Look up Damien in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Damien can refer to:

People[link]

• Damien de Veuster (Saint Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, also named "Father Damien De Veuster of Molokai"), a Belgian-Hawaiian Catholic priest
• Robert-François Damiens, a Frenchman who unsuccessfully attempted the assassination of Louis XV of France
• Damien Crosse, a pornographic actor
• Damien Dragonetti, an American rapper, producer, and founder of The TiTe Mic Corporation
• Damien Duff, an Irish football (soccer) player
• Damien Echols, convicted of murder, the subject of film "Paradise Lost"
• Damien Fitzhenry, a former Wexford hurler
• Damien Haas, an American actor
• Damien Hirst, a British artist
• Damien Karras, the protagonist of the novel and film The Exorcist
• Damien Lecointe, a Parisian recording artist releasing on the Record Makers label
• Damien Leith, an Irish-Australian musician and novelist who was winner of the 2006 series of Australian Idol
• Damien Marsh, an Australian former sprinter
• Damien Nash, an American football player.
• Damien Parer, an Australian photographer and film maker
• Damien Rice, an Irish musician
• Damien Thorn, the main character in the The Omen series of horror films
• Damien Trotter, a character in the sitcom Only Fools And Horses

Nicknames[link]

• Leonardo Carrera, a professional wrestler who went by the name Damien

Others[link]

• Damien, a character in the Omen horror film series
• Damien High School, a private Catholic all-boys high school in California
• Damien Memorial School, a private Catholic all-boys school in Honolulu, Hawaii
• "Damien" (South Park episode), the eighth episode of the first season of South Park
• Damien (play), by Aldyth Morris

See also[link]

• Damian (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Damien Gareth Walters (born 6 April 1982) is a British former gymnast from Derbyshire who specialises in tumbling.

Career[link]

Walters participated in four Trampoline World Championships. In 2003 he was one of four members of the British team winning the World Title in the team competition.^[1][2] In the years 2001 and 2007 he ranked 4th with the team. He also finished 5th in singles competition in 2003 and 2005. In addition he won the European Title with the British team in 2006, just after he was placed 2nd in team and 8th in the singles competition two years earlier.^[3]

Since 2007 Walters has not participated in further tournaments and has focused on his other projects, mainly his career as a stuntman. He also appeared, however, in a number of television commercials and has performed in acrobatic shows.^[4]

Walters has had the role of stunt double or stunt performer in the films: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ninja Assassin, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Eagle, I Am Number Four, Blitz, Colombiana, and Captain America: The First Avenger. In Kick-Ass, he was credited as both a stunt double and assistant fight coordinator. He will also appear in the films Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and 47 Ronin.^[5]

In 2010 he won the Taurus World Stunt Awards for "Best Fight" in the film Ninja Assassin.^[6]

Walters also has a passion for Parkour and Freerunning where he incorporates his gymnastic skills as well as his stuntman abilities. On YouTube he is one of the most watched Freerunners, with his videos having a total of over 60 million views.^[7]

Currently Walters is running his own gym Derby City Gymnastics Club, Derby and shooting films.^[5]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

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Damien Rice
Damien Rice performing in Villa Arconati, Milan.
Background information
Birth name	Damien Rice
Born	(1973-12-07) 7 December 1973 (age 38)
Origin	Kildare, Ireland
Genres	Folk, indie pop, folk rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, clarinet, percussion
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Vector Recordings, Republic, Heffa, Warner Bros., DRM/14th Floor
Associated acts	Juniper, Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan
Website	www.damienrice.com

Damien Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion.

Rice was raised in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland and began his musical career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper. After leaving the band he worked as a farmer in Tuscany and busked throughout Europe before returning to Ireland in 2001 and beginning a solo musical career.

In 2002 his debut album O reached #8 on the UK albums chart, won the Shortlist music prize and generated three top-30 singles in the UK. Rice released his second album 9 in 2006 and his songs have appeared in numerous films and television episodes.

Rice's personal activities include musical contributions to charitable projects such as the Songs for Tibet, Freedom Campaign and the Enough Project.

