Chris Ridgeway

Ridgeway in March 2023

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Birkenhead, Mereyside, England, United Kingdom

**Christopher Paul Wareing** (born 6 July 1993) is an English professional wrestler who currently works for Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH (NOAH), performing under the ring name **Chris Ridgeway**, where he is a former two-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.

Ridgeway began his career in the English independent circuit in December 2012. During several years, he worked on several independent promotions, most notably Progress Wrestling and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), before starting to work for Pro Wrestling NOAH (NOAH) in May 2019. In NOAH, Ridgeway became part of Yoshinari Ogawa's Stinger stable, and went on to hold the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on two different occasions.

## Professional wrestling career

### Pro Wrestling NOAH (2019–2023)

In May 2019, Ridgeway made his debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH (NOAH), taking part in the 2019 Global Junior Tag League alongside Hitoshi Kumano. They finished the tournament with a record of three wins and three losses, failling to advance to the finals by a single point. Afterwards, Ridgeway also underwent further training, being taken under Yoshinari Ogawa's wing in the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo. On June 9, Ridgeway was announced as the newest member of the Stinger stable, led by Ogawa. From June 27 until July 20, Ridgeway took part in the 2019 Global Junior League, finishing the tournament with a record of three wins and two losses, failling to advance to the finals of the tournament. In August, Ridgeway began a feud with Daisuke Harada, after submitting him in multiple occasions, leading to a match on August 25, for the IPW:UK Junior Heavyweight Championship, where Ridgeway unsuccessfully challenged Harada for his title. Following an eight-man tag team match, on November 9, Ridgeway challenged HAYATA to a title match for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. Afterwards, they faced off in multiple tag team matches, where Ridgeway drew the ire of HAYATA by cheap shotting him, leading to various post-match brawls between the two. The brewing rivalry led to NOAH booking a title match, on December 3, where Ridgeway unsuccessfully challenged HAYATA for his title.

In January 2020, Ridgeway took part in the 2020 Global Junior League, finishing the tournament with a record of one wins and two losses, failling to advance to the finals. Following the tournament, Ridgeway was unable to work NOAH's events, due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Stinger was disbanded in March, before being reformed in May, but Ridgeway was not included in the stable's reformation, due to the travel restrictions.

Following the mitigation of the COVID-19 travel restrictions, on March 23, 2022, it was announced that Ridgeway would be returning to Stinger on April 29 at Majestic. At the event, Ridgeway and Stinger stablemate Yoshinari Ogawa defeated Atsushi Kotoge and YO-HEY to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On May 4, Yuya Susumu and Seiki Yoshioka attacked Ogawa and Ridgeway, before challenging them to a title match for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, with HAYATA siding with them due to a previously shared background. Afterwards, Ogawa and Ridgeway attacked HAYATA, Susumu and Yoshioka, during a post-match interview. This led to a match on May 21 at Dream On Final, for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship where the losing team would be forced to leave Stinger. The match ended in a no contest, following the interference from *Los Perros del Mal de Japón*, which in turn led the stable to reconcile. Afterwards, it was announced that Ridgeway would be returning to the United Kingdom. He made his return on September 3, sucessfully defending the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against *Los Perros del Mal de Japón'*s Eita and Nosawa Rongai. They lost the titles to Atsushi Kotoge and Seiki Yoshioka on September 25 at Grand Ship In Nagoya.

Over the following months, Stinger began alligning themselves with Eita following the dissolution of *Los Perros del Mal de Japón*, which led to Ridgeway being unsured about the alliance. On May 4, 2023, at Majestic, Yoshinari Ogawa and Ridgeway faced Daga and Eita. The match ended with Daga turning on Eita, and joining Stinger. Afterwards, Ogawa announced that he, Chris Ridgeway and Daga were the "new Stinger" and that HAYATA and Eita where not considered members anymore. On June 22, Ridgeway and Stinger's newest member Daga defeated Good Looking Guys (Tadasuke and YO-HEY) to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On September 5, Ridgeway announced that he would be leaving NOAH to return to the United Kingdom for personal reasons, leading him and Daga to vacate the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Ankle hold
* **Signature moves**
	+ Arm trap cross-legged butterfly lock
	+ Multiple armbar variations
		- Fujiwara
		- Scissored
	+ Bicycle knee strike
	+ Brainbuster
	+ Bridging high-angle German suplex
	+ Chickenwing over the shoulder crossface
	+ Double arm suplex, sometimes transitioned to a Fujiwara armbar
	+ Dragon screw
	+ Multiple kick variations
		- High
		- *Kakato Otoshi* (Axe)
		- *PK – Penalty Kick* (Soccer kick to the chest of a seated opponent)
		- Roundhouse, sometimes to the opponent's back
		- Soccer
		- Thrust
	+ Lariat
	+ *Regal Stretch* (Arm trap cross-legged STF) – adopted from William Regal
* **Nicknames**
	+ "The Priority"
	+ "Smash Mouth"
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones
	+ "Equalizer" by Akito Shimizu

## Championships and accomplishments

* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ PWI ranked him **328** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021
* **Pro Wrestling NOAH**
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Yoshinari Ogawa (1) and Daga (1)

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Search Results for Civil Births in Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records . England & Wales Births 1837–2006.