Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler who is best renowned for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Showing brilliance in high school, he attended different training schools and soon debuted in the arena, with his high-risk offensive strategy and moves, enticing many avid viewers and him an instant favorite. London then shifted to various competitions before landing in the WWE in 2003 and winning many championships in the independent circuit.
Early Life and Career
Paul London was born in Austin, Texas on April 16, 1980. He was the youngest among three brothers, with Daniel being the eldest and Jonathan as the middle child. He attended Westlake High School in Travis County, Texas. Fond of wrestling, he helped establish the institutions’ wrestling club wherein he was assigned as the captain, and at a time had the record for the quickest pinfall time.
After finishing high school, London began training in different wrestling schools, such as in West Memphis, Arkansas, and North Austin, Texas. His first appearance was at
World Championship Wrestling in March 2001, where he was seen as an audience member. Later on, he joined the Shawn Michaels-owned Texas Wrestling Academy.
In March 2002, London first appeared on ROH (Ring of Honor) against Chris Marvel, and made a lengthy feud with Michael Shane that lasted for a few months. In December, he secured a win at a tournament and secured a match in the ROH Championship, only to lose against the eventual champion, Xavier. He took another shot at the Championship but lost again. London’s final bout happened in July 2003 against Samoa Joe, without him earning the win.
London also made short stints with Zero1 (Pro Wrestling Zero-One (Zero1) and TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling). Starting in January 2003, he competed on a bout-per-bout basis for Zero1 but eventually refused a contract. A month after, he went to TNA and made his debut match against Jerry Lynn in a losing effort. Nevertheless, London continued to compete until June 2003, and challenged X Division Champion Chris Sabin in a title match, but lost again. London said he didn’t want to remain in TNA in the long term but it only serves as his “avenue.” Meanwhile, he also competed in ECWA (East Coast Wrestling Association) for several bouts and emerged victorious against Chance Beckett in the final match.
World Wrestling Entertainment
In mid-2002, London signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and made his television debut, battling against Brock Lesnar on October 9, 2002. London lost but Lesnar never ceased assaulting him. Thanks to Spanky, London was saved and they formed a tag team until 2004 before Spanky left WWE.
London found a new teammate in Billy Kidman, and the duo defeated the Dudley Boyz to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on July 8, 2004. They were able to defend their title before eventually losing it to Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée after Kidman left London. The event sparked a new and dramatic feud, and the former teammates fought, with Kidman defeating London.
Nevertheless, London bounced back and won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on March 10, 2005, from Chavo Guerrero. He soon succumbed and lost the title to Nunzio on August 6, 2005. Afterward, London was stuck in a losing streak before getting a comeback and getting a new partner – Brian Kendrick.
The duo had a long history, with them competing for the next three years. On April 7, 2006, Londo and Kendrick defeated MNM in the non-title match and established a winning streak against the champions. Soon, they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, again fending off MNM. However, they lost Idol Stevens and K.C. James in a non-title bout, triggering a new rivalry. The duo of Dave Taylor and William Regal then entered into the picture, forcing a four-way ladder bout for the championship including The Hardys and MNM.
Despite all the adversaries, London and Kendrick defended the championship, with the same result happening on March 23, 2007, against MNM, and Deuce ‘n Domino on April 13, 2007. A rematch was made a week after where London and Kendrick finally lost their grasp on the championship. It was the longest hold of the WWE Tag Team Championship at that time for about 331 days, before it was shattered in 2016.
On September 5, 2007, London and Kendrick got a hold of the World Tag Team Championship again by defeating Murdoch and Cade, but it was a short stint after they lost it in a rematch only three days after the event. London took a hiatus at the latter part of the year and went back on February 4, 2008, still teaming up with Kendrick. They challenged other tag teams but to no avail and the duo parted ways in June after Kendrick joined the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft to be part of the SmackDown brand. London had his final appearances versus Cade and Jericho on Raw, where he both lost before he was released by World Wrestling Entertainment on November 7, 2008.
Other Promotions
After his successful stint in WWE, London joined various promotions such as Big Time Wrestling winning the Northeast Wrestling Championship, and Pro Wrestling Xperience Heavyweight Champion in 2009, Dragon Gate USA in March 2010, Lucha Libre USA in December 2010. In July 2011, he became the Liberty Champion at Vanguard Championship Wrestling, and title in Family Wrestling Entertainment until 2013.
In 2014, London went abroad to continue his wrestling career, visiting Australia, and countries in South America and Europe. He partnered again with Kendrick where they held the Insane Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship for about a month. In 2016, he joined Target Wrestling and won the High Octane Division Championship. Then, in 2019, London went back to TNA, now called Impact Wrestling, where he acts as a backstage producer.