Early life[link]

Rice was born to George and Maureen Rice and raised in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.^[1]

Career[link]

Rice began his music career using the stage name "Dodima" Rice^{[citation needed]} and formed the rock band Juniper along with Paul Noonan, Dominic Philips, David Geraghty and Brian Crosby in 1991. The band met whilst they were attending Salesian College secondary school in Celbridge, Co. Kildare as students. After touring throughout Ireland the band released their debut EP Manna in 1995.^[2]
Based in Straffan, Kildare the band continued touring and signed a six album record deal with Polygram. Their recording projects generated the singles “Weatherman” and “Single of the Fortnight” which received favorable reviews.^[2]

After achieving his musical goals with Juniper, Rice became frustrated with the artistic compromises required by the record label, and he left the band in 1998.^[3] Rice moved to Tuscany in Italy and took up farming for some time, then returned to Ireland before busking around Europe.^[3] After returning to Ireland a second time, Rice gave a demo recording to his cousin, music producer David Arnold who then gave Rice a mobile studio.^[4][5]

2000 to present[link]

Damien Rice at Coachella in 2007

In 2001, Rice's song "The Blower's Daughter" made a top 40 chart.^[4] Over the next year he continued to record his album with New York drummer Tom Osander aka Tomo, Paris pianist Jean Meunier, London producer David Arnold, Dublin vocalist Lisa Hannigan and cellist Vyvienne Long.^[5] Rice then embarked on a tour of Ireland with Hannigan, Tomo, Vyvienne, and Dublin bassist Shane Fitzsimons.^[5]

In 2002, Rice’s debut album O was released in Ireland, the UK and the United States.^[6] The album peaked at #8 on the UK albums chart and remained on the chart for 97 weeks, selling 650,000 copies in the US.^[6][7] The album won the Shortlist music prize and the songs "Cannonball" and "Volcano" became top 30 hits in the UK.^[7][8]

In 2006 Rice released his second album 9 which was recorded during the two years prior.^[9] That year he also recorded at Abbey Road Studios for the program Live from Abbey Road.

2007 was a year of heavy touring with Rice appearing at England's Glastonbury Festival and the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. That same year he performed with David Gray at the UK leg at Wembley Stadium, London and played at the T in the Park music event in Scotland. Rice also performed at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, the V Festival in Stafford, Staffordshire, Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex and the Osheaga Festival in Montreal.^[10] He made additional appearances in Ireland and North America.

In 2010, Damien played at the Iceland Inspires concert held in Hljómskálagarðurinn near Reykjavík centrum.^[11]

Rice recorded a cover of the Juniper track, "Crosseyed Bear" for the compilation, Help: A Day in the Life. Rice's albums are published under his record label Heffa (originally named DRM) in Ireland and Vector Records in North American. Records released in the UK, Europe and other countries are published by 14th Floor Records via Warner Music.^[12]

In spring 2011, Rice featured on the debut album by French actress and singer Melanie Laurent. He appears on two tracks on her debut album En t'attendant while collaborating on a total of five tracks which feature on the album.^[13]

In November 2011, the compilation album "AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered" was released to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of U2's Achtung Baby album. AHK-toong BAY-bi features Damien Rice in a cover of "One," a stripped-down, piano-driven interpretation of one of the most popular U2 songs.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2011, his song "Cannonball" was used as the winner's single on The X Factor (UK series 8). Little Mix, the winners released the song.^{[citation needed]}

In May of 2012, Rice's song "Volcano" was covered by American Idol finalist Phillip Phillips, drawing praise from the judges and Steven Tyler specifically, stating "Thats the kind of song I could listen to over and over on my headphones (sp)." ^[14]

Personal life[link]

Rice participated in the Freedom Campaign, the Burma Campaign UK and the U.S. Campaign for Burma to free Burmese democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi.^[15] He campaigned for her release by writing and performing the song "Unplayed Piano" at the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.^[16]

In 2008 he participated in a music album called Songs for Tibet in support of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso and Tibet.^[17]

