This WWE alum, who got his pro wrestling start in South Florida, officiates weddings, too
WWE alum Konnor of The Ascension not only enjoys performing inside a wrestling ring, but this former South Florida resident also utilizes another type of ring which brings an even brighter smile to his face as he performs marriage ceremonies.
Yep, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound wrestler is licensed and certified to officiate weddings. That means he has something else in common with fellow WWE alum Mick Foley.
Don’t worry Saint Mick, Konnor has no plans of becoming Santa.
Konnor led the proceedings for WWE Superstar Sasha Banks and former indie wrestler Mikaze (Sarath Ton) in August 2016.
Konnor also did the same for WWE superstar Jason Jordan and his lovely bride April in March 2017.
Foley married indie wrestler Jude Mackenzie and multi-talented Heather Kid Cadet Reicher in South Florida in January 2019.
He also presided over the nuptials of indie wrestlers The Savage Gentleman Victor Benjamin and Lady Frost in June 2019.
Foley, who wears many hats and flannel, opted for the dress jacket in his newest role.
Tie and fanny pack optional.
Outdoors, indoors, weather play a role in attire for a wedding official.
At Florida Supercon in Miami, Foley with the two couples he married. They are Jude Mackenzie & Heather Kid Cadet Reicher and Lady Frost & The Savage Gentleman Victor Benjamin.
In Part 1 of my audio interview with WWE alum Konnor of the Ascension, he discusses performing marriage ceremonies, Mick Foley, WWE, second chances, The Ascension, WrestleMania, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pee-wee Herman and more.
In Part 2 of my audio interview with WWE alum Konnor of the Ascension, he discusses upcoming plans, singles wrestling, The Ascension, Rusty Brooks, Norman Smiley, Soukman Alex G, WrestleMania, Sgt. Slaughter, Krissy Vaine and more.
About WWE alum Konnor
During two stints with WWE (some in development, some on the main roster), Konnor wrestled and survived 12 years with the company.
The Ascension, the longest-reigning NXT tag team champs, spent the past five years on WWE’s main roster before being released in December.
Konnor, 40, grew up in South Florida, graduating from Coconut Creek High School, where he played football. Through a chance meeting with WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter, Konnor (6-4, 250 pounds) was encouraged by Slaughter to try pro wrestling.
Konnor learned from the best in South Florida — the Florida legend Rusty Brooks, standout trainer and wrestler Soulman Alex G and Miami’s own Norman Smiley, a WCW alum who currently trains talent at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Konnor not only learned holds and moves but ring psychology along with respect for his peers, his coaches, the veteran talent, legends and the business.
Konnor became a champion for Coastal Championship, Four Star Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. He signed with WWE in 2005 and he honed his skills in WWE’s developmental brand Deep South Wrestling, under the direction of Jody Hamilton (The Masked Assassin) in Georgia. He became the Deep South Wrestling champion.
Konnor wrestled in WWE developmental with The Miz, Luke Gallows, Jay Bradley, Eric Escobar, Spirit Squad Mitch, Miami’s own MVP and Krissy Vaine, who later became his wife.
Konnor wrestled in WWE’s ECW and dark matches before Raw and SmackDown against Sylvan Grenier, Chuck Palumbo, Super Crazy, Cody Rhodes and D’Lo Brown. He also appeared in FCW, under the direction of Steve Keirn, and worked with Lacey Von Erich and Maryse.
Because of personal family reasons, Konnor and Krissy were granted their releases in 2007.
After working the indies a few years, Konnor received a rare second chance with WWE, returning to FCW. He appeared in seasons four and five of WWE’s NXT competition series, being mentored by Alberto Del Rio and Kozlov, respectively.
The Ascension tag team (Konnor and Cameron) was born in FCW in March 2012. Cameron was later released.
In 2013, Konnor teamed with Viktor to form the new Ascension. They won NXT tag team gold, beating Adrian Neville and Corey Graves.
They beat Too Cool and Los Matadores during their title reign. Holding the belts an NXT record 364 days, The Ascension dropped the belts to Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara).
The Ascension was called to the main roster on Dec. 29, 2014, joining the SmackDown brand. In their debut, they beat The Miz and Damien Mizdow.
On Raw, The Ascension confronted the returning nWo (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, X-Pac), before being attacked by the Acolytes Protection Agency (Bradshaw and Ron Simmons) and the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn).
Konnor participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and again at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and also at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando and at WrestleMania 34 in 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Ascension wrestled for the WWE tag team titles in an elimination chamber-style match. They also aligned themselves with Stardust (Cody Rhodes) to form Cosmic Wasteland.
They competed against many talented wrestlers including The Usos (Jimmy & Jey), The Prime Time Players (Titus O’Neil & Darren Young), The Bludgeon Brothers (Erick Rowan and Luke Harper), Heath Slater & Rhyno, American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable), Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze), The Hype Brothers (Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley), Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker), Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and Devon).
Before being released, Konnor scored singles victories over Chad Gable and Bobby Roode.
Konnor, who currently resides in Centralwest Florida, won tag team gold on the South Florida indies in CCW with Sean Allen and in FSCW with Jeff J-Dawg Brooks as The Irish Thug Connection.
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