Satellite image of the Bosphorus, taken from the International Space Station in April 2004.

The Bosphorus (/ˈbɒsfərəs/) or Bosporus (/ˈbɒspərəs/, Turkish: Boğaziçi, Greek: Βόσπορος, Vosporos, Bulgarian: Босфора, Bosfora), also known as the Istanbul Strait (Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı), is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It—along with the Dardanelles—is one of two straits in Turkey. The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara (which is connected by the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea.)

Bosphorus' limits are defined as the connecting line between the lighthouses Rumeli Feneri and Anadolu Feneri in the north and between the Ahırkapı Feneri and the Kadıköy İnciburnu Feneri in the south. The strait is between the limits 31 km (17 nmi) long, with a width of 3,329 m (1.798 nmi) at the northern entrance and 2,826 m (1.526 nmi) at the southern entrance. Its maximum width is 3,420 m (1.85 nmi) between Umuryeri and Büyükdere Limanı, and minimum width 700 m (0.38 nmi) between Kandilli Point and Aşiyan. A 45-degree course alteration is required for the ships at this point. The current can reach 7–8 knots at this point. It is a highly dangerous point for ship navigation. At Yenikoy, the necessary course alteration is 80 degrees. All the dangers and obstacles characteristic of narrow waterways are present and acute in this critical sea lane. At the above mentioned turns (Kandilli and Yenikoy) where significant course alterations have to be made, the rear and forward sights are totally blocked prior to and during the course alteration. The ships approaching from the opposite direction cannot be seen round these bends. There is also very heavy ferry traffic in the Strait of Istanbul, which crosses between European and Asiatic sides of the city.^[1]

The depth of Bosphorus varies from 36 to 124 m (118 to 407 ft) in midstream with an average of 65 m (213 ft). The deepest location is between Kandilli and Bebek with 110 m (360 ft). The most shallow locations are off Kadıköy İnciburnu on the northward route with 18 m (59 ft) and off Aşiyan Point on the southward route with 13 m (43 ft).^[1]

The shores of the strait are heavily populated as the city of Istanbul (with a metropolitan area in excess of 11 million inhabitants) straddles it.

The name comes from Greek Bosporos (Βόσπορος),^[2] which the ancient Greeks analysed as bous βοῦς 'ox' + poros πόρος 'means of passing a river, ford, ferry', thus meaning 'ox-ford', which is a reference to Io (mythology) from Greek mythology who was transformed into a cow and condemned to wander the earth until she crossed the Bosphorus where she met Prometheus. Although it has been known for a while that the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara flow into each other in an example of a density flow, findings of a study by the University of Leeds in August 2010 reveal that there is in fact an underwater river flowing through the Mediterranean and under the Bosphorus (caused by the difference in density of the two seas), which would be the sixth largest river on Earth if it were to be on land.^[3]

Formation[link]

A map depicting the location of the Bosporus (red) relative to the Dardanelles (yellow) and the Sea of Marmara.

The exact cause for the formation of the Bosphorus remains the subject of vigorous debate among geologists. Thousands of years ago, the Black Sea became disconnected from the Aegean Sea. The Black Sea deluge theory (published in 1997 by William Ryan and Walter Pitman from Columbia University) contends that the Bosphorus was formed about 5600 BC when the rising waters of the Mediterranean/Sea of Marmara breached through to the Black Sea, which at the time (according to the theory) was a low-lying body of fresh water.

It is also said in myth that floating rocks known as the Symplegades or Clashing Rocks once crushed any ship that attempted passage of the Bosporus until the hero Jason obtained passage, whereupon the rocks became fixed, and Greek access to the Black Sea was opened.

Ancient Greece, Persia, Rome, the Byzantines and the Ottoman Empire[link]

As part of the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Bosporus has always been of great commercial and strategic importance. The Greek city-state of Athens in the 5th century BC, which was dependent on grain imports from Scythia, maintained critical alliances with cities which controlled the straits, such as the Megarian colony Byzantium.

