Leyton Buzzard
Arthur Byrne[1] (born 14 September 1997),[2][3] better known by his ring name Leyton Buzzard, is an English professional wrestler.[4] He is currently signed[5] to Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), where he is a currently the ICW World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time Zero-G Champion.[6] He was previously a child actor on stage and screen, and was one of the twelve potential Olivers on the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything, making the final eight.[7]
Leyton Buzzard | |
---|---|
Birth name | Arthur Byrne |
Born | Bristol, England | 14 September 1997
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Leyton Buzzard Stevie Buzzard |
Trained by | Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum |
Debut | 2016 |
Acting career
Byrne first became involved in acting at the age of eight, and was encouraged by his parents who had seen their son sing along to Disney classics. A year later, his first role was when a production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang came to Bristol, and he played the role of Jeremy Potts. Following this, he would be continuously working stage shows until 2008, when he appeared on the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything as a potential Oliver. On the show, he had a lead vocal on week three, singing "Teamwork", a song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He made the final eight, and was eliminated in week nine, alongside four other boys. Byrne did in fact end up playing Oliver after his time on the show, at the Playhouse Theatre in July 2008.[1][8][9] He later attended acting classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.[10]
Byrne also had minor roles on film and television before his professional wrestling career, including playing the younger version of Martin McCreadie's character on The Five.[11][12]
Professional wrestling career
At the age of eighteen, Byrne travelled up to Glasgow to train at the Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum.[1][4]
Insane Championship Wrestling (2018–present)
In 2018, Leyton Buzzard made his debut for Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), as the assistant to Joe Hendry. He was unwaveringly loyal to Hendry, who later added Kez Evans and Ravie Davie to his stable, the Dallas Mavericks. Eventually, Hendry got annoyed with Buzzard losing all the time, and began denigrating him more and more until Buzzard turned face. The feud between the two men culminated at Shug's Hoose 6, with the stipulation being a career versus freedom of speech match (if Buzzard won, Hendry would leave ICW, and if Hendry won, Buzzard would be forced to wear a mask and be silent until Fear & Loathing XII). On night one of the event, Buzzard defeated Hendry, by hitting a uranage and a 450 splash on him to win the match.[13] On night two, Buzzard was announced as James Storm's opponent, after Storm attacked Grado before the bell rang. Towards the end, Grado interfered by performing a rolling cannonball to Storm in the corner, allowing Buzzard to hit a 450 splash, and win the match.[14]
Following this, Buzzard would be in the involved in the title chase for the Zero-G Championship, ICW's junior heavyweight championship. On 12 October 2019, at Gonzo, Buzzard was defeated by reigning champion Liam Thomson in the main event.[15] On 15 December, at Fight Club, Buzzard became the number one contender, by defeating longtime rival Kieran Kelly. Although the match would be set for Square Go! on 2 February 2020, Thomson, who was already booked for an open challenge title match, decided to defend the title against Buzzard the same night. Buzzard defeated Thomson to win his first title in ICW.[16] On 19 January 2020, at Fight Club, Buzzard defeated TK Cooper in his first defence of the title.[17] On 1 February, at Gonzo 3, Buzzard defeated Kenny Williams.[18] The next day, at Square Go!, Buzzard dropped the title back to Thomson, ending his reign at 49 days.[19][20] At ICW Fear and Loathing 2022, Buzzard won the ICW World Heavyweight Championship defeating Craig Anthony, Stevie James and former champion Kez Evans in a Four way elimination match.[21][22][23]
As ICW World Heavyweight Champion, Buzzard declared he would be a "travelling World Champion" in the same way that Drew Galloway had for ICW in 2015.[24] In addition to contests with LJ Cleary[25][26] and Kenny Williams[27][28] in Glasgow, he announced and made a series of title defences internationally for independent promotions in Canada,[29] Ireland,[30][31] Germany[32][33] (Westside Xtreme Wrestling), Spain,[34][35] Sweden[36][37] and Italy.[38][39][40]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Tits | Doyle | Short film |
2014 | The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box | Street Boy |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | I'd Do Anything | Himself | 13 episodes |
2009 | Grandpa in My Pocket | Josh | Episode: "Trouble for Bubbles" |
2016 | The Five | Young Karl | 2 episodes; uncredited for "Episode 1" |
Video games
Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 | — | Motion capture |
Championships and accomplishments
- Fight Factory Pro Wrestling
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)[43][40]
- ICW Zero-G Championship (1 time)[44][45]
- Scottish Wrestling Network
- Premier British Wrestling
- Preston City Wrestling / Pro Championship Wrestling
- PCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)[50]
- Scottish Wrestling Alliance
References
- Crae, Ross (1 November 2019). "ICW star Leyton Buzzard on swapping the musical theatre stage for the wrestling ring". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Buzzard, Leyton [@LeytonBuzzard] (10 September 2019). "Good to see @Carmel_Jacob not taking any shite from the Dallas Rent Boys. This Saturday ON MY BIRTHDAY, me and @gradowrestling aren't coming to mess around, after what they pulled at the last show it's all business. And if you hadn't heard, LEYDOMANIAS RUNNIN WILD BABY! #ICW t.co/n6YFNe8cdZ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Fight Club". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- "SWN Meets… Leyton Buzzard". 18 April 2019.
