Jump to content

ACH (wrestler)

From Alfawiki
Albert C. Hardie Jr.
Born
Albert C. Hardie Jr.

(1987-12-07) December 7, 1987 (age 38)
United States
OccupationProfessional wrestler
Years active2007–present
Known forRing persona ACH; appearances in ROH, AAW, CZW, DGUSA, Impact Wrestling, MLW, PWG, Pro Wrestling Noah, NJPW (as Tiger the Dark), WWE NXT (as Jordan Myles)

Albert C. Hardie Jr. (born December 7, 1987) is a professional wrestler from the United States, widely recognized by his ring persona ACH.

His career includes appearances in prominent American wrestling organizations such as Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH), AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined (AAW), Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), Impact Wrestling, Major League Wrestling (MLW), and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). On the international stage, Hardie has competed in Japan with Pro Wrestling Noah and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he adopted the Tiger the Dark gimmick, inspired by the anime series Tiger Mask W. Additionally, he performed in WWE's NXT under the ring name Jordan Myles.

Early life

During his upbringing, Hardie experienced his parents' divorce, resulting in time spent living between their homes. This environment fostered his creativity through exposure to comic books and animated shows. His father works as a DJ in San Antonio, and Hardie has two sisters approximately a decade older than him. At ten years old, he discovered professional wrestling through World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and developed an admiration for high-flying luchadores. While attending high school, he resolved to pursue wrestling as a career.

Independent circuit (2007–present)

Under the guidance of trainers Jerry Reyes and Scot Summers, Hardie made his wrestling debut in February 2007 using the ring name ACH. After spending two years on the independent scene and nearly retiring, he joined Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW) based in Austin, Texas.

ACH’s first appearance for ACW occurred on August 23, 2009, where he initiated a feud with Robert Evans. On August 22, 2010, he captured the ACW U-30 Young Gun Championship by defeating Evans but later dropped the title to Akira Tozawa in May 2011. He claimed victory at the Lone Star Classic tournament on November 12, 2011, subsequently winning the ACW Heavyweight Championship and holding it until July 22, 2012. Furthermore, ACH secured the NWA Lone Star Junior Heavyweight Championship on June 10, 2011; however, he was stripped of this title a month later.

On April 14, 2012, ACH made his debut for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) during the Best of the Best 11 tournament but was eliminated in the opening round. He won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship at Metro Pro Wrestling (MPW) on June 2; however, after MPW parted ways with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), ACH was stripped of this title. Despite this, MPW acknowledged him as their inaugural Central States Champion.

ACH’s Dragon Gate USA debut took place on November 2, 2012, where he teamed with Cima and Rich Swann to defeat the Gentleman's Club faction. He participated in Chikara’s Young Lions Cup X tournament starting July 29 and advanced to the finals before falling to Mark Angelosetti. ACH returned on December 2 to challenge Angelosetti for the championship but was unsuccessful.

On January 25, 2013, ACH emerged victorious in AAW’s Heritage Championship tournament held in Berwyn, Illinois. He also competed at National Pro Wrestling Day on February 2 in Philadelphia, reaching the finals of the Rey de Voladores tournament before losing to 2 Cold Scorpio. ACH made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut on August 30 at the Battle of Los Angeles event but was eliminated in round two by Kyle O'Reilly.

In March 2014, ACH attended a WWE tryout camp alongside Kevin Steen and Roderick Strong; however, he did not secure a contract at that time.

On December 30, 2016, ACH reclaimed the AAW Heritage Championship by defeating AR Fox for a second reign. He debuted with Evolve on January 27, 2017, facing Matt Riddle in a losing effort. Later that year in August, he returned as part of The Troll Boyz tag team alongside Ethan Page; together they won the Evolve Tag Team Championship on September 22.

In January 2019, ACH stepped in for an injured Flip Gordon at PWG’s Hand of Doom event but was defeated by Bandido. This marked his final appearance with PWG prior to signing with WWE.

Ring of Honor (2012–2016)

ACH made his first appearance in Ring of Honor (ROH) on September 15, 2012, where he was defeated by Kyle O'Reilly at the Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency internet pay-per-view event. He returned on January 5, 2013, competing in the opening round of the Top Prospect Tournament, but lost to Matt Taven. On February 21, ROH announced that ACH had inked a long-term deal with the promotion. He achieved his inaugural victory in ROH on March 2 at the ROH 11th Anniversary Show, prevailing over Adam Page, Mike Sydal, Q.T. Marshall, Silas Young, and TaDarius Thomas in a six-man contest.