Persian King Darius I the Great, in an attempt to subdue the Scythian horsemen who roamed across the north of the Black Sea, crossed through the Bosphorus, then marched towards the Danube River. His army crossed the Bosphorus over an enormous bridge made by connecting Achaemenid boats.^{[citation needed]} This bridge essentially connected the farthest geographic tip of Asia to Europe, encompassing at least some 1000 meters of open water if not more.^[4] Years later, a similar boat bridge would be constructed by Xerxes I on the Dardanelles (Hellespont) strait, during his invasion of Greece.

The strategic significance of the strait was one of the factors in the decision of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to found there in AD 330 his new capital, Constantinople, which came to be known as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. On 29 May 1453 it was conquered by the emerging Ottoman Empire. In fact, as the Ottoman Turks closed in on Istanbul, they constructed a fortification on each side of the strait, Anadoluhisarı (1393) and Rumelihisarı (1451).

Strategic importance[link]

A view of the Bosphorus strait, with the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1988) seen in the background.

The strategic importance of the Bosphorus remains high, and control over it has been an objective of a number of hostilities in modern history, notably the Russo–Turkish War, 1877–1878, as well as of the attack of the Allied Powers on the Dardanelles during the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli in the course of World War I.

At its peak in the 16th through the 18th centuries, the Ottoman Empire had wrested control of the entire Black Sea area, which was for the time an "Ottoman lake", on which Russian warships were prohibited.^[5]

Subsequently, several international treaties have governed vessels using the waters. Under the Treaty of Hünkar Iskelesi of 1833, the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits were to be closed on Russian demand to naval vessels of other powers.^[6] Following World War I, the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres demilitarized the strait and made it an international territory under the control of the League of Nations. This was amended under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which restored the straits to Turkish territory—but allowed all foreign warships and commercial shipping to traverse the straits freely. Turkey eventually rejected the terms of that treaty, and subsequently Turkey remilitarized the straits area. The reversion to this old regime was formalized under the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits of July 1936. That convention, which is still in practical force as of 2011^[update], treats the straits as an international shipping lane, but Turkey retains the right to restrict the naval traffic of non-Black Sea nations (such as Greece, a traditional enemy, or Algeria).

During World War II, through February 1945, when Turkey was neutral for most of the length of the conflict, the Dardanelles were closed to the ships of the belligerent nations. In the conferences during World War II, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin openly requested the concession of Soviet military bases on the Straits, even though Turkey was not involved in the war. This incident, coupled with Stalin's demands for the restitution of the Turkish provinces of Kars, Artvin and Ardahan to the Soviet Union (which were lost by Turkey with the Russo–Turkish War of 1877–1878, but were regained with the Treaty of Kars in 1921) was one of the main reasons why Turkey decided to give up its general principle of neutrality in foreign affairs. Turkey did declare war against Germany in February 1945, but did not engage in offensive actions.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In more recent years, the Turkish Straits have become particularly important for the oil industry. Russian oil, from ports such as Novorossyisk, is exported by tankers to western Europe and the U.S. via the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles straits.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1988) and the Bosphorus strait

Crossings[link]

Bosphorus Bridge (1973)

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1988) as seen from the Rumeli Castle (1452)

The waters of the strait are traversed by numerous ferries. Two bridges cross the Bosphorus. The first, the Bosphorus Bridge, is 1,074 m (3,524 ft) long and was completed in 1973. The second, Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Bosphorus II) Bridge, is 1,090 m (3,576 ft) long, and was completed in 1988 about 5 km (3 mi) north of the first bridge. It forms part of the Trans-European Motorway. Plans for a third bridge, which will allow transit traffic to by-pass the city traffic, have been approved by the Ministry of Transportation. The bridge will be built near the northern end of the Bosphorus, between the villages of Garipçe on the European side and Poyrazköy on the Asian side.^[11] It will be part of the "Northern Marmara Motorway", which will be further integrated with the existing Black Sea Coastal Highway.

Another crossing, Marmaray, is a 13.7 km (8.5 mi) long undersea railway tunnel currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2012. Approximately 1,400 m (4,593 ft) of the tunnel will run under the strait, at a depth of about 55 m (180 ft).

