Darryl Sharma
| Darryl Sharma | |
|---|---|
 Sharma, posing backstage in 2012 | |
| Born |
September 30, 1984 Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Hornet Darryl Sharma |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 202 lb (92 kg)[2] |
| Trained by |
El Fuego[1] Negro Casas[1] Phil Latio[1] Notorious T.I.D.[1] |
| Debut | January 2002 [1] |
| Retired | November 2016 [1] |
Darryl Sharma (born September 30, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestling referee and former professional wrestler, of Indo-Fijian ancestry, who is currently signed to WWE as a referee on its developmental territory NXT.[3] Under the ring name Hornet, he has wrestled across Canada, USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ireland, England, Japan, and India. Sharma is also a professional wrestling coach at Santino Marella's Battle Arts Academy, where he also trains in mixed martial arts.[2]
Sharma spent time in India, serving as the professional wrestling coach at The Great Khali's CWE Academy.[4]
Early life
Sharma was born on September 30, 1984, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He trained under El Fuego, Negro Casas, Phil Latio, Notorious T.I.D., Yuki Ishikawa and Ricky Marvin.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Sharma has previously wrestled for notable promotions including Dragon Gate (Japan), All-Star Wrestling (UK), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Mexico), AAA (Mexico), Ring of Honor (USA), Chikara (USA), and All Pro Wrestling (USA).[5] Sharma received several music awards while in school, and continues to play guitar and sing at bars around the city of Toronto where he lives. After returning home from a Japanese wrestling tour in 2007, Sharma opened up Hornet Construction. The company was originally a renovation company meant to give Sharma something to do in between tours. The company now builds million dollar homes in the Greater Toronto Area. On May 18, 2015 he was named Toronto's Athlete of the Week.[6]
WWE (2014; 2016–present)
On June 14, 2014 Sharma made his first WWE appearance as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds in the Exotic Express. In November 2016, it was announced that he had signed to WWE as a referee for their developmental territory NXT.[3]
In July 2017, Sharma was seen officiating matches in the Mae Young Classic, which began airing on August 28, 2017.
Personal life
Sharma is an animal-lover, especially reptiles. He used to volunteer at a reptile zoo where he handled exotic animals. He owns several snakes and a tegu.[7]
Championships and accomplishments
- Empire State Wrestling
- ESW Tag Team Championship − with Ash (1 time)[8]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Powerslam Wrestling
- PW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Darryl Sharma". Cagematch.net. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Lefko, Perry (2 May 2014). "Hornet stings his way to a career in pro wrestling". Anti-Age Me. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Post by Sharma". www.instagram.com. Instagram. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
I guess you could say it's "official" now! I have signed with the WWE and joined their referee roster! (Get it? Official?) Thank you, #nxtftpierce for the welcome! @wwe @wwenxt
- ↑ Pineiro, Anthony (17 March 2016). "CWE: El Xtranger Hornet en la India". SuperLuchas. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ McNamara, Andy. "Hornet buzzes back to Toronto". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.ca. Retrieved October 27, 2006.
- ↑ Acquisto, Stella. "CityNews". Athlete Of The Week. City. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ↑ "Battle Arts Professional Wrestling - HORNET". Battle Arts Professional Wrestling. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ↑ "ESW Tag Team Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016". Profightdb. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ↑ "PW Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
External links