Don Callis

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"The Jackyl" redirects here. For other uses, see Jackal (disambiguation).
Don Callis
Birth name Donald Tiberius Callis
Born (1969-10-13) October 13, 1969 (age 54)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Cyrus
Cyrus The Virus
The General
SuperModel Don Casablancas
The Jackyl
The Natural
Sidewinder Singh
Billed weight 95 kg (209 lb)
Billed from Beirut, Lebanon (as The Jackyl)
Trained by Tony Condello
Debut 1989
Retired 2004

Don Callis is a Canadian former professional wrestler and manager, known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as The Jackyl, and Extreme Championship Wrestling as color commentator Cyrus. Callis has an IQ of 162 and is a member of MENSA.[citation needed] Callis is a high ranking free mason and speaks 4 languages including Arabic.

Early life

Callis became a wrestler after looking for a sport to play while attending the University of Manitoba, where he earned a Degree in Political Studies. Callis lettered in four sports at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg (football, boxing, basketball and rugby). He is the youngest player ever to play for the Kelvin Varsity football squad at 14 years of age (1982) as a tight end. Callis grew up on AWA Wrestling in Winnipeg and idolized Nick Bockwinkel and Ric Flair. Callis was an accomplished stage actor in university appearing in several plays including a starring role in Shakespeare in the Park as Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night. Callis finished in the 98th percentile nationwide in a business school admissions test in 2003.

Career

He was trained by local wrestling promoter Tony Condello and debuted in 1989. Wrestling under the name The Natural, Callis formed a tag team with The Psycho as "The Mercenaries of Mayhem" under the tutelage of their manager The Golden Sheik. In a radio interview in 2001 Condello indicated that Callis was the most talented wrestler he ever trained putting Him on the same level as famous Condello trainee Roddy Piper. Condello attempted to book a match between Piper and Callis in Winnipeg but Piper was not interested likely due to heat with Condello dating back to the early seventies.

In 1990, Callis debuted with the West Four Wrestling Alliance, where he became a five time Canadian Heavyweight Champion. As per his obsession with Nick Bockwinkel and Ric Flair, Callis would regularly wrestle one hour title matches in front of small crowds for Condello. Callis retired for one year in 1992 after becoming increasingly frustrated with booker Bulldog Bob Brown. He would return full-time in 1994 after beating Jim Brunzell for his fourth Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Some of his later well known opponents included Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Adam Copeland, Rick Martel and Ultimo Dragon. He also toured in Japan, South Africa, Europe, Puerto Rico and Lebanon.

Callis lists his influences as Jim Brunzell (an idol of his in the AWA, Rick Martel (his most heated opponent and later his tag team partner, Gerry Morrow, Bret Hart (who got him in to WWF), and Bad News Allen.

In 1996 Callis met with WWF Canada president Carl DeMarco who showed his tape to WWF Champion Bret Hart. Hart met with Callis in Winnipeg about wanting to book him in WWF. Hart compared Callis once again to Roddy Piper. Shortly after that time Rick Martel asked Callis to be his partner in a tag team called the SuperModels for a WWF run. Callis, now wrestling as Martels partner as Don Casablancas worked in the new SuperModel tag team all over Canada and the U.S independent scene before having a meeting with McMahon in Stamford CT and agreeing to a start date for the team.

World Wrestling Federation

He received a tryout match with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996 in Green Bay Wisconsin wrestling Barry Horowitz. Callis wrestled the next night in a very good dark match against Aldo Montoya in Eau Claire. Shortly after he left for a tour of Japan.

After Martel decided he preferred WCW due to more guaranteed money, Callis opted to stay with WWF and on the recommendation of Bret Hart to Vince McMahon, he was hired. Callis has stated that Bret Hart told him that he and Vince had discussed putting Callis with the Hart Foundation at one point, something Callis has stated would have been his preference. On September 20, 1997, Callis debuted in the WWF as "The Jackyl," a member (and eventually leader) of a group of wrestlers known as "The Truth Commission" (a take on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission). An article in WWF Magazine claimed that he was a lower-level WWF employee during the early 1990s, and that he developed a messianic complex when he led a group of WWF superstars out of Kuwait when they were stranded there during the Gulf War. This was actually based on Callis' real life experience as a hostage of a promoter in Lebanon where he and the Warlord attempted to walk from Beirut Lebanon across Hezbollah territory to the Israeli border in the middle of the night. In an effort to play up the Jackyl's gimmick as a charismatic, power-hungry fanatic, commentator Jim Ross often referred to him as the "David Koresh of the World Wrestling Federation." The Jackyl sometimes would compete in singles matches mainly on Shotgun Saturday Night and house shows. Once the Jackyl fought in his hometown, Winnipeg as the General against Jim Neidhart and lost the match. He would also team up with and managed the Interrogator (Kurrgan). The stable was not particularly successful, with their biggest achievement being their victory over the Disciples of Apocalypse at Survivor Series 1997. At WrestleMania XIV the Jackyl ordered Kurrgan to attack Recon and Sniper out of the Tag Team Battle Royal and caused the stable to disband.