Submarine channel[link]

This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (February 2011)

In 2010, a team of scientists led by the University of Leeds used a robotic "yellow submarine" to observe detailed flows within an "undersea river" for the very first time. Submarine channels are similar to land rivers, but they are formed by density currents—underwater flow mixtures of sand, mud and water that are denser than sea water and so sink and flow along the bottom. These channels are the main transport pathway for sediments to the deep sea where they form sedimentary deposits. These deposits ultimately hold not only untapped reserves of gas and oil, they also house important secrets—from clues on past climate change to the ways in which mountains were formed.

A cruise ship (left) and Seabus (right) navigating through the Bosphorus, with the Dolmabahçe Palace seen at the right end of the frame.

The team, led by Dr. Dan Parsons and Dr. Jeff Peakall from the University of Leeds, has been able to study the detailed flow within these channels. Dr Parsons quoted as: "The channel complex and the density flow provide the ideal natural laboratory for investigating and detailing the structure of the flow field through the channel. Our initial findings show that the flow in these channels is quite different to the flow in river channels on land. Specifically as flow moves around a bend it spirals in the opposite direction in the deep sea compared to the spiral to that found in river channels on land. This is important in understanding the sedimentology and layers of sediment deposited by these systems."

It is thought by some that the channels in the Black Sea were formed around 6,000 years ago when sea levels were approaching their current point. The Mediterranean swelled and breached through into the Black Sea—once an isolated freshwater lake—via the Bosphorus Strait. As the waters surged, they carried a dense, salty fluid which formed a network of sea-floor channels that are almost constantly active, even today.

Some people even believe that this was the biblical event Noah's flood, but despite their historical significance, the first spectacular images of these submarine channels were obtained in 1999 by Di Iorio et al.^[12] in the frame of a NATO SACLANT Undersea Research project using jointly the NATO RV Alliance, and the Turkish Navy Survey ship Cubuklu. In 2002, a new survey was carried out on board the Ifremer RV Le Suroit for BlaSON project (Lericolais, et al., 2003 ^[13]) completed the multibeam mapping of this underwater channel fan-delta. A complete map was published in 2009 by Flood et al.(^[14]) using these previous results with high quality mapping obtained in 2006 (by researchers at Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada who are project partners in this study).

The team will use the data obtained to create innovative computer simulations that can be used to model how sediment flows through these channels. The models the team will produce will have broad applications, including inputting into the design of seafloor engineering by oil and gas companies.

The project was led by Dr Jeff Peakall and Dr Daniel Parsons at the University of Leeds in collaboration with the University of Southampton, Memorial University (Newfoundland, Canada), and the Institute of Marine Sciences (Izmir, Turkey). The survey was run and coordinated from the Institute of Marine Sciences research ship, the R/V Koca Piri Reis.

The researchers estimate that the river—known as a submarine channel—would be the sixth largest river in the world if it were on land based on the amount of water flowing through it.^[3]

Panoramic view of a portion of the Bosphorus, as seen from the Ulus neighbourhood on the European side, with the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1988) at left and the Bosphorus Bridge (1973) at right.

Sightseeing[link]

A cheap way to explore the Bosphorus is offered by the public ferries that traverse the Bosphorus from Eminönü (ferries dock at the Boğaz İskelesi) on the historic peninsula of Istanbul to Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea, zigzagging between the Rumelian and Anatolian sides of the city.

It is also possible to experience the Bosphorus by taking a regular ride in one of the public ferries that travel between the European and the Asian sides. It is also possible to travel by the privately owned ferries available between Üsküdar and Beşiktaş or Kabataş.

There are also tourist rides available in various places along the coasts of the Bosphorus. The prices vary according to the type of the ride, and some feature loud popular music for the duration of the trip.

Gallery[link]

• 

  View of the entrance to the Bosphorus from the Sea of Marmara, as seen from the Topkapı Palace.

• 

  View from the Bosphorus

• 

  The Rumeli Castle on the Bosphorus, with both suspension bridges which span the strait.