In 2010, he contributed the song "Lonely Soldier" to the Enough Project which supported women's rights in the Congo.^[18]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

EPs[link]

Singles[link]

Film and TV contributions[link]

Rice's songs have been heard on numerous television shows including American Idol, The L Word,True Blood, Hidden Palms, Bones, The Cleaner, Jericho, ER, The Black Donnellys, The OC, Alias, Lost, Huff, Crossing Jordan, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, House, Spin 1038, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Inbetweeners, One Tree Hill, and the Korean drama, Spring Waltz.^{[34][35][35][36][37][37][38][39][40][41]}

Rice's songs have appeared in films such as Reservation Road, Higher Ground, Closer, I am David, Stay, In Good Company, The Girl in the Café, Shrek the Third and Dear Frankie.^{[42][43][44][45]}

His music is referenced in the 2009 novel The Suicide Club by Rhys Thomas and his songs have been used in professional figure skating competitions.^[46][47]

Collaborations[link]

• "Be Yourself" with Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club (September 2002)^{[citation needed]}
• Skylarkin' with Mic Christopher (November 2002)^{[citation needed]}
• "Get The Party Started," cover version performed with Lisa Hannigan (2003)^[48]
• "The Power of Orange Knickers" with Tori Amos (February 2005)^[49]
• "Don't Explain" with Herbie Hancock and Lisa Hannigan (August 2005)^[50]
• Live At The Olympia with Aslan (2005)^{[citation needed]}
• "Que Sera Sera" with David Gray (November 2007)^[51]
• "To Love Somebody" with Ray Lamontagne on Taratata^[52]
• "Making Noise" with The Cheshire Project ^[53]
• "There Are Debts" with David Hopkins on There Are Debts (December 2010)^[54]
• "Back to Beginning" on Lamb's album 5 (2011)^[55]
• "Everything You're Not Supposed To Be" with Mélanie Laurent (2011)
• "Uncomfortable" with Mélanie Laurent (2011)

See also[link]

• List of songs performed by Damien Rice

References[link]

External links[link]

• Damien Rice - Official website
• Damien Rice - Official MySpace page
• EskimoFriends.com - Unofficial fan community, established in 2001

Aaron Stevens
Ring name(s)	Aaron Stevens[1] Damien Sandow[2] Easter Bunny[3] Idol Stevens[1] Mr. Big Time[1]
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2]
Billed weight	243 lb (110 kg)[2]
Born	(1982-08-03) August 3, 1982 (age 29)[1] Worcester, Massachusetts[1]
Resides	Detroit, Michigan[1]
Billed from	Reno, Nevada[1] North Oxford, Massachusetts[4] Palo Alto, California
Trained by	Killer Kowalski[1] Chaotic Wrestling[1]
Debut	2001[5]

Aaron Haddad^[1] (born August 3, 1982)^[1] is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, appearing on their SmackDown brand under the ring name Damien Sandow.^[2] He previously appeared in WWE as Idol Stevens, and he has also competed for Ohio Valley Wrestling and Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council.^[6]

Among other championships, he is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with Titus O'Neill.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early Career[link]

Stevens was trained by Chaotic Wrestling and debuted June 23, 2001 losing to Chris Harvey. Stevens formed a tag team with Edward G. Xtasy called One Night Stand and after two attempts beat Little Guido Maritato & Luis Ortiz for the Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship. They would lose the titles two months later to John Walters & Vince Vicallo. In the next few years before signing with WWE he had three title shots, two for the Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship and one for the Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship and would lose them all.^[7]

He made his World Wrestling Alliance debut on November 22 teaming with Edward G. Xtasy & Jimmy Snuka to defeat The Island Boys (Ekmo & Kimo) & Pat Piper. He would beat Danny Davis for the WWA Heavyweight Championship and would lose it to Jonah Adelman.^[7]

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002-2007)[link]

Ohio Valley Wrestling and Smackdown!(2002–2007)[link]

Stevens signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after receiving numerous try-out matches on Heat against opponents such as Stevie Richards, Team Angle, Johnny Nitro and Maven.^[1][8][9] He also worked an angle where he had his fingers "broken" by Raven on Heat.

