Joey Wheeler

“The Godfather of Games, capisce?”

Joseph “Joey” Wheeler, known as Katsuya Jonouchi in the manga and Japanese version, is one of the main characters in Yu-Gi-Oh!. He started out as an inexperienced duelist, but eventually became one of the greatest duelists in the world among Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou.

In the Fiction Wrestling Multiverse (FWM), Wheeler is a professional wrestler currently signed to Apex Caliber Wrestling (ACW) on the RAMPAGE brand, X-Treme Crossover Wrestling (XCF) on the Mayhem brand, and Impact: Animation Action.

Wheeler is best known for his appearance in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the mid to late nineties alongside with the Yu-Gi-Oh! main characters on the ECW: Blood & Ink Division, with Universal Character Association (UCA) in the early 2000s and Anime Wrestling Federation (AWF) for only a month. Wheeler has won 9 total championships, being a eight-time tag team champion, and is also the 2008 Rider War winner.

Background

• Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Species: Human
• Age: 18 (in canon); 23 (FWM)
• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 231 lbs.
• Companies: (Currently) XCF, APEX, Impact (Formerly) ECW: Blood & Ink, UCA, AWF, CWA
• Debut: 1996
• Status: Active
• Billed from: Domino City, Japan
• Allies: Serenity Wheeler (sister), Yugi Mutou (best friend), Tristan Taylor (best friend), Atem, Téa Gardner, Duke Devlin, Mai Valentine
• Rivals: Seto Kaiba, The Hardcore Foundation, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
• Twitter: @WheelerRage

Personality

Joey started out as a bully, but becoming friends with Yugi Mutou changes this. Though occasionally portrayed as comic relief, he is essential to the plot and the series’ overall theme. He is an enthusiastic duelist, who firmly believes that dueling is about fighting to help people they love. Like Seto Kaiba, Joey deeply cares for his younger sister, Serenity Wheeler and will do anything to make her happy. He seems to be very protective of Serenity, which he shows once by sacrificing his own life in order to ensure her safety. He often gets freaked out or offended easily; he responds rather impulsively to insults, especially remarks about his outward appearance, such as his hair or his outfit, or his dueling skills. In the dub, he also gets upset when people compare him to an animal, such as a monkey or a dog.

In wrestling

Joey has the wrestling style of a brawler, using his fists most of the time to face his opponent.

Finishing moves

• All Hail Joey Wheeler (Cross-legged Fisherman Driver)
• Black Inferno (Front Facelock Cutter) – XCF
• Chump’s Luck (Snap Double Underhook DDT)
• In Your Face! (Full Nelson Facebuster)

Signature moves

• Cactus Clothesline
• Corner Forearm Smash followed by a Running Bulldog
• Double Leg Takedown followed by multiple punches
• Flapjack, sometimes from a Fireman’s Carry or a twisting wrist-lock
• Game Face (Overhead Gutwrench Backbreaker Rack dropped into a DDT) – sometimes used as a finisher
• Knee Strike to the midsection, as a counter to an oncoming opponent
• Leap of Faith (Suicide Dive) – adopted from Chris Sabin
• Multiple diving variations
  • Bulldog
  • Crossbody
  • Elbow Drop, sometimes to a standing opponent
  • Somersault Neckbreaker
• Multiple kick variations
  • Bicycle
  • Drop, sometimes while springboarding
  • Enzuigiri
  • Lady Luck (Super)
  • Running Big Boot to a cornered opponent
  • Running Front Drop to an opponent against the ropes
  • Shot in the Dark (Running Delayed Low-angle Drop to an opponent held in the tree of woe)
• Multiple Powerbomb variations
  • Crucifix, sometimes into the turnbuckles
  • Release
  • Running Sitout, sometimes into the turnbuckles
  • Spinning
• Multiple Suplex variations
  • Cha-Ching! (Inverted Cutter or Stunner)
  • Double Underhook Super
  • Overhead Belly-to-belly
  • Silver Dollar (Vertical DDT or Powerbomb)
  • Tiger
  • X
• Roll of Fate (Corkscrew Flying Forearm Smash)
• Running Knee Lift
• Snap Elbow Drop
• Springboard Tornado DDT
• Swinging Side Slam Backbreaker, sometimes preceded from a wrist-lock
• Wheeler Rage (Pendulum Lariat or a Rebound Clothesline to an opponent outside the ring, preceded by sweeping off from the apron)

With Tristan Taylor

Double team finishing moves

• Aided Ace of Spades
• Battleguard/Barbarian Warfare (Discus Forearm (Wheeler) followed by a Single Knee Facebreaker (Taylor) followed by a simultaneous Discus Lariat (Wheeler) / Spinning Legsweep (Taylor) combination)
• Domino Gunshot (Jumping Neckbreaker (Wheeler) / Frog Splash (Taylor) combination)
• Made in Domino City (Running Sitout Powerbomb (Wheeler) / Springboard Discus Leg Drop (Taylor) combination)
• Spike Brainbuster followed by a deadlift (Taylor) into a Game Face (Wheeler)
• Spike Chump's Luck

Double team signature moves

• Aided Dropkick
• Aided Snap Swinging Neckbreaker
• Air Raid (Wheeler holds an opponent in a Fireman's Carry while Taylor performs a Diving Double Foot Stomp onto the prone opponent followed by Wheeler performing a Standing Fireman's Carry Takeover onto Taylor's knees)
• Belly-to-back Suplex (Wheeler) / Slingshot Leg Drop (Taylor) combination
• Bullet Point (Baseball Slide (Taylor) followed by