• 

  620 historic waterfront houses stretch along the coasts of the Bosphorus, such as the yalı of Kıbrıslı Mehmed Emin Pasha.

• 

  Ottoman era waterfront houses on the Bosphorus.

• 

  Ottoman era waterfront houses on the Bosphorus.

• 

  View from the Bosphorus.

• 

  Afif Pasha Mansion on the Bosphorus was designed by Alexander Vallaury.

See also[link]

• List of maritime incidents in the Turkish Straits
• Turkish Straits
• Eastern Bosphorus

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bosphorus

• High Resolution Pictures of Bosphorus
• Encyclopedia of Earth entry on Bosphorus
• A Video About Drive Along the Bosphorus

Coordinates: 41°07′10″N 29°04′31″E / 41.11944°N 29.07528°E / 41.11944; 29.07528

Özgür Bakar
Ring name(s)	Murat Bosporus Murat
Billed height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Billed weight	110 kg (240 lb)
Born	(1979-12-16) December 16, 1979 (age 32) Wolfratshausen, Germany
Trained by	Christian Eckstein Tony St. Clair
Debut	March 13, 2002

Özgür Bakar (born 16 December 1979 in Wolfratshausen, Upper Bavaria) is a Turkish German professional wrestler mostly known as his ringname Murat Bosporus in independent circuit.^[1]

Career[link]

Bakar was an amateur before he started a career as a professional wrestler. His debut match took place in March 2002 with the local European Wrestling Promotion. Since then he has become one of the top German wrestlers working for over 30 promotion worldwide in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, England, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Austria, among others.^[2]

In 2006 he became the first German to work for the Japanese Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he made numerous acclaimed matches. Meanwhile, he also had a tryout match with WWE and TNA while both promotions visited Germany for live events.

In 2008 he was a regular in the major African promotion World Wrestling Professionals based in South Africa working alongside Joe E Legend who later that year invited him to tour Canada with BSE Pro.

As of 2011 he works regularly for German Stampede Wrestling and Turkish Power Wrestling.

In Turkish Power Wrestling he defended his title against Joe Legend , Low Ki , Tom La Ruffa and Yoshihiro Tajiri.

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Columns of Islam
  • M. K. G. (Snap suplex into front choke hold)-innovated
  • Frog splash

• Signature moves
  • German suplex

• Entrance themes
  • "Murat" by Eko Fresh

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  • wXw Tag Team Championship (2 times)

• German Stampede Wrestling
  • GSW Breakthrough Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling School Austria
  • WSA European Championship (1 time)

• German Wrestling Promotion
  • Dragonhearts Championship (1 time, current)

• New Blood Wrestling
  • Winner of the 2005 NBW Dutch Masters Tournament

• Turkish Power Wrestling
  • TPW Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #326 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2007

References[link]

External links[link]

• Murat Bosporus Official Website
• Profile at German Stampede Wrestling
• Profile at Turkish Power Wrestling

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

Eko Fresh
Background information
Birth name	Ekrem Bora
Also known as	Eko Freezy
Born	(1983-09-03) September 3, 1983 (age 28) Cologne, Germany[1])
Origin	Turkey
Genres	German hip hop
Occupations	Rapper and Songwriter
Labels	Optik Records (Eary 2002-late 2002) German Dream Entertainment ersguterjunge (2006-2008)

Ekrem Bora (born chupa pene, 1983), better known as Eko Fresh and also as Elektro Eko, is a German rapper of Turkish descent.^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Bora was born in Cologne but grew up in Mönchengladbach^[3] without a father; his mother supported the family as a postal worker. He began to rap at the age of 14, then dropped out of school after 10th grade and started work at a shoe shop.^[2]

Bora met there rapper Kool Savas, who became his mentor, aiding the release of his first LP on Royal Bunker, Jetzt kommen wir auf die Sachen.

2002: Debut album and other projects[link]

After Bora's success, he and Savas fell out. Kool Savas blamed Bora's recklessness and arrogance in an interview, while he accused Savas and Optik Records of kicking him out to further their own success.

