Travis Tomko

Travis Tomko
Born	(1976-03-23) March 23, 1976 Jacksonville, Florida
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Tomko Travis Bane Travis Tomko Tyson Tomko
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Billed weight	289 lb (131 kg)
Billed from	Tombstone, Arizona Jacksonville, Florida
Trained by	Jim Cornette Danny Davis Shawn Michaels Hack Meyers OVW Training staff
Debut	1999

Travis David Tomko (born March 23 1976), is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Tomko, where he is one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions, and New Japan Pro Wrestling under his full name, where he is one half of the IWGP World Tag Team Champions. Tomko is also known for his appearances on the RAW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment as Tyson Tomko.

Career

Prior to his wrestling debut, Tomko served as a bodyguard to nu metal band Limp Bizkit. He appeared in their 2000 music video for "My Generation" and was thanked in the booklet to their album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002-2006)

Tomko was signed to a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) developmental contract in April 2002 and assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to sharpen his skills.

While in OVW he was a member of the Disciples of Synn stable and along with stablemate Seven captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, on March 5, 2003, though they lost them less than a month later to The Acolytes Protection Agency.

In July 2003, Tomko began working dark matches for the WWE Raw brand. He made his television debut on the April 19 2004 RAW, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, interfering in a Christian vs. Chris Jericho match on Christian's behalf and helping him pick up the win. His gimmick was that of "The Problem Solver", and acting as an "enforcer for hire" for Christian and his kayfabe girlfriend Trish Stratus in their feud with Chris Jericho. His singles matches were few and far between; his main goal was ensuring victory for his clients, usually by interfering.

When Christian suffered a (legit) back injury, Tomko continued to stand by Stratus and aid her in gaining an advantage in feuds against Jericho, Victoria, and Steven Richards, among others. The duo occasionally paired together for mixed tag team matches. Upon Christian's return, Tomko immediately paired with him again, filling the same role as before. Following the on-screen split between Stratus and Christian, Tomko remained Christian's enforcer.

His gimmick eventually evolved into that of a straight man to Christian's over-the-top character with delusions of grandeur, and Tomko could often be seen on camera shaking his head in disbelief at the situations Christian had put them in with his braggadocio. One incident of this was at the 2005 Royal Rumble event, during Christian's rapper feud with John Cena; Christian asked Tomko to give him a beat, and Tomko responded "No".

The duo also wrestled as a tag team on occasion, sometimes aligning themselves with Edge as well. Whenever the duo acted alongside Edge, fans considered Tomko a third party to the occasional reunion of Edge and Christian, often jobbing in six-man tag matches.

In June 2005, Edge, Christian and Tomko joined forces with Eric Bischoff in his crusade against Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). They were separated on June 30 when Christian was drafted to SmackDown!.

Now on his own, Tomko was pushed as a "monster heel", winning singles matches against many jobbers by (kayfabe) knock out after hitting a big boot to the back of the head. On RAW, he knocked out both World Tag Team Champions, Rosey and The Hurricane. His winning streak ended after he was pinned by John Cena on RAW two weeks in a row.

Tomko then went on to form a tag team with Snitsky and although the two worked well together they weren't given much of a push. In April 2006 Tomko quit the WWE on good terms. He then began work in Japan.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2006-)

Tomko debuted in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) shortly after receiving his release, participating in a tournament for the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, which had been vacated by Brock Lesnar. On March 11 2007 Tomko and Giant Bernard defeated Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori to win the IWGP World Tag Team Championship.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006-)

On the November 23 2006 episode of TNA iMPACT!, Tomko made his debut in a run-in during a NWA World Heavyweight Championship number one contender's match between Christian Cage and Sting, attacking Sting and siding with Cage, once again acting as Christian's enforcer.

2007

On the January 11 2007 episode of iMPACT!, Tomko went one on one against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Abyss in a non-title match. To avoid interference, Jim Cornette locked Christian in a cage, and also had Kurt Angle at ringside. During the bout, Angle got into a brawl with Samoa Joe, leaving Cage to release himself and assault Abyss, causing Tomko to be disqualified. Then on the March 1st edition of TNA impact he beat Samoa Joe for a chance (not yet announced) for a NWA title shot against Cage.

On March 8th edition of TNA iMPACT!, Christian's Coalition lost to Kurt Angle, Rhino and Samoa Joe after interference from Abyss who Black Hole Slammed Kurt Angle.

At Destination X, while getting out of the limo onto the black and blue carpet, Christian Cage received a telegram from Tomko stating that Tomko was in Japan and would come back if Cage would give him a title shot. Once Tomko returned from Japan, Christian Cage offered Tomko a spot on Team Cage at TNA Lockdown 2007, but Tomko said he wouldn't choose a team until he got a title shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. It ended up being that Jim Cornette came out and said that the main event on TNA impact that night would be one member from Team Cage fighting one member from Team Angle. Whichever team member won, Tomko would go to the team the member was from. It would be Abyss from Team Cage fighting Kurt Angle from Team Angle. In the end, Kurt Angle won by pinfall, but after the match, Tomko signed on to Team Cage instead of Team Angle, making him the final member of Team Cage to fight Team Angle at TNA Lockdown 2007 along with Abyss, A.J. Styles, Scott Steiner, and Christian Cage. A match was held to see who would go into the cage first. It would be a match between Samoa Joe and Styles, Jeff Jarrett interfered to become the 5th member of team Angle. Tomko entered that match as the 3rd member, and was successful, until being gored through the cage door. In the end Jeff Jarret hit Abyss with a guitar full of tacks, and Sting got the pin.

