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Danny Ferguson
Career Highlights
Danny was the second (known) man to don the mask of El Spiffy!, "purchasing" the gimmick, Tom Brandi-style, from former Old School Wrestling competitor Matt Register. Most of El Spiffy!’s "glory days" during the Rush Mason (think WO/ew24-7) era of RUSH Wrestling came with Ferguson under the hood. Being a former child star (of the hit 80s sitcom Four Is A Crowd), he was desperate for a return to fame, and was trying to use wrestling as a launching pad to Hollywood.The mystique of El Spiffy! is a different story altogether, but let’s just say Danny wasn’t quite the one in control, and found himself unable to break away, even at Spiffy!’s zenith. RUSH folded, and he found himself considerably downgraded, working indy shows in New Jersey among some other washouts. Later on, when he was completely strapped and at wit’s end with wrestling, he was able to "free" himself from El Spiffy! and go his own way.
No one cared enough about Danny to keep track of him during this in-between period, but the next time anyone remembered seeing him, he was considerably larger in size and starting to make waves in Hollywood. Not one person remembers how his foot got jammed in that door, but he began popping up in supporting roles for a couple high-grossing films, and soon had enough buzz around him to get his own starring vehicle. That movie, Hard Money, became a startling surprise, and suddenly Danny Ferguson, former hooded worker and child star, was an "It" guy in Tinseltown.
Capitalizing on his flash-in-the-pan fame, and trying to cultivate a reputation as a tough guy to court action film scripts, Danny returned to wrestling, and he brought a little bit of Hollywood with him. He quickly found success as both a singles and tag wrestler, making it to the semifinals of the 2005 Jewel In The Crown tournament before his unwillingness to strike a woman ("It's a PR nightmare!") led to a disappointing loss to Aimz. It is widely theorized that he would have gone on to win the tournament and rule prime with a bejeweled fist, had he not been screwed by the bracketmakers.*
During his stay in PRIME, Danny was cast as the title role in More Than Just Hardcore: The Terry Funk Story, a new biopic directed by Michael Mann. During this period, under Mann's meticulous guidance and emphasis on character development, he took on a number of traits of the Funker, and sought to duplicate his in-ring style with limited success. He did, however, pick up quite a bit of the Funker's ruthlessness and bloodlust.
This did not work in his favor, however, as Colossus III was the beginning of the end. Unable to control his hatred for Kyle Lamen, a well-liked but cancer-stricken former PRIME competitor, he dragged out their confrontation, alienating his allies and friends and destroying himself emotionally when Lamen was able to pin him and end their feud once and for all. Then, just an hour or so later in the show, Danny's frequent tag partner, The Illustrious Face-Eater, exploded in the ring. Although Danny took Facey's Intense Title in an attempt to carry the torch for his blazing ex-ally, it would be discovered soon thereafter that Danny was somehow responsible for the combustion.
At ReVolution 107, Danny Ferguson was apprehended and sent to prison for his illegal exploding of the Illustrious Face-Eater. He insists that he was set up, but since there wasn't even concrete evidence to prove that he did it, there's no way to refute said evidence. It was a bit of a catch-22, really. Except not at all, since there's clearly an end that no one acknowledged. That's Hollywood for you...
Danny returned early in 2007 at the request of then-general manager Chet Worth. With the faction known as Fuck You running rampant in PRIME, Worth was desperate to find someone who could add firepower to his fledgling group of PRIMEates defending the company's honor. Alongside Hall of Famers Tchu, Killean Sirrajin and Lindsay Troy, Ferguson battled with the forces of Fuck You for several months. Team PRIME eventually emerged victorious when FU crumbled at its foundation. Along the way, Ferguson and Troy were named Tag Team Champions when Worth un-retired the belts. They went on to have a lengthy reign and form an unexpected alliance and friendship.
After FU crumbled, Ferguson had his revenge on Nova, whom he held partially responsible for his incarceration in late 2006. At Colossus IV, Ferguson defeated Nova in what was then the Risen Star's final PRIME match, effectively driving him from the company.
The landmark win was one in a line of many for Ferguson, who went through nearly all of 2007 without suffering a singles loss. He reformed the A-List with Chandler Tsonda and the Illustrious Face-Eater, but the group didn't have the same cohesiveness it once did. During this stretch, Ferguson carried the group to a win in the prestigious TEAM Dupree Cup tournament. Despite the numerous wins, Ferguson was never given a one-on-one shot at the Universal Title, which was held (for most of this time) by his odd-couple ally Lindsay Troy. Ferguson repeatedly refused title shots against his friend and former partner, frequently sidestepping his own glory to let the spotlight focus on the Queen of the Ring.
Danny's run of success would end with his first and only singles loss in 2007. During a match with Devin Shakur at Great American Nightmare/Devil's Night, he was knocked unconscious by a knee smash from Shakur and suffered a severe concussion and broken nose. While injured, he toyed with the idea of retirement, even announcing his intention to not return on the PRIME website. During a promotional appearance at the first ReVolution of 2008 however, Ferguson was goaded into one last match with then-Universal Champion Sonny Silver. He lost that match to Silver via dirty tactics, and immediately signed a new contract in an attempt to right the wrongs.
Ferguson would go on to lose his rematch under triple threat rules, as longtime friend Lindsay Troy won the Universal Title instead. With his third straight loss, Danny reprioritized his life and focused on ascending to the top of PRIME again. After coming second in the 2007 Dual Halo match, he was determined to go all the way in 2008. Several weeks of training paid off, as he set a new distance record in the 2008 match, entering first and lasting well over an hour. However, during an encounter with Chandler Tsonda, Ferguson was hit with a double-knee strike from Tsonda-ally Tyler Rayne and knocked from the second level of the Dual Halo down to the ring, a plunge of 25-30 feet. The fall gave him his second severe concussion in under six months, as he lost consciousness for nearly 30 minutes. His Halo distance record was broken later on in the match by Wade Elliott.
Ferguson once again faded away from PRIME, driven away by injuries, a star whose brightest moments may just have been behind him.