Following this, ACH regularly partnered with TaDarius Thomas to form the tag team known as Adrenaline Rush. They also took part in a six-person mixed tag team match alongside Athena Reese, although the faction itself consisted solely of ACH and TaDarius. On July 27, ACH participated in a tournament to crown the new ROH World Champion but was ousted in the opening round by Karl Anderson. On February 8, 2014, Adrenaline Rush earned a future opportunity for the ROH World Tag Team Championship by defeating the reigning champions reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) in a non-title Proving Ground match. Their championship challenge came on February 21 at the ROH 12th Anniversary Show, where they were defeated by reDRagon. The duo disbanded two months later when TaDarius Thomas joined The Decade.

On June 6, 2014, ACH secured his first chance at the ROH World Championship by winning a six-way bout but ultimately fell short against defending champion Adam Cole. At Best in the World 2014 on June 22, he triumphed in another six-man match to earn a shot at the ROH World Television Championship. His title contest with Jay Lethal on August 9 during Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings concluded in a thirty-minute time limit draw. On November 15 at Glory By Honor XIII, ACH challenged for the ROH World Championship in Texas but was defeated by Jay Briscoe. On March 12, 2016, he unsuccessfully challenged New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) competitor Yujiro Kushida for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

In October 2016, during an AAW event, ACH made remarks indicating dissatisfaction with ROH. By November, various sources confirmed that he was concluding his tenure with ROH and had started accepting independent bookings, signaling his exit from the company.

Mexico (2015)

ACH made his debut for Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) on May 24, 2015, teaming up with Brian Cage and Moose to form a trio for the Lucha Libre World Cup held in Mexico City. After defeating Team AAA (El Hijo del Fantasma, Psycho Clown, and El Texano Jr.) in their opening round, they were eliminated in the semifinals by the Dream Team (Myzteziz, El Patrón Alberto, and Rey Mysterio Jr.). They later secured third place by overcoming Team MexLeyendas (Blue Demon Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr., and El Solar).

Impact Wrestling (2017)

At the tapings of Impact Wrestling on July 3, 2017, ACH was announced as a competitor representing AAW in the 2017 Super X Cup. He defeated Andrew Everett in the opening round but was eliminated from the tournament three days later after losing to Taiji Ishimori in the semifinals.

Japan (2016–2018)

ACH made his first appearance in Japan in July 2016 by participating in Pro Wrestling Noah's 2016 NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League alongside Taiji Ishimori. They achieved a 4-1 record, which propelled them to the finals, where they emerged victorious on July 30, securing a future opportunity for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Their title challenge occurred at a NJPW event on August 21, but the reigning champions successfully defended their belts.

Returning to NJPW on October 21, ACH once again teamed with Ishimori for the 2016 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. They upset the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks in the opening round and advanced to the finals after overcoming David Finlay and Ricochet. However, on November 5 at Power Struggle, they were defeated in the final match by Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero).

On January 4, 2017, ACH appeared masked as Tiger the Dark from Tiger Mask W at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, where he lost to Tiger Mask W. NJPW later announced on May 3 that he would compete in the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors, finishing with a record of three victories and four defeats.

In October of that year, ACH became part of the Taguchi Japan faction and formed a tag team with Ryusuke Taguchi named Super 69 for the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. They advanced to the finals by defeating several Suzuki-gun teams but ultimately fell to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) at Power Struggle on November 5.

ACH was announced as a participant in the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors on May 8, 2018. He concluded the tournament with three wins and four losses, which was insufficient to advance to the final round.

WWE (2019)

On February 11, 2019, ACH signed a contract with WWE and began training at their Performance Center. He made his NXT debut at a house show on March 7, suffering a loss to Raul Mendoza. Throughout various NXT live events held in Florida, he competed against talents such as Raul Mendoza, Kassius Ohno, Marcel Barthel, Dan Matha, and Shane Thorne. Prior to WrestleMania 35, during WrestleMania Axxess, he took part in a WWE Worlds Collide triple threat match against Gran Metalik and Ligero. His first victory in NXT came on April 12 when he defeated Kona Reeves at a live event. By June, he adopted the ring name Jordan Myles.

