toronto where he played football and did collegiate wrestling.

## Professional wrestling career

### Early career

After graduating from college, Tyler began training under Canadian wrestling legend **Cassius King** at the Crown Royale Wrestling Academy in Windsor, Ontario. He was able to attend the school as he took on a job as a cook at a local restaurant. There, he trained tirelessly and learned the skills necessary to become a top-tier competitor.

### International Wrestling Circuit (1984–1987)

On April 10, 1984, after passing tryouts a month earlier, Tyler made his professional debut in the International Wrestling Circuit promotion adopting the ring name **Donovan Strong**, utilizing his middle name. Within eight short weeks, he earned a shot against Intercontinental Champion **Brickhouse Barnes** with the title on the line. Strong captured the title after a hard-fought 20-plus minute match. Strong would lose the title to **Sam Sterling**, having held it for nearly a year. After that match, **Tommy "The Dream" Bowler** approached Strong asking to be his manager. Under Dream's tutelage, he would don the moniker "Canadian Muscle", for obvious reasons, according to Dream himself. Bowler's counsel and guidance would quickly earn Strong his first of many World Heavyweight title reigns. In a span of 21 months, he would become IWC's first-ever Triple Crown Champion, having held the Intercontinental, Tag Team, and World Heavyweight titles.

### United Wrestling Federation (1987–2008)

On August 20, 1987, Strong made his roster debut in the United Wrestling Federation with a victory over **Neville Sinclaire**. Strong, along with his college classmate **Anthony "Bones" Malone**, formed a team known as the **Power Factory.** Together they ran through the UWF Tag Team division, and then shortly after entered a feud with **The Executioners**, culminating in a match on January 21st, 1989 at Fallout for the UWF Tag Team titles. Strong then went on to pin Executioner member Hammer to end the feud and win the Tag titles for his team. They defended the title for over 18 months before losing them to the **Danger Boys** on August 17, 1990. They would regain the titles a month later at Summer In The City, only to lose them to the **Los Diablos** 4 months later. Strong suffered his first singles loss on June 4, 1992, losing to **Alex Clay** in a championship tournament match. On July 18, 1997, in the aftermath of a dual-bracket championship tournament, it was announced that Strong would face Clay at the August pay-per-view, Champions Road. Strong tasted singles gold when he became the UWF's first-ever United States Champion. Two weeks later, Strong relinquished the title for a shot at the UWF Championship, unbeknownst to **Mike Yeager**, who was the titleholder at the time. At the September pay-per-view Ambition, he would capture the World title in an instant classic. Due to deep-seated jealousy of Strong, Yeager would antagonize Strong at every turn. Over time, due to weeks of being ambushed and attacked by Yeager, the UWF board of directors proposed a match between the two men at Wrestlennium where if Yeager lost, he could never again challenge for the title as long as Strong was the champion. At Wrestlennium IX, the two would have their match in the main event. After nearly 40 minutes, Strong came out the victor while Yeager stormed out of the ring in frustration, knowing the outcome of his loss.

### Final Match & Semi-Retirement

On May 12, 2008, Strong decided to give the fans what they had always wanted: A match against "The Emperor of the Fighting World" **Alex Stryder** at Wrestlennium XX in a first-ever Respect Match. Stryder was an internationally known competitor, as was Strong. However, their match would be an absolute clash of styles: Stryder being proficient in striking and grappling, whereas Strong was the sheer powerhouse of the two. The match was booked as the main event of that year's Wrestlennium in the world-famous Madison Square Garden. In a near 60-minute classic, the two world-class combatants would go counter-for-counter with each other, however in the closing moments of the match, Stryder would hit Strong with the Blade Seeker to pin the 8-time World champ for the victory, after which the two would shake hands moments later, per the match stipulation. Following the conclusion of the match, Strong would stand in front of a sold-out MSG crowd, announcing his semi-retirement from in-ring competition after 24 years. The crowd, though shocked by the announcement, cheered and chanted "Thank you, Strong" as the show ended.

## Personal Life

Strong is, in actuality, originally from Canada and was raised by his Trinidadian father and British-born Jamaican mother. Strong is close friends with fellow professional wrestlers **Jim "Razor" Sharpe**, **Bones Malone**, **Rocky Stevens**, and **Alex Stryder**. Strong has three sons: Rowan, who is an Army veteran, Jackson, who is an actor and model, and Cayman, who currently wrestles under the ring name **Rob Cayman**. He also has a daughter, Coralie Ngongo-Tyler, who graduated from the University of South Florida and is a beauty/fashion influencer on social media. Strong is currently semi-retired and lives in Temple Terrace, Florida with his wife of 37 years, Belinda Jeanine (née Young) Tyler. He and his son **Rob Cayman** co-founded their own wrestling school, Bushido Wrestling Academy in Orlando, Florida.

## Other Media

### Film

Strong's life and career became the subject of the 2022 biographical film ***Canadian Muscle**.* He was involved with the film as one of its executive producers.

### Literature

In 2012, Strong published a memoir of his life before and during his 24 year career entitled ***Only the Strong Survive***.

## In Wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Powerslam - 1984-1990
	+ Northern Lights Suplex - 1984-1992
	+ *Muscle Bounder* (Falling side slam) - 1992-present
	+ Torture Rack - 1997-present

* **Signature moves**
	+ Jumping clothesline
	+ Spinebuster
	+ Belly to Belly Suplex
	+ Exploder Suplex
	+ Bulldog

* **Managers**
	+ Melissa Del Rio
	+ Tommy "The Dream" Bowler

* **Nicknames**
	+ "Pride of Canada"
	+ "Power Personified"
	+ "**Canadian Muscle**"

* **Entrance Themes**
	+ "Street Dance (Instrumental)" by Break Machine - 1984-1986
	+ "Diggin' In" by Harold Faltermeyer - 1986-1992
	+ "Fatiguez (Instrumental)" by Nick Wiz - 1992-1997
	+ "I Am What I Am" by Chubb Rock - 1997-2003
	+ "Muscle Machina" by Lee Walter - 2003-2008
	+ **"Rasputin"** by Donell Mase (used currently in independent promotions)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **International Wrestling Circuit**
	+ IWC World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
	+ IWC Tag Team Championship (2 times)
	+ IWC Intercontinental Championship (4 times)

* **United Wrestling Federation**
	+ UWF Championship (8 times)
	+ UWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Bones Malone
	+ UWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times)
	+ UWF United States Championship (2 times)

* **Wrestling Digest**
	+ Ranked No. 20 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the WD 500 in 1989
	+ Ranked No. 7 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the WD 500 in 1993
* **RING Magazine**
	+ 1986 Rising Star
	+ Wrestler of the Year (1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2005)