Bray Bré
—  Town  —
The town as seen from Bray Head The town as seen from Bray Head
Coat of arms
Motto: Féile agus Fáilte  (Irish) "Hospitality and Welcome"
Bray Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°12′04″N 6°06′41″W / 53.20102°N 6.11136°W / 53.20102; -6.11136Coordinates: 53°12′04″N 6°06′41″W / 53.20102°N 6.11136°W / 53.20102; -6.11136
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Wicklow
Dáil Éireann	Wicklow
EU Parliament	East
Elevation	18 m (59 ft)
Population (2006)
• Urban	27,041
• Rural	4,860
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	O264185
Website	www.braytowncouncil.ie

Bray (Irish: Bré, formerly Brí Chualann) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland (excluding the five cities) as of the 2006 census.^[1] It is situated about 20 km (12 mi) south of Dublin on the east coast.

The town is the location of some industry, is home for many who commute to Dublin by car or rail, is a shopping town for the surrounding area and still attracts tourists particularly from Dublin at weekends. The town straddles the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the northern suburbs situated in County Dublin. Bray is home to Ireland's only dedicated film studios, Ardmore Studios where films such as Excalibur, Braveheart, and Breakfast on Pluto have been shot.

History[link]

In medieval times, Bray was on the border of the coastal district, governed directly by the English crown from Dublin Castle, known as the Pale. Inland, the countryside was under the control of Gaelic Chieftains, such as the O'Toole and O'Byrne clans. Bray features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles" by Abraham Ortelius as "Brey". (It is worth noting the "O Byrne" name appearing prominently on the map). In August or September 1649 Oliver Cromwell is believed to have stayed in Bray on his way to Wexford from Dublin^{[citation needed]}. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bray was still a small fishing village, but during the latter part of the 18th century, the Dublin middle classes began to move to Bray to escape city life, while still being relatively close to the city. The Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first in Ireland, opened in 1834 and was extended as far as Bray in 1854. With the railway, the town grew to become the largest Irish seaside resort. The outbreak of World War II put the industry 'on hold' for its duration. However, during the 1950s tourists from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland returned to Bray in great numbers to escape the austerity of post-war rationing. The town's career as a resort declined fromt the 1960s onwards when foreign travel became an option for large numbers of people. However, the town is still popular with visitors who come to enjoy the seafront with its bars and restaurants,the mile long beach and the scenic walks on Bray head.

During the mid-nineteenth century (five years after the building of the railway) Turkish baths were also built in Bray, these were built in an extravagant Moorish style at a cost of £10,000 and met an end after a turbulent century of business when the demolition squad arrived in 1980.^[2]

Geography[link]

The River Dargle enters the sea here, from a source near Kippure, in the Wicklow Mountains. Bray Head is the situated at the southern end of the promenade and a well-worn track leads to the summit. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartzite. The coastal railway line continues south from Bray along the seaward slopes of Bray Head. At the summit of Bray Head is a large concrete cross, visible from the famous Victorian promenade, which is regularly walked by locals and visitors.

The town is situated on the coast; Shankill, County Dublin lies to the north, and Greystones, County Wicklow to the south. The picturesque village of Enniskerry lies to the west of the town, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.

Local government[link]

Bray is governed by a town council, but before the Local Government Act 2001 it was an urban district. Part of the northern Bray area lies within the county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, despite its seamless integration with the rest of the town. The border between County Wicklow and County Dublin lies along Old Conna / Corke Abbey, thereby making all areas north of that point Bray, County Dublin.

Bray is one of the few town councils to have twelve members in recognition of its size. Like Dundalk, Sligo and Drogheda, Bray also uses a ward system.

The area around the Southern Cross Road to the south of Bray is not included in the area governed by Bray Town Council, but by Wicklow County Council. The town itself is part of the Bray Local Electoral Area for elections to Wicklow County Council which elects 7 councillors.

Transport[link]

Bray Daly Railway Station.