He later was reassigned to WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), dubbed Aaron "The Idol" Stevens.^[1] At a house show in 2004, Stevens and Nova beat Chris Cage and Tank Toland to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.^[10]

On January 4, 2006, Stevens won the OVW Television Championship after replacing Ken Doane in a three-way dance with Brent Albright and then-champion CM Punk.^[11] Doane was injured halfway through the match and Stevens came out to replace him.^[12] After interference from Punk, who was eliminated earlier in the match by Albright, Stevens was able to pin Albright to win the title.^[12] At the March 8 television taping, Paul Burchill cost Stevens the Television Championship against Seth Skyfire.^[13][14]

On August 4, 2006, Stevens made his SmackDown! debut as "Idol Stevens" when he was introduced (along with KC James) by Michelle McCool as one of her favorite "Teachers Pets".^[15] The two went on to defeat Funaki and Scotty 2 Hotty with the help of McCool.^[15]

The following week, Stevens and James defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non-title match.^[16] On the August 18 show, Stevens and James ambushed the Tag Team Champions.^[17] The two teams began feuding, with London and Kendrick bringing in Ashley Massaro to counteract McCool.^[18] The feud also briefly encompassed the team of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash, who also wanted a Tag Team title shot.^[19][20] Stevens and James got their Tag Team Championship shot against the tandem at No Mercy on October 8, but failed to win the titles.^[21][22] Soon after, both Stevens and James were taken off television and sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling.^[1]

After being removed from the SmackDown! roster when Michelle McCool was hospitalized, Stevens returned to OVW. He would lose to Charles Evans upon his return and no mention of his tag team venture with KC James was made.^[1] On March 14, 2007 he defeated Paul Burchill to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.^[23] On May 9, after title defences against Cody Runnels and Mike Mondo, Burchill defeated Stevens to regain the OVW Championship.^[24]The championship would then be vacated and Stevens would lose to Jay Bradley in a three way including Burchill. On June 8, Stevens defeated Burchill in a Number One OVW Heavyweight Contendership match.^[25] He used his title shot in a three way which would once again include champion Jay Bradly and Paul Burchill, however, the match would not only be for Bradley's title but also Stevens's car and Burchill's house, Bradley defeated both men and therefore winning all three items.^[26] His last match for OVW before being released would be a two rings steel cage flag match where along with Al Snow, Atlas DaBone, Chet The Jett, Colt Cabana would defeat Michael W. Kruel, Ramon, Raul, The Belgium Brawler & Vladimir Kozlov.^[26]

Independent circuit (2008–2010)[link]

Idol made his return to the independent circuit at NWA 60th Anniversary Show losing to Mike DiBiase II in a match for the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to appear for XCW Wrestling Mid-West and Derby City Wrestling for the next few months before re-signing with OVW. On November 7, 2008 he lost to Steve Boz at A Tribute Fit For The King, a tribute show for Jerry Lawler.

Ohio Valley Wrestling Return (2008-2009)[link]

Idol returned to OVW once again on November 12, 2008 surprising and defeating OVW Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Bravado, in a non-title bout. This win guaranteed him a title shot. On November 26, he won the Championship, becoming a two time champion.^[23] On December 3, 2008 he teamed up with U-Gene to take part in OVW Southern Tag Team Championship number one contendership tournament, in round one they defeated Theta Lampda Psi. However a week later the team would lose to Anthony Bravado & The Buck. He lost the title to Vaughn Lilas at the January 14, 2009 television taping. In February 2009, he lost to Mike Mondo in an OVW Television Championship match which included Johnny Punch. His last match for OVW came on February 11, in a rematch for the championship where Mondo was once victorious.^[26]

World Wrestling Council (2009-2010)[link]