- "Roster - Insane Championship Wrestling".
- "Leyton Buzzard » Titles". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "ICW star Leyton Buzzard on swapping the musical theatre stage for the wrestling ring".
- Livingstone, Elaine (30 October 2019). "Glasgow Lives: Arthur, 22, City Centre, wrestler". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- "Playhouse date for TV's Oliver". Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Martland, Lisa (14 November 2015). "The Stage/The Big Act Scholarship winners". The Stage. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- "Arthur Byrne | TVmaze".
- ""The Five" Episode #1.10 (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb". IMDb.
- Oliver, Ian (28 July 2019). "ICW Shug's Hoose Party 6 night one results: Kushida vs. Jackie Polo". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Oliver, Ian (29 July 2019). "ICW Shug's Hoose Party 6 night two results: Toni Storm vs. Viper". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Gonzo". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Fight Club". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Fight Club". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW Gonzo 3". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- Kreikenbohm, Philip. "ICW 9th Annual Square Go!". cagematch.net. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- "ICW 9th Annual Square Go Results (2/2): Noam Dar Wins ICW World Heavyweight Title | Fightful News".
- NEW WORLD CHAMPION CROWNED!. Insane Championship Wrestling. 22 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via YouTube.
- "ICW World Heavyweight Title (Great Britain)".
- "ICW Fear and Loathing XIV Quick Results Feat. ICW World Title Four Way, She-Wolves Fight for Women's Title and Jester vs Gunn | WWE Network News". 18 December 2022.
- "New Phenom: The ICW World Heavyweight Championship Reign of Drew Galloway". November 2022.
- "ICW Fight Club Tapings". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- Williams, Kenny [@KennyWilliamsUK] (5 December 2022). "Pick Yer Pals Pro Wrestling? Someone put the @InsaneChampWres Champion to bed… he's out here making a championship "relevant" that's had a longer career than the two people in the match combined 🙃 t.co/c8V4I3ocX7" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- "ICW's 11th Annual Square Go! Event to Air Live on FITE TV". 29 January 2023.
- "Upcoming Events | Fight Schedule".