A substantial public transport network, both north into Dublin and south into County Wicklow and County Wexford, serves the town. Bray is on the DART Rail Network which stretches north to Malahide and Howth and south to Greystones. The town is also on the mainline Iarnród Éireann Rail Network which connects north to Connolly Station in Dublin city centre and further to Drogheda and Dundalk. To the south, the rail line goes through Arklow, Gorey and Rosslare Europort. Bray's train station is named after Edward Daly, an executed leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Bray Daly Station was opened on 10 July 1854.^[3]

Four bus companies pass through Bray; Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Finnegan's Bray and St. Kevin's Bus Service to Glendalough. Dublin Bus is by far the biggest operator with frequent services to and from Dublin City centre and many services within the greater Bray area. Dublin Bus also provides services to Dún Laoghaire, Enniskerry, Greystones, Kilmacanogue, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy. Finnegan's Bray also offer a nightlink service from Dublin City Centre at 1am and 3am, 3 nights a week and bank holidays. .^[4]

The Aircoach service which provides transport to and from Dublin airport also operates two stops from The Ramada Hotel and Castle street beside the Superquinn shopping centre. Aircoach buses operate as frequent as half hourly from this stop at peak times and hourly outside peak and take about an hour to reach the airport depending upon conditions.

There are plans to extend the Luas light rail system to Fassaroe, an area of development on the town's western periphery. However, the exact connection between the Luas and the town centre railway station has yet to be decided. Until 1958, the old Harcourt Street railway line ran from Harcourt Street in Dublin to Bray, along much of the route of the new Luas.

Bray lies along the M11 motorway corridor; an interchange at its northern side links with the M50 Dublin bypass.

Tourism[link]

Bray is a long-established holiday resort with numerous hotels and guesthouses, shops, restaurants and evening entertainment. The town also plays host to a number of high-profile festival events.

Available in the vicinity are fifteen 18-hole golf courses, tennis, fishing, sailing and horse riding. Other features of Bray are the amusement arcades and games centre. Bray is known as the Gateway to Wicklow and is the longest established seaside town in the country. It has a safe beach of sand and shingle to walk on, which is over 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long, fronted by a spacious esplanade. Bray Head, which rises steeply (241 m (791 ft) above the sea, dominates the scene, affording views of mountains and sea. The concrete cross at the top of the head was erected in 1950 for the holy year. The name of the town means hill or rising ground, possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the Dargle bridge to Vevay Hill.

Bray is a popular base for walkers, ramblers and strollers. It is notable for its mile-long promenade which stretches from the harbour, with its colony of Mute Swans, to Bray Head at the southern end of the promenade – from where a well worn track leads to the summit. Also very popular with walkers is the 7 km (4.3 mi) Cliff Walk along Bray Head out to Greystones.

The annual Bray Summerfest is an established tourist event, taking place over six weeks in July and August. The Summerfest features over 100 free entertainment events, including live music, markets, sporting entertainment, carnivals, and family fun. Performers who have headlined include Mundy, Brian Kennedy, The Undertones, The Hothouse Flowers, and Mary Black. In 2006, over 60,000 visitors attended the main festival weekend in mid-July.

Bray also hosts one of the largest carnival and festival events to celebrate the annual St Patrick's holiday. The Bray St Patrick's Carnival & Parade is presented by Bray & District Chamber and is a five-day festival of carnival fun, parades, and live entertainment.

Bray hosts an annual international Bray Jazz Festival jazz festival on the May bank holiday weekend each year. Described by The Irish Times as 'the connoisseur's jazz festival', Bray Jazz Festival has established itself as one of the main events taking place each year on the Irish jazz calendar. Established in 2000, the festival includes performances by leading-name jazz and world music artists from Ireland and abroad.

In 2009 the event was described by All About Jazz as "one of the very best small jazz festivals in Europe".

2011 performers will include BBC jazz singer of the year Christine Tobin, three times Grammy Award nominated Brazilian player Hamilton de Holanda, and American jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel.

It also hosts a yearly silent film festival, The Killruddery Film Festival in Killruddery Gardens, this runs from 13 April to the 15 April 2012. It shows such films as La Roue and Camille.^[5]

In January 2010, Bray was named the "Cleanest town in Ireland" in the 2009 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey of 60 towns and cities.^[6]

The Lonely Planet Guide ranked The Harbour Bar in Bray the Best Bar in the World and the Best Off the Beaten Track Bar in the world. The O'Toole family have owned the bar for three generations.^[7]

There are many pubs and restaurants in Bray (for example, The Martello^[8] or The Porterhouse, who are specialists at brewing their own ales, stouts and beers^[9]) and restaurants such as the Italian Campo de Fiori^[10] and Shelbys Brasserie.^[11]

Custer's Last Stand-up was filmed in Bray^[12] and the town is currently being used to film Neil Jordan's latest film Byzantium.part of which was shot in the Bray Head Inn. ^[13]

The Bray Head Inn ,, the hotel of choice for the victorians ,cica 1860 , a coach and horses would leave the Shelbourne Hotel at 12 noon and arrive 1.30pm , the hotel has been used for a variety of movies over the last 25 years ,

Education[link]