Idol returned to Puerto Rico, but in a different promotion, the World Wrestling Council, where he was the "protegido" of Jose Chaparro and a member of the "American Family". He debuted on February 28, 2009, defeating Angel. He defeated BJ for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship,^[6] before losing it to Shane Sewell. On August 15, 2009, Stevens and Shawn Spears defeated Thunder and Lightning to become the new WWC World Tag Team Champions. Later Stevens feuded with Shawn Spears which ended at Euphoria 2010. Stevens won the WWC Tag Team Champion with King Tonga Jr. by defeating Thunder and Lightning. On October 31 Stevens and Spears lost the Tag Team Championship back to Thunder and Lightning. On February 20, 2010, Chicano named Stevens his new Tag Team Championship partner to replace Bryan. On March 13 Thunder and Lightning defeated Stevens and Chicano to win the titles. After Stevens regained the titles with King Tonga Jr., the duo lost them to Los Aerios (Carlitos and Hiram Tua) on April 24, 2010.^[27] Stevens regained the Tag Team Championship from Los Aerios on June 11, 2010, this time teaming with Abbad and lost it to Thunder and Lightning in a three-way match, also involving BJ and Chicano, on July 11, 2010.^[28] His last match for WWC before signing with WWE cam on July 31, losing to Joe Don Smith.

Return to WWE[link]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2010–present)[link]

On July 14, 2010, it was reported that Stevens had signed a new developmental deal with the WWE, and had changed his ring name to Damien Sandow.^[29] On December 3, Sandow won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Titus O'Neill by defeating Xavier Woods and Mason Ryan in a match for the vacant championship.^[30] They lost the championship to Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins on March 25, 2011.^[31] After losing the title, Sandow turned on O'Neill and joined the group formed by Lucky Cannon, Aksana and Maxine.^[32] On September 22, Sandow defeated Seth Rollins to win the FCW 15 Championship.^[33] On December 6, prior to the WWE SmackDown tapings, Sandow was given a tryout dark match against Yoshi Tatsu, but lost. On January 13, 2012, Sandow lost the FCW 15 Championship to Richie Steamboat.^[34]

SmackDown (2012-present)[link]

The character of Damien Sandow, an arrogant intellectual, first appeared in WWE on the April 6, 2012 episode of SmackDown in a pre-taped interview denouncing today's pop culture and extolling his virtues.^[35] After weeks of vignettes, Sandow debuted on the May 4 episode of SmackDown but refused to compete in his scheduled match against Derrick Bateman, claiming that the audience would neither learn nor benefit from him facing an inferior opponent.^[36][37] On the May 18 episode of SmackDown, Sandow again refused to wrestle against Yoshi Tatsu and then attacked him after Tatsu called him a chicken.^[38] The following week, Sandow made his in-ring debut, defeating Tatsu.^[39]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • As Damien Sandow
    • Cross-armed neckbreaker^[39] – WWE
    • Curb Stomp (Standing surfboard followed into a head stomp)^[40] – FCW
    • M14 (Snap swinging neckbreaker)^[41] – FCW
  • As Aaron Stevens
    • Idolizer (Snap swinging neckbreaker)^[1]

• Signature moves
  • As Damien Sandow
    • Russian legsweep^[39][42]
  • As Aaron Stevens
    • Idol Lock (Figure four leglock)^[1]

• Nicknames
  • "Mr. Big Time"^[1]
  • "The Idol"^[1]
  • "The Intellectual Savior of the Masses"^[43]

• Managers
  • Shelly Martinez^[44]
  • Beth Phoenix^[44][45]
  • Michelle McCool^[1]
  • Aksana^[32]
  • Lucky Cannon^[32]
  • Maxine^[32]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Chaotic Wrestling
  • Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[46]
  • Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Edward G. Xtasy^[47]

• Florida Championship Wrestling
  • FCW 15 Championship (1 time)^[33]
  • FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Titus O'Neill^[30]

• International Wrestling Association
  • IWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)^[48]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[23]
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nova^[10]
  • OVW Television Championship (1 time)^[11]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #277 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011^[49]

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWC World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Shawn Spears (1), Chicano (1), King Tonga Jr. (1), and Abbad (1)

References[link]