Bora left the label in 2002 and was later signed at Sony BMG, where he began production of his first solo album Ich bin jung und brauche das Geld released 2003. The titular song was released as single and was very successful: it reached 5th on the single charts.

In 2004 Bora and his girlfriend Sophie Hardaker produced and released the album L.O.V.E. (Life Of Valezka and Eko), concerning their relationship. The only single was "L.O.V.E.". This album was the relaxed, calm, and melodious, fitting better into the R&B genre than Hip Hop music.

In the same year Bora founded his own label, German Dream Entertainment. He signed himself as well as Capkekz, Farid Urlaub (later Farid Bang), G-Style, Hakan Abi, Kingsize, La Honda, Prodycem, S.Diddy and Summer Cem.

Feuds[link]

Aggro Berlin[link]

In 2004 Eko Fresh released his controversial single "Die Abrechnung", that mainly disses Kool Savas and as well several known rappers in Germany, including Fler and Sido.

Fler responded with "Hollywood Türke", describing Eko Fresh as "wanna be gangster". Eko Fresh's mixtape Fick noch immer dein Story features track titled "FLERräter", which features Bushido another rival of Fler. Its said that Bushido, who had been insulted on "Die Abrechnung", had forgave Eko and had teamed up against Fler.

Fler and B-Tight responded with the track "Du Opfer", were they made unkind remarks and telling Eko Fresh that he is nothing. B-Tight he dissed him as well because he got insulted in "Die Abrechnung".

Kool Savas[link]

Personal life[link]

Eko Fresh was born in Mönchengladbach, where he attended high school through the tenth grade. He grew up without a father because his parents were living separately.^[2]

He has also been featured by German Stampede Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion based in Cologne.^[4] He has had actual wrestling matches at the promotion's events including Night in Motion X, Southern Conflict II, X-Limits, Battlefield 2008 and Northern Night since 2007.^[5]

Discography[link]

• 2003: Ich bin jung und brauche das Geld
• 2004: L.O.V.E. - with Valezka
• 2004: Dünya Dönüyor - Die Welt dreht sich - with Azra
• 2006: Hart(z) IV
• 2007: Ekaveli
• 2010: Was kostet die Welt
• 2011: Frezy burmaye
• 2011: Ekrem

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eko Fresh

Justin Gabriel
Ring name(s)	Justin Angel[1] Justin Gabriel[1] Paul Lloyd[2] Paul Lloyd, Jr.[2] PJ Black[2]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Billed weight	223 lb (101 kg)[3]
Born	(1981-03-03) March 3, 1981 (age 31)[2] Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa[2]
Billed from	Cape Town, South Africa[3]
Trained by	Paul Lloyd, Sr.[2] Steve Debbes[2] Alex Shane[2] Mark Sloan[2] Florida Championship Wrestling[2]
Debut	1997[2]

Paul Lloyd, Jr.^[2] (born March 3, 1981)^[2] is a second-generation South African professional wrestler. He is signed with WWE, and performs on the SmackDown brand under the name Justin Gabriel.^[1][2] He was a contestant in the first season of WWE NXT, where he finished third, before joining The Nexus stable on Raw.^[3] He has held the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Heath Slater on three occasions.^[4][5][6] He is also a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.^[7]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

Lloyd made his professional wrestling debut at the age of 16 and was originally trained by his father Paul Lloyd, Sr., a promoter and wrestler in South Africa who also went by the ring name "The Pink Panther".^[2] His grandfather was a professional boxer and amateur wrestler.^[2] Lloyd grew up watching his father wrestle and in the early part of his training he used to practice in the backyard of his home, in which two rings were positioned. Lloyd went by the ring name PJ Black. He formed a regular tag team with Ray Leppan (who went by the name Presley Jackson, now known as Dameon Duke) called Pure Juice.^[2] During Lloyd's final year in high school, his father died, and a year later, he moved to the United Kingdom for five years.^[8][9]

United Kingdom and South Africa (2000–2008)[link]