- Ecstasy of Gold Wrestling Blog [@EoGWrestling] (6 January 2023). "To my knowledge, this marks @LeytonBuzzard's fifth announced international defence of the @InsaneChampWres title. 🇮🇹🇨🇦🇮🇪🇪🇸🇸🇪 Matching @DMcIntyreWWE's record of five ICW World Championship defences outside of the UK. #ElCapitan's reign includes firsts in Sweden, Spain & Canada. t.co/ihudRgWAXJ t.co/TtNin2D0UW" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- Ecstasy of Gold Wrestling Blog [@EoGWrestling] (27 November 2022). "The @InsaneChampWres World Heavyweight Championship hasn't been defended outside the UK since Ireland in the 2018 Galloway, Damo, Trent etc took it to Denmark, Australia, Germany, USA & more!🌍 @LeytonBuzzard coming out swinging!🇮🇹 My ICW title feature: t.co/OlFGD4lo8e t.co/cOu0MQfWyo t.co/92eiDJXhBm" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- New Frontier Pro [@NewFrontierPro] (21 January 2023). "🚨Massive Title Fight Signed🚨 Europe's @InsaneChampWres World Heavyweight Championship Title Fight has been signed between ICW Heavyweight Champion EL CAPITAN Leyton Buzzard & New Frontier's "EL DIABLO" Gabriel Fuerza! April 8th 2023 @TownofCobourg , Cobourg Community Centre t.co/4CWDh2oWRJ" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- Ecstasy of Gold Wrestling Blog [@EoGWrestling] (26 January 2023). "ICW World Championship: @LeytonBuzzard (c) Vs. @VaughnVertigo for @wXwGermany! 🇩🇪 The @InsaneChampWres title hasn't been defended in Germany since @DMcIntyreWWE put it up against the @OfficialUEWA gold in 2015! 🇪🇺 History of the ICW WORLD Championship: t.co/6DLzXvVdI3 t.co/5kEWX48DUs t.co/g8xTQ25KyW" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- wXw Germany [@wXwGermany] (25 January 2023). "Erstes Match für #wXwNOW & Friends Showcase! @InsaneChampWres aus Schottland präsentiert: #ICW World Heavyweight Championship Champion @LeytonBuzzard vs. Challenger @VaughnVertigo Samstag, 11. März ab 12 Uhr Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen Tickets & Info: t.co/hq8FxOtnQs t.co/4dyvCmu9Q6" [First match for #wXwNOW & Friends Showcase! @InsaneChampWres from Scotland presents: #ICW World Heavyweight Championship Champion @LeytonBuzzard vs. Challenger @VaughnVertigo Saturday March 11th from 12 noon Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen Tickets & Info:] (Tweet) (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- LuchaLibre Barcelona [@LuchaLibreBCN] (3 January 2023). "🚨TITLE MATCH ANNOUNCEMENT🚨 (14-01-2023) @InsaneChampWres Title on the line!! #RickyBarcelo vs @LeytonBuzzard vs @FeyyazAguila 🎟 5€ Entrada 📍C/Arago 441 🚪17:00 Apertura Puertas 🛎17:30 Inicio Evento Linia 2💜- Monumental Linia 5 💙- Sagrada Familia t.co/GhkH2189Kv" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- "LLB House Of Lucha #14". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "Facebook Post". Facebook. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- Buzzard, Leyton [@LeytonBuzzard] (29 January 2023). "An amazing time this weekend defending the @InsaneChampWres World Championship against @MJShilling in Stockholm, Sweden for @freedomprow. International defence #3 in the books! TRAVELLING WORLD CHAMPION 🏴🇮🇹🇪🇸🇸🇪 t.co/4cUqsQ81OU" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- "SAJ Final Bout". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- FREE MATCH ICW World Heavyweight Championship: Max Peach vs Leyton Buzzard | SAJ Wrestling. SAJ Wrestling. 24 December 2022. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via YouTube.
- "ICW World Heavyweight Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- Ecstasy of Gold Wrestling Blog [@EoGWrestling] (7 February 2023). "Great tradition of @InsaneChampWres belt collectors. New @FFPWIreland Junior Heavyweight Champion @LeytonBuzzard joins a list with @DMcIntyreWWE @TheOdDiTy_33 @AndyTheWildman & @PiperNivenWWE who earned titles all over for EVOLVE/Stardom/DGUSA/@OfficialUEWA & beyond 🇯🇵🇺🇸🇦🇺🇮🇪🇪🇺 t.co/FZ7RBuYIAk t.co/ISLVwe1u0S" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Irish Junior Heavyweight Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "World Heavyweight Championship Clash Confirmed for Square Go! - Insane Championship Wrestling". 12 January 2023.
- Morrison, Adam (16 December 2019). "#AndNEW: Leyton Buzzard Wins ICW Zero-G Championship". lastwordonprowrestling.com.
- "ICW Zero-G Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "SWN Year End Awards 2020 – Full Results". 7 January 2021.
- "SWN Year End Awards Results". 14 March 2017.
- Morrison, Adam (27 October 2019). "#AndNEW: Lucky 13 – Leyton Buzzard Wins 2019 PBW King Of Cruisers". lastwordonprowrestling.com.
- "Wrestler Spotlight: Leyton Buzzard". 16 May 2018.
- "PCW Cruiserweight Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- "SWA X Championship". CageMatch. Retrieved 29 March 2023.