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Buddy Wayne
Birth nameSteve Finley
BornMay 27, 1967
Everett, Washington, U.S.
DiedJune 17, 2017(2017-06-17) (aged 50)
Everett, Washington, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Shayna Edwards
​
​
(m. 1985)​
[1]
ChildrenNick Wayne (son)
FamilyEd Moretti (father-in-law)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Atomic Kid
Buddy Wayne
Canadian Cobra
Steve Finley
Wayne Gillis
Billed height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Billed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Trained byBuddy Rose
Ole Olson
Debut1985

Steve Finley (May 27, 1967 – June 17, 2017), better known by his ring name Buddy Wayne, was an American professional wrestler. At his death in 2017, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer called Finley a great worker, but said his size, heart problems, and the death of the wrestling territories kept him from being a bigger star, despite his popularity in the Pacific Northwest.[2] He is the father of Nick Wayne.[3]

Professional wrestling career

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Finley was trained by Buddy Rose and Ole Olson in Portland, Oregon.[4] He began his wrestling career in 1985 with NWA All-Star Wrestling based in Vancouver, Canada. At one point in the 1980s, he wrestled around the Canadian Maritimes in Grand Prix Wrestling for promoter Emile Duprée using the ring name Wayne Gillis. He also worked under the names the Atomic Kid in the U.S. and Canada and King Cobra while wrestling in Mexico, among others.[4] He spent most of his career in the Pacific Northwest, with stints in smaller promotions such as Championship Wrestling USA where he held the championship. From the 1990s through 2003, he worked a number of enhancement matches in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling against wrestlers such as Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, Edge, Scott Hall, Ricky Steamboat, Diamond Dallas Page, and Shawn Michaels.[2] He had matches featured on WWE Velocity and WWE Heat, including defeats against Tajiri, Mark Jindrak, and Garrison Cade.[3]

Wayne had a history of heart problems and underwent two open-heart surgeries. He returned to the ring in 2013 and often performed alongside his trainees on the independent circuit. Because of this, he never officially retired from in-ring performing. He became a staple in Pacific Northwest Wrestling and one of the most well-known wrestlers in the region.[5]

Legacy

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After his son Nick signed for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2023, Wayne's death became a central topic of a storyline involving Nick, Wayne's student Darby Allin, Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and his wife Shayna, with Cage disparaging Wayne's wrestling career while claiming to be Nick's new "father figure."[6] In October 2023, Nick turned heel and joined Cage and Luchasaurus (later renamed Killswitch) to form The Patriarchy stable.[7][8] Shayna later turned heel as well and joined The Patriarchy as "The Matriarch" Mother Wayne.[9] In July 2024, Nick won the AEW World Trios Championship with Cage and Killswitch, becoming the youngest champion in AEW at 19 years old in the process.[10]

Training career

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Finley ran the Buddy Wayne School of Wrestling in his hometown of Everett, Washington. He claimed that he loved training other wrestlers even more than performing.[5] His wife Shayna, who is a member of the Giovannetti family and the daughter of Moondog Ed Moretti, continued to run the school after her husband's death.[11][4][3] Finley's students included future All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent Darby Allin and Kevin Knight, who would later wrestle for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[12][13]

Personal life and death

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Finley was married to Shayna Edwards from 1985 until his death in 2017.[1] They have one son, Nick, who is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and performs under the ring name Nick Wayne.[14] Shayna is also currently appearing in AEW as "The Matriarch" Mother Wayne.

Finley is often confused with another wrestler using the ring name of Buddy Wayne. That wrestler, who faced the likes of Jerry Lawler, was active in the 1960s to 1980s and was famous in the Memphis territory. He died in 2015.[3]

Death

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Finley died at his wrestling school from a heart attack at age 50 on June 15, 2017.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • International Championship Wrestling
    • ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • ICW Tag Team Championship (7 times) - with Thunder Warrior, Sumito (2), Ed Moretti, Ken Johnson and Ritchie Magnett (2)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him # 213 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1993
    • PWI ranked him # 394 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1994
  • Universal Independent Wrestling
    • UIW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

References

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  1. ^ a b Edwards, Shayna (September 2, 2017). "Ive loved you for 32 years, and I will never ever stop..." Instagram. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Meltzer, Dave (June 18, 2017). "Buddy Wayne passes away at 50 years old". Wresting Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d DSilva, Roy (November 23, 2023). "Buddy Wayne: 5 things you need to know about the former WWE star Christian Cage dissed on AEW TV". Sportskeeda. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Oliver, Greg (June 18, 2017). "Mat Matters: Pacific Northwest Mainstay Buddy Wayne Dead at 50". slamwrestling.net. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Dubey, Dushyant (June 18, 2017). "WWE News: Former WWE Superstar Buddy Wayne passes away". Sportskeeda. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Mutter, Eric (November 16, 2023). "Nick Wayne Discusses Difficulty Dealing With Family History In AEW Storyline". Busted Open Radio. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Rueter, Sean (October 2, 2023). "Christian retains and Edge arrives at AEW WrestleDream". Cageside Seats. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Pulido, Luis (November 17, 2023). "AEW Collision (11/17/2023) Results: Dax Harwood vs. RUSH, Miro vs Daniel Garcia, Outcasts, More Set | Fightful News". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  9. ^ Pulido, Luis (November 17, 2023). "AEW Collision (11/17/2023) Results: Dax Harwood vs. RUSH, Miro vs Daniel Garcia, Outcasts, More Set | Fightful News". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Murphy, Don (July 20, 2024). "AEW Collision results (7/20): Murphy's review of Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Juice Robinson vs. The Patriarchy for the vacant Unified Trios Titles, Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo in a lumberjack match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Nick Wayne is 16 and Headlining-What Could Be Next?!". slamwrestling.net. February 12, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Douglas, Martin. "The L.A. Dojo standout speaks on always knowing he'd make it as a pro wrestler and more". Fanbyte. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Lambert, Jeremy. "Darby Allin Comments On Using Real Life Fallout With Buddy Wayne In Story With Nick Wayne". Fightful. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  14. ^ DSilva, Roy (November 23, 2023). "Who is Shayna Wayne? Everything you need to know about the woman who confronted Christian Cage". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
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