Lloyd spent five years in the United Kingdom, where he trained with the FWA Academy as well as acquiring diplomas in Graphic Web Design, Personal Training, Sports Nutrition and Body Massage. He was trained by Alex Shane and Mark Sloan. In 2003 he made his FWA debut. He also made an appearance in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom.^[8]

In 2006, he returned to South Africa and wrestled for World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), which is nationally televised on SABC 2 in South Africa and Colours TV in India with the shows WWP Thunderstrike and 100% De Dhana Dhan, respectively.^[8] His most notable feuds during his tenure in WWP were against Tornado, Dameon Duke, Mikey Whiplash and Joe E. Legend. On November 1, 2007, Black became the promotion's inaugural World Cruiserweight Champion, by defeating The Playa in a match to determine the inaugural champion.^[10] After holding the championship for 13 days, he lost it to The Lizard on November 14.^[10] He then declared his intentions to compete in WWP's heavyweight division.^[10]

Lloyd challenged unsuccessfully for the WWP World Heavyweight Championship against Joe E Legend on a WWP Thunderstrike episode that aired on January 10, 2009. During the match he suffered minor burns to the face after a fireball spot did not go as originally planned and he had to be treated at a local hospital. His final match in South Africa took place on November 8, 2008 at WWP's bi-annual Carnival City Casino show, where he was defeated by Terri Middoux in front of a record attendance.^[11]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)[link]

Angel as the FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion in January 2010.

In 2008, Lloyd signed a three-year developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), becoming the first South African person to do so. He was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, where he made his debut under his real name on February 5, in a loss to Kaval.^[12] His first win in FCW came the following week, when he teamed with Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta to defeat Tyler Reks, Johnny Curtis, and DJ Gabriel in a six-man tag team match.^[12] The following month, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Angel'.^[12] He went on to wrestle against DH Smith, Barreta, Yoshitatsu, and Lance Hoyt over the next few months.^[12] In June, he formed a tag team with Kris Logan, with the pair defeating DJ Bariel and Vic Adams in their debut match as a team.^[12] They quickly began to feud with The Dude Busters of Barreta and Croft, losing to them in several championship matches over the next month.^[12] At the July 23, 2009 tapings of FCW's television show, Angel and Logan defeated Barreta and Croft to become the Florida Tag Team Champions.^[7] They lost the championship on the same night to The Rotundos (Bo and Duke).^[7]

Following the loss of the championship, Angel and Logan dissolved as a tag team, with Angel returning to singles competition. He went on a winning streak throughout August, defeating Alex Riley, Vance Archer, and Sheamus.^[12] Angel won the Florida Heavyweight Championship from Heath Slater in a two out of three falls match at the September 24, 2009 television tapings.^[2][7] He successfully defended the championship against Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Slater, and Curt Hawkins throughout late 2009.^[12] In February 2010, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Gabriel' to conincide with his appearances on NXT. Further successful championship defenses occurred in early 2010, against competitors including Hawkins, Barreta, and Kaval.^[13] After a near six-month reign, Gabriel lost the championship at the March 18 television tapings, when Alex Riley won a three-way match, which also included Wade Barrett.^[7][13] Gabriel lost a rematch to Riley on March 31 and again on May 20.^[13] In May, he started a feud with fellow South African Leo Kruger over who was the better wrestler.^[13] On June 10, Gabriel beat Kruger, but Kruger reversed the result in a rematch at the July 1 television tapings, which was Gabriel's final appearance in FCW.^[13]

NXT (2010)[link]

On February 16, 2010, it was announced that Angel was going to be competing on the first season of WWE NXT, under the name Justin Gabriel, with Matt Hardy as his storyline mentor.^[1] He made his in-ring debut on the March 2 episode of NXT in a tag team match with his mentor Hardy, against the team of William Regal and Skip Sheffield. Gabriel and Hardy won the match when Gabriel pinned Regal, making him the first rookie to pin a pro on the show.^[14][15] He went on to defeat Wade Barrett the following week, before suffering his first defeat on the March 16 episode of NXT, when he and Hardy were defeated by CM Punk and Darren Young.^[15][16] On March 30, in the first Pros Poll, Gabriel was ranked third behind Daniel Bryan (first) and Wade Barrett (second).^[17] Before the first elimination, Gabriel won the Rookie Challenge earning immunity from elimination in the following Pros Poll.^[18] In that Poll, Gabriel remained in third place behind Wade Barrett (who was moved to first) and David Otunga (second).^[19] In the season finale on the June 1 episode of NXT, Gabriel was the first eliminated, finishing in third place overall in the competition.^[20]

Nexus and The Corre (2010–2011)[link]

Gabriel (second from left) with the rest of The Nexus at SummerSlam.