Primary Schools

• St. Kieran's N S for Travelling Children
• St. Fergal's Junior and Senior School
• St. Peter's NS
• St. Philomena's NS^[14]
• Saint Cronan's Boys' National School ^[15]
• St. Andrew's NS^[14]
• Gaelscoil Uí Cheadaigh^[14]
• Scoil Chualann^[14]
• Bray School Project NS^[14]
• St. Patrick's NS^[14]

Secondary Schools

• St Kilians CS^[16]
• Coláiste Ráithín^[17]
• St Thomas CS^[18]
• St Brendans^[19]
• Presentation Brothers^[20]
• Loreto^[21]

People[link]

Swans where the Dargle flows into the harbour.

From Bray:

• Eva Birthistle, actress
• Reggie Corrigan, former Ireland and Leinster Rugby Captain
• Seamus Costello, Irish Republican
• Fergal Devitt, professional wrestler
• Eddie Jordan, founder of Jordan Formula One racing team.
• Ed Joyce, Middlesex and England cricket star grew up in Bray and began his cricket career on the pitches at Aravon school.
• Tristan MacManus, professional ballroom dancer, and cast member of Dancing With The Stars
• Paul McNaughton, Ireland rugby team manager
• Dara Ó Briain, comedian
• Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, former Attorney General, Chief Justice, and President of Ireland (1974–1976)
• Joshua Pim, tennis player.
• Darren Randolph, professional soccer player
• Fionn Regan, Mercury Prize-nominated folk singer
• Katie Taylor, champion boxer
• David Wheatley, poet and critic
• Laura Whitmore, MTV presenter

Lived in Bray:

• Isaac Weld, famous explorer and author lived in Ravenswell, Bray from 1813 to 1856.
• Chief Justice of Ireland, Thomas Langlois Lefroy, spent the last three years of his life (from 1866 to 1869) in Newcourt, Bray.^[22]
• James Joyce lived in One Martello Terrace, Bray (a house that is now the home of Labour Party TD, Liz McManus) for part of his childhood, from 1887 to 1891. The house next door, Two Martello Terrace, also had its share of well-known residents, including singer Mary Coughlan, composer Roger Doyle and film director and author Neil Jordan and his then partner Beverly D'Angelo.
• Charles Barrington was the first man to reach the summit of the Eiger in 1853.^[23][24]

• During the 1980s U2 star Bono owned the Martello Tower after which the terrace is named.^[25]
• The late comedy star Dave Allen lived in the town for a time, as did the RTÉ News journalist Charlie Bird.
• Oscar Wilde, Victorian poet, playwright and author, owned property on the Esplanade Terrace and is thought to have lived there for a time.
• Other well-known residents of the town include singer Sinéad O'Connor, wildlife filmmaker Éamon de Buitléar,^[26] broadcaster Brian Farrell, music writer and singer Phil Coulter, musical star Colm Wilkinson and novelist Anne Enright (winner of the 2007 Booker prize).

International relations[link]

Bray has town twinning agreements with:

• Bègles, France.
• Würzburg, Germany.
• Dublin, California.

See also[link]

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Market Houses in Ireland
• History of rail transport in Ireland
• Christ Church, Bray
• The Vicar of Bray
• Bray Jazz Festival

Gallery[link]

• 

  Bray from Bray Head

• Braydart.JPG

  Bray Daly Station

• Stpatricksdatbray.JPG

  St. Patrick's Day 2008

• 

  Bray Head Summit

• Parking lot at Presentation College, Bray, Ireland.jpg

  Pres Bray

• 

  Bray from Bray Head

• 

  St Cronan's BNS

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bray

• Bray Town Council
• Bray Tourism
• Bray at Wicklow County Tourism
• Bray People newspaper
• Bray Jazz Festival
• Bray Summerfest
• Bray in Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837
• Current weather and forecasts for Bray
• Bray Cancer Support Centre

v t e Places in County Wicklow County town: Wicklow Towns Arklow Bray Greystones Wicklow Unincorporated Towns Aughrim Avoca Baltinglass Blessington Carnew Dunlavin Enniskerry Newtownmountkennedy Rathdrum Rathnew Tinahely Villages Aghavannagh Annamoe Ashford Ballinaclash Charlesland Coolafancy Coolboy Delgany Donard Glendalough Glenealy Grangecon Greenan Hollywood Kilcoole Killincarrig Kilmacanogue Kilpedder Kilquade Kiltegan Knockananna Lacken Laragh Newcastle Rathdangan Redcross Roundwood Shillelagh Stratford-on-Slaney Valleymount Woodenbridge Townlands Ballinakil Ballyronan Butterhill Hempstown List of townlands in County Wicklow Category:Mountains and hills of County Wicklow Category:Rivers of County Wicklow Category:Geography of County Wicklow