On the following episode of TNA iMPACT!, Tomko took part in Team Cage's brutal exorcism and beatdown of Abyss for being a liability to the team's success after Abyss and Cage failed to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Team 3D. One week later, Tomko and Scott Steiner were given a tag team title shot of their own, but failed thanks to botched interference from LAX. At TNA Sacrifice 2007, Tomko and Steiner met LAX and 3D in a three-way match for the title, but failed again.

After this loss, Rick Steiner debuted in TNA, and helped Scott beat down Tomko. Tomko remained in what was from then on once again known as Christian's Coalition, once again focused on aiding Cage. Some friction did set in after Cage cost Tomko his May 31, 2007 King of the Mountain qualifying match by distracting him with a chair. Tomko had been placed in the match vs. fellow Coalition member A.J. Styles because original contestant Jeff Jarrett no-showed (due to his wife's death). Christian was able to convince Tomko to continue on as his ally, which later came in handy as Tomko would go on to do much of the brunt work in the Coalition's feud against the returned Abyss and Sting, though he would be twice pinned by Abyss at PPVs after taking a Black Hole Slam each time. However, the Coalition finally avenged these losses with another bloody beatdown of Abyss which also featured the laying-out of Sting on the July 26 iMPACT!

On the PPV that followed (Hard Justice), Tomko, along with A.J. and Christian, had taken part in a "Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match", which Abyss picked a week after winning the contract to make it. The match was a barbed-wire six sides of steel cage match in which the objective was to make an opponent bleed and pin that opponent. The Coalition was able to lock Sting out for a while, but after he appeared in the ring, Tomko would be the first man busted open. After a long match, Christian would escape the cage, and Styles was pinned by Abyss. At No Surrender 2007 he and AJ Styles won a 10-tag team gauntlet match to win title shots at Bound For Glory. On October 14 he and A.J. Styles won the TNA World Tag Team Championship from Team Pacman.

Styles and Tomko defeated Latin American Exchange on the November 1 edition of iMPACT! to retain the TNA Tag Team title. A.J. and Tomko's success led to some miscommunication between the Coalition, causing A.J. to ask Christian what the chain of command was. Christian said that when he wasn't around, it was A.J. - disappointing Tomko. AJ would go on to make some foolish decisions without Tomko's advice or help, starting with a take-down match against Scott Steiner that night. The last major choice A.J. Styles made for the Coalition was to join forces with Kurt Angle, forming the Angle Alliance at TNA Genesis 2007 by assisting Angle in retaining his TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This plan quickly fell apart, as Christian and Kurt could not cooperate, leaving them to fight over A.J. Styles and Tomko. The tension between Christian and Kurt would make AJ doubt himself, and he'd often turn to Tomko for advice, which Tomko would not give, telling A.J. that he got into this mess himself since he was the one in charge. Tomko's continued distancing of himself from both groups would lead him to separate from the Alliance two weeks before Final Resolution on an episode of iMPACT, stating that from now on he works for Tomko.

2008

Tomko and A.J. defeated Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship at Final Resolution. When A.J. interfered on behalf of Kurt Angle to help him retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Christian Cage, staying with the Angle Alliance and turning his back on Christian Cage, Tomko was not present with him, leaving both Christian and Kurt Angle, staying true to his word.

The January 10 iMPACT! clarified Tomko's new outlook. While A.J. worried about Christian's wrath in Kurt Angle's dressing room, Tomko explained to him that he's on his own. Later in an interview, Tomko said A.J. got himself into the situation - matter of fact, he created it - and that Tomko knew it was no-win, generally stayed out of it, and now is making his own decisions. That same night, Tomko had his first singles match since becoming independent against an injured (kayfabe) Shark Boy, who he quickly squashed.

Since Tomko became independent, Christian Cage has expressed nothing but pride in Tomko on iMPACT!, tying into character as both are slowly but clearly turning face.

Wrestling facts

• Finishing and signature moves
  • Two handed chokeslam
  • Running arched big boot, sometimes to the back of the head
  • lariat
  • Senton bomb - NJPW
  • Torture rack neckbreaker
  • Military press lift dropped into press slam or a fallaway slam
  • Rolling cutter
  • Running front powerslam
  • Spinning side slam
  • Clothesline
  • Spinebuster
• With Giant Bernard or A.J. Styles
  • Magic Killer (Bernard, NJPW) / Tornado-Plex (Styles, TNA) (Aided whiplash)

• Managers
  • Christian Cage
  • Trish Stratus
  • Synn
  • Kurt Angle
  • Karen Angle

• Nicknames
  • The Problem Solver
  • The Insurance Policy
  • The Boot
  • Absolute

• Theme Music*
  • Screwed by Dale Oliver (TNA)

Championships and accomplishments

• New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • IWGP World Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Giant Bernard
  • G1 Climax Tag League (2007) – with Giant Bernard
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with A.J. Styles
• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seven

Personal life

• Tomko's tattoos reference Egyptian symbols and his Blackfoot Native heritage. They took around 120 hours to complete.
• Christian's kayfabe brother Edge referred to Tomko as one of his best friends during his eulogy to Eddie Guerrero.
• In the album booklet to Limp Bizkit's third album, "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water", in Fred Durst's thank you passage, he is one of the people thanked, referenced by his real name, Travis Tomko. He is also shown on the adjecent page which is a collage of images.

External links

• TNA Profile
• Ultimate Tomko - Fansite