On the June 7 episode of Raw, Gabriel and the other season one NXT rookies turned heel by interfering in the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors, the announcing team and Justin Roberts, the ring announcer, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.^[21] On the June 14 episode of Raw the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan who had been released) attacked General Manager Bret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts.^[22] At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, the seven rookies interfered in the WWE Championship match, as a result costing Cena the championship. The following week on Raw, Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one NXT rookies to contracts.^[23] The following week, the group was named The Nexus.^[24] On the July 12 episode of Raw, The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, a six–on–one handicap match against John Cena, which they won when Gabriel pinned Cena.^[25] The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam. Gabriel was one of the final two Nexus members in the match, but Cena's team won when Cena eliminated Gabriel and then Barrett to win the match.^[26]

In October 2010, Cena was forced to join The Nexus as a result of losing to Barrett at Hell in a Cell, and at the following pay-per-view, Cena and Otunga won the WWE Tag Team Championship.^[27][28] On the October 25 episode of Raw, Barrett made a tag team match, with Gabriel and Heath Slater facing Otunga and Cena for the championship. Gabriel and Slater won when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him, becoming the new Tag Team Champions.^[4][29] Gabriel and Slater held the championship for nearly two months, before losing it to Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a four-way elimination match also involving The Usos and Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu on the December 6 episode of Raw.^[30] Gabriel and Slater received a rematch for the championship at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 19, but lost by disqualification when Nexus member Michael McGillicutty interfered.^[31]

On the January 10, 2011, episode of Raw Gabriel and Slater refused to take part in new Nexus leader CM Punk's initiation and walked away from the group.^[32] The following day, at the tapings of the January 14 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater helped their former leader Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson attack Big Show.^[33][34] The following week, Gabriel, Slater, Barrett, and Jackson announced they had formed The Corre, and later that night Gabriel defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge in a non-title match, following interference from the other members of The Corre.^[35][36] After winning a non-title match against the champions Kozlov and Marella on the February 4 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater received a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later, but lost via disqualification when the other members of The Corre interfered.^[37][38] They received a rematch at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20 and defeated Marella and Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the second time.^[5][39] The following night on Raw, Gabriel and Slater lost the championship to John Cena and The Miz, but won the championship back minutes later after Barrett invoked The Corre's rematch clause, and The Miz turned on Cena.^[6][40] During this time, The Corre had continued to feud with The Big Show, and at WrestleMania XXVII in April the team of The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston defeated The Corre.^[41] At the April 19 taping of SmackDown, the duo of Gabriel and Slater lost the Tag Team Championship to the team of Kane and The Big Show. In a backstage segment following the match, Gabriel was attacked by Slater, who thought Gabriel blamed him for their loss.^[42][43]

On the May 6 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel, Barrett, and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group.^[44] The three remaining members of The Corre feuded with Jackson until the June 10 episode of SmackDown, when Barrett walked out on Gabriel and Slater during a six-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos, causing Gabriel and Slater to proclaim the end of The Corre.^[45][46][47] Gabriel continued to ally himself with Slater despite the dissolution of The Corre, and the duo began a feud with The Usos. On the June 17 episode of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater were defeated by The Usos, but defeated them in a rematch the following week.^[48][49] They were again defeated by The Usos on the July 8 episode of SmackDown, resulting in the pair arguing in the ring.^[50] The following week, their team was ended when they faced off in a match won by Gabriel and Gabriel transitioned to a face (fan favorite) character.^[51][52]

