Shawn Spears, formerly known as Tye Dillinger, is a professional wrestler and trainer from Canada. He currently goes by the ring name Shawn Spears in WWE's NXT brand. Spears began his wrestling career at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's developmental territory, where he captured the OVW Television Championship. Following OVW's separation from WWE, Spears moved to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he teamed up with Nick Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.
Later, he made his WWE television debut with a heel personality under the name Gavin Spears as part of Theodore Long's 'New Superstar Initiative.' He also gained prominence in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2019 to 2023 as a member of The Pinnacle faction, alongside Dash Wilder, Cash Wheeler, MJF, Dax Harwood, Tully Blanchard, and Wardlow.
Also Read: Who is Shawn Spears married to?
What Finisher does Shawn Spears use?
Shawn Spears uses the C4 as his finishing move, which is a running death valley driver. He first used this finisher in February 2019, and it has been the crown jewel of his offensive arsenal ever since.
C4 - Running Death Valley Driver
Shawn Spears finisher is the Running Death Valley Driver, famously known as the 'C4', as his finishing move. In this finishing move, Spears executes a brainbuster-style slam starting from a fireman's carry. He falls in the direction the opponent's head is facing, slamming it into the mat. He was also employing this finishing maneuver in AEW to defeat his opponents in the ring.
Slingshot Jackhammer
Shawn Spears executes the Slingshot Jackhammer by first applying a front face lock to his opponent, positioning the near arm over his shoulder akin to setting up a snap suplex. He then lifts the opponent into an upside-down position before falling backward, driving the opponent's back forcefully into the mat. While C4 is the main Shawn Spears finisher, Slingshot Jackhammer is also a great move he uses to take opponent off-guard.
Half Crab Submission Lock
The half crab, a submission technique used by Shawn Spears, begins with him standing over his supine opponent. He hooks one leg of his opponent in his arms and turns them face-down while stepping over. In the final position, Spears sits semi-upright, facing away from his opponent, who is bent backward towards him.
The Half boston crab, originally known as the backbreaker before the term's current usage, was once a lethal submission in wrestling, used by Rick Martel in the AWA and WWF, and Nobuhiko Takada in the original Japanese UWF. Today, it's no longer considered a match-ending hold and has many variations, such as the Elevated Boston Crab, famously used by Chris Jericho under the name Walls of Jericho.
Tye Breaker
During his tenure in WWE as Tye Dillinger from 2013 to 2019, Shawn Spears used a Fireman's Carry Facebreaker move, which is also dubbed the Tye Breaker. In this finishing move, Spears hoists his opponent onto his shoulders and forcefully drives their face down across his knee. Upon returning to WWE in 2024, Shawn Spears once again started using the move.
Also Read: Who are the kids of Shawn Spears?
What is the theme song of Shawn Spears?
Shawn Spears uses "Truth and Pain" by Def Rebel as his theme song. He has been using the theme song since March 2024 upon returning to WWE. Before this, he has used a few other theme songs in promotions such as AEW, WWE, and the Indies.
| Theme Song | Used From | Used Since | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Truth and Pain" by Def Rebel | March, 2024 | Present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "5plus5" by Mikey Rukus | October 2022 | Janaury 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Resurrection of Perfection" by Josiah Williams | May 2019 | October 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Pinnacle" by Mikey Rukus | March 2021 | June 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Ten" by CFO
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FQ's on Shawn Spears Finisher
A. Yes, Shawn Spears is a heel in WWE NXT.
A. Shawn Spears returned to WWE and NXT in February 2024 after becoming a free agent in January.
A. Shawn Spears left AEW for personal and family reasons.
A. Shawn Spears is currently 43 Years old as of 2024
A. Shawn Spears is 6 ft 3 in (191 Cm) tall.