Callis returned to television in 1998, forming a stable known as "The Parade of Human Oddities". The group consisted of "freakish" wrestlers, including "Golga" (a masked John Tenta a.k.a. Earthquake) and Kurrgan, and had entrance music performed by the Insane Clown Posse. The stable did not last long, and Callis eventually started managing the new tag team of Faarooq and Bradshaw, The Acolytes, until he was fired by WWF for undisclosed reasons.

It has been speculated that The Jackyl was being propped up as the logical choice for the "Higher Power" behind the Ministry of Darkness, instead of Vince McMahon. This is supported by The Jackyl's gimmick of a charismatic cult leader with a flair for brainwashing wrestlers into becoming his followers, the occult religious symbolism he and his charges were decorated with (including the Gate of Yog-Sothoth, hinting at a nascent H.P. Lovecraft/Necronomicon-inspired gimmick) and his previous segments where he'd promise to become the leader of the WWF and that "the revolution of The Jackyl is coming". In addition, he often referred to Hell's Henchmen as his acolytes, which would officially become the team's name ironically after his departure as they worked for the Ministry.

Callis was pursued by Vince McMahon to move to Stamford and write television but turned down three separate offers because he wanted to wrestle.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

In mid-1999, Callis debuted in ECW as Cyrus the Virus, a commentator with a gimmick similar to that of his WWF persona. He would broadcast exclusively on pay-per-view along with Joey Styles. As the issues between ECW and their network TNN heightened, Cyrus was then presented as working for the network, under the shortened moniker of Cyrus. His character represented many of the real problems between ECW and TNN at that point, as he constantly criticized the violent nature of ECW programming. He would also display affection for RollerJam and Rock n' Bowl, two programs on the network that ECW fans alike despised, due to the network giving them preferential treatment despite poor ratings in comparison with ECW. He singled out Joel Gertner for disciplinary measures, among other things due to Gertner "getting himself over at the expense of the talent", which ironically was the dubious reason given to The Jackyl for his WWF firing. Callis was rumoured to be in discussions with TNN to co-host a Dallas marathon with Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing on the original show) tentatively titled Dallas with Callis.

Cyrus then displayed authority in ECW due to his executive position with the network, working as a heel to crusade against ECW fan favorites (in kayfabe), but to also appease the network by preventing the lewd content (as a shoot). Cyrus then teamed with the anti-hardcore Steve Corino, and eventually formed a stable with Corino, his manager Jack Victory, and their hired guns Yoshihiro Tajiri and Rhino. They were collectively known as The Network. He engaged in a long-term feud with commentator Joel Gertner, which culminated in a match on October 1, 2000 at Anarchy Rulz 2000, in which Gertner was triumphant.

Following this, Cyrus (kayfabe) canceled ECW on TNN (as the show was soon to be canceled legitimately, in favor for WWF Raw). Cyrus would then go on to aid Rhino in winning his first ECW World Heavyweight Championship at the final pay-per-view, Guilty as Charged 2001. ECW would declare bankruptcy soon after. With ECW gone and World Championship Wrestling purchased by the WWF, Callis returned to university, eventually earning a Master of Business Administration. He also briefly operated the No Holds Barred Wrestling Camp, a Winnipeg-based wrestling training camp. Callis was approached by two former WWF champions who offered to help him return to WWF but he was not interested. The Wrestling Observer newsletter reported[when?] that Callis had a verbal deal on the table with Eric Bischoff to go to WCW. Callis had been promoted directly to Bischoff by Lance Storm, Dave Meltzer and Joey Styles.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

In 2003, Callis debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a "Management Consultant". During this time he claimed credit for the Ultimate X match, which he said he devised to settle the dispute over who was the X Division champion once and for all. He engaged in a power struggle with then Director of Authority Erik Watts and used his power to make life difficult for Jerry Lynn, repeatedly fining and suspending him. On January 28, 2004 Callis succeeded in ousting Watts from TNA when he defeated him in a match for control of TNA. Callis indicated that a compliment he received after the match with Watts from legendary promoter Jerry Jarrett was among the highest compliments he has ever received. After his he quietly departed the company. Callis has always praised Jeff Jarrett as the classiest boss he ever had in wrestling.

Retirement

Callis departed TNA on good terms later that year, having been offered a job in International trade that made use of his MBA. Callis is all but retired from professional wrestling, although he made an appearance at the ECW reunion show Hardcore Homecoming on June 10, 2005 for close friend Shane Douglas. Callis had his last match in Thunder Bay Ontario fighting Shane Douglas in a cage.

Callis also wrote weekly wrestling columns for the Sun media group and co-hosted a local Winnipeg radio show called "No Holds Barred" with Joe Aiello on 92 CITI FM.

Personal life

Callis has expressed an interest in participating in Canadian politics, and worked as a Media Relations Specialist for the House of Commons of Canada in the early 1990s. Callis earned an MBA in 2003. As of 2012, he is the President, CEO and Executive Director of the Manitoba Trade and Investment Corporation. Callis has largely been out of the wrestling spotlight since his retirement but reappeared at a WWE Madison Square Garden (the site of his first WWF appearance in 1997) show as the guest of longtime friend Chris Jericho.[1][2]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2012/0225/550063/cm-punk/
  2. ↑ http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/don-callis/1a/102/b77
  3. ↑ http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/d/don-callis.html

External links

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