Myles participated in the NXT Breakout Tournament (2019), where the winner would earn an NXT title opportunity. Making his televised debut on July 10, he defeated Boa and then Angel Garza to reach the tournament final. He ultimately won by overcoming Cameron Grimes, earning a shot at the NXT Championship held by Adam Cole, but was unsuccessful in capturing the title on September 4.

In October 2019, controversy surrounded a Jordan Myles t-shirt released by WWE featuring his name within a mouth design reminiscent of the Rolling Stones logo; critics argued that it bore similarities to blackface imagery. WWE modified the shirt design and stated that Myles had approved it. Following this, Hardie publicly accused WWE of racial insensitivity via social media and also criticized his former employer, Ring of Honor (ROH), labeling ex-ROH World Champion Jay Lethal as an "Uncle Tom." These comments sparked backlash from wrestling personalities including Booker T, who felt Hardie had overreacted and unfairly targeted individuals such as Lethal, Triple H, and Vince McMahon. WWE wrestler Titus O'Neil expressed agreement with Hardie's concerns about the shirt but disagreed with his method of addressing them. Hardie later issued an apology for his tone while maintaining his critiques.

On November 13, Hardie released a video announcing his departure from WWE, referring to Jordan Myles as his "slave name" and accusing WWE of racism. WWE officially released him on November 21; following this, he revealed several independent bookings.

Independent circuit comeback (2019–2021)

Following his departure from WWE, Hardie resumed competing on the independent wrestling scene. On December 6, 2019, Major League Wrestling (MLW) revealed that he had signed with them under the ring name ACH. During MLW's Opera Cup tapings, he partnered with former MMA competitor King Mo. The next day, Hardie declared his retirement from professional wrestling, prompting MLW to honor his choice and issue a supportive statement. Nevertheless, he made a return on December 29, 2019, appearing at an Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment show. Additionally, Hardie participated in Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he won DDT's Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship by defeating Joey Janela.

NJPW return (2020–2021)

ACH rejoined New Japan Pro-Wrestling on August 10, 2020, to take part in their new weekly program NJPW Strong. His debut occurred on August 14 in a six-man tag team match alongside Alex Zayne and TJP against Blake Christian, Misterioso, and PJ Black. Later, on November 2, 2020, he was announced as a competitor in the Super J-Cup tournament hosted by NJPW.

Major League Wrestling (2022)

Although ACH was announced as a substitute for Alex Shelley on the Major League Wrestling roster, he ultimately did not become part of MLW.

House of Glory Wrestling (2022)

On May 27, 2022, ACH faced off against Low Ki during an event organized by House of Glory.

Other media

Albert released a two-disc DVD focusing on Ring of Honor (ROH) entitled GoGo ACH.

Personal life

On November 21, 2019, while using the ring name Jordan Myles, Albert departed from WWE, citing concerns over racially insensitive merchandise featuring his ring name and expressing dissatisfaction with the WWE-assigned name.

Championships and accomplishments

  • AAW Wrestling
  • Anarchy Championship Wrestling
    • ACW Heavyweight Championship (once)
    • ACW Tag Team Championship (once) – with Kody Lane
    • ACW U-30 Young Gun Championship (one time)
    • Lone Star Classic winner (2011)
  • Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment
    • GWC Championship holder (two times)
  • DDT Pro-Wrestling
  • Evolve
  • High Risk Wrestling
    • HRW High Risk Championship (first-ever holder)
    • HRW High Risk Title Tournament champion (2014)
  • Inspire Pro Wrestling
    • Inspire Pro Pure Prestige Championship (one time)
  • Metro Pro Wrestling
  • New School Federation
    • NSF Central Texas Championship holder (once)
    • NSF Heavyweight Championship winner (once)
  • NWA Houston
    • NWA Lone Star Junior Heavyweight Championship holder (once)
  • Pro Wrestling Epic
    • Epic 8 Tournament champion (2013)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked No. 58 in the PWI 500 for 2015
  • Pro Wrestling Noah
    • NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League winner (2016) – with Taiji Ishimori
  • Total Championship Wrestling
    • TCW Lightning Division Championship holder (one time)
  • VIP Wrestling
    • VIP Heavyweight Championship holder (two times, inaugural champion)
  • World of Wrestling
    • WoW Cruiserweight Championship winner (one time)
  • WrestleMax STL
    • WrestleMax STL River City Championship holder (once)
  • WWE
    • NXT Breakout Tournament winner (2019)

External links

  • ACH's Instagram profile [1]
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=ACH_(wrestler)&oldid=92072"