Katie Taylor
Statistics
Rated at	60 kg
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Nationality	Irish
Born	(1986-06-02) June 2, 1986 (age 26) Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Stance	Orthodox
Medal record Medal record Competitor for  Ireland Women’s Boxing World Amateur Championships Gold 2006 New Dehli 60 kg Gold 2008 Ningbo 60 kg Gold 2010 Barbados 60 kg Gold 2012 Qinhuangdao 60 kg European Amateur Championships Gold 2005 Tønsberg 60 kg Gold 2006 Warsaw 60 kg Gold 2007 Vejle 60 kg Gold 2009 Mykolaiv 60 kg Gold 2011 Rotterdam 60 kg European Union Amateur Championships Gold 2008 Liverpool 60 kg Gold 2009 Pazardzhik 60 kg Gold 2010 Keszthely 60 kg Gold 2011 Katowice 60 kg

Katie Taylor (born 2 June 1986) is an Irish boxer and footballer. She studied at St. Kilian's Community School Bray from 1999-2005. Katie's 2 older brothers Peter and Lee and older sister Sarah also went to St. Kilians. She is the current Irish, European, and world women's boxing champion. She had also represented the Republic of Ireland in association football.

Career[link]

Boxing[link]

Katie Taylor started boxing (coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer) in 1998, aged 12. Her first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway. She won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60 kg lightweight class. Later that year, at the World Amateur Championships in Podolsk, Russia, Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60 kg weight class.

At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in Warsaw, Poland, Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. At that year's World Amateur Championships, contested in New Delhi, India, Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60 kg final.

In 2007 she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark.^[1] In August 2008, she claimed her second consecutive Witch Cup gold medal in Hungary, following an inside-the-distance win in the 60 kg final against Wahlström.

Katie went on to claim her second World title at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, contested in November at Ningbo, China. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match which was her 100th bout.^[2]

On March 21, 2009 at the The O2 (Dublin), Ireland, Katie won a 27-3 win over thee time Pan American champion Caroline Barry of the United States on the undercard of a pro WBA super bantamweight world title fight between Bernard Dunne of Ireland and Ricardo Cordoba of Panama. Speaking after the fight, Taylor, who had stopped Barry in the final of the 2006 World Championships in New Delhi, said she was stunned by the welcome she received from Irish boxing fans. She said: "I couldn't believe the reception I got - it was an amazing experience for me. I knew it was going to be a tough fight and well done to her for never backing off."

Taylor won gold at the Russian Multi-Nations event at the Sports Palace in St Petersburg in July 2009 chalking up her 39th consecutive victory – and her 60th win in her last 61 bouts.^[3] She also went on to win her fourth successive European Championship title in September 2009 in Ukraine without conceding a point [2]. She picked up another gold medal at the 2010 European Union Championships in Hungary.

On 18 September 2010, Taylor went on to claim her third successive World title at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Barbados. In the 60 kg weight class, she again defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match.^[4] This was Taylor's 100th career win.

Taylor won her second International Boxing Association (AIBA) World female boxer of the year award at a ceremony in Almaty, Kazakhstan in November 2010 [3].

She won Gold Medal at the EU Women Boxing Championships in Katowice, Poland in 2011. [4][5]

On 19 May 2012, Taylor won her fourth successive World title at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Qinhuangdao China. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated Russian southpaw Sofya Ochigava [6].

Football[link]

As well as boxing, Taylor plays with the Ireland Women's senior football team. She scored in the opening UEFA 2009 qualifying round win over Hungary on 1 April 2007. She scored again and got sent off in a 4-1 loss in Italy on the 16th of February 2008.^[5] She came on as sub for Ireland days after coming back from Ukraine.^[6] Previously, she had played with the national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels.

Katie also played Gaelic football with her local GAA club, Fergal Óg, Bray, and on a few brief occasions with Bray Emmets Under 14.

As for her preferred sport, "I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I'd miss it too much if I wasn't involved."

Honours[link]

Advertising[link]

Taylor appeared in a Lucozade Sport advertisement in 2011 alongside English rapper Tinie Tempah and American musician Travis Barker. Her advertising of Lucozade was branded "disgusting" by the chairman of the Irish Heart Foundation Nutrition Council due to concerns that it sent the wrong message on childhood obesity.^[7][8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site

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]