Singles competition (2011–present)[link]

At Money in the Bank, he participated in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Daniel Bryan.^[53] Gabriel then went on a winning streak in both singles and tag team matches, until Wade Barrett pinned him on the September 23 episode of SmackDown.^[54][55][56] Gabriel competed only sporadically on SmackDown for the next two months, losing several matches until defeating Jinder Mahal on the December 2 episode of SmackDown due to a distraction from Ted DiBiase.^[57][58][59] In January 2012, Gabriel began an alliance of sorts with Hornswoggle, saving him from Heath Slater and Cody Rhodes, leading to matches with both which he won and lost respectively.^[60][61][62] At Elimination Chamber, Gabriel failed to capture the WWE United States Championship from Jack Swagger.^[63]

On the March 29 episode of Superstars, Gabriel faced Tyson Kidd and won the match, after which the duo showed mutual respect and agreed to form a tag team to challenge Primo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a dark Triple Threat tag team match for WrestleMania XXVIII, also involving the Usos.^[64][65] However, Primo & Epico managed to win the match and retain their titles.^[66] During the match, Gabriel suffered a hyperextended and twisted elbow, rendering him out of action for several weeks.^[67] After nearly two months, Gabriel returned from injury on the 30 May episode of NXT, scoring the win for himself, Derrick Bateman and Percy Watson over the team of JTG,Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty.^[68]

Modeling career[link]

Lloyd has competed in numerous modeling contests as well. He placed first in the Male Fitness Model Search held by FAME SA,^[69] sixth in the 2008 Mr Body Classic contest held by Mr & Ms Body Beautiful SA,^[70] eighth in the 2007 Men's Model Search held by Mr & Ms Fitness SA,^[71] and reached the top five in the Mr Physique Division in the 2008 Men's Model Search.^[72][73]

In wrestling[link]

Gabriel about to perform a 450° splash on Ricky Steamboat.

Gabriel performing a moonsault in 2012.

• Finishing moves
  • 450° splash^[14][74][75]
  • Springboard DDT

• Signature moves
  • Blue Thunder Driver^[76][77][78]
  • Corkscrew plancha^[79][80][81]
  • Discus elbow smash^[74][75][79]
  • Hurricanrana^[77][82]
  • Koji clutch^[76][83][84]
  • Multiple kick variations
    • Baseball slide^[79][85][86]
    • Enzuigiri^[80][81][79]
    • Jumping back^[78][87]
    • Legsweep^[81][88]
    • Spin^[74][89][90]
  • Russian legsweep^[91][92]
  • Slingshot senton^[93][94]
  • Springboard crossbody^[74][79]
  • Springboard moonsault^{[91][92][95][96]}
  • STO^[74][75][89]
  • Suicide senton bomb^[97][98]

• Nicknames
  • "The Cape Town Werewolf"^[99]
  • "The Daredevil"^[100]
  • "The Poster Boy" (WWP)^[101]
  • "The South African Sensation"^[102]

• Entrance themes
  • "We Are One" by 12 Stones^[103] used while a part of The Nexus(June 7, 2010 – January 10, 2011)
  • "End of Days" by Matt McCloskey and Jim Johnston^[104] (Used while a part of The Corre; January 14, 2011 – June 10, 2011)
  • "Black or White" by Bleeding In Stereo^[105] (June 24, 2011 – July 8, 2011; Used while teaming with Heath Slater)
  • "All About The Power" by Jim Johnston (July 15, 2011 – July 21, 2011)
  • "The Rising" by Jan Cyrka and Tony Bricheno (July 29, 2011 – present)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Gabriel as one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions in November 2010.

• Florida Championship Wrestling
  • FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[7]
  • Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kris Logan^[7]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (2010) – The Nexus vs. WWE^[106]
  • PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) – as part of The Nexus^[107]
  • PWI ranked him #61 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011^[108]

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Heath Slater^[4][5][6]
  • Slammy Award for Shocker of the Year (2010) – the debut of The Nexus^[109]

• World Wrestling Professionals
  • WWP World Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Gabriel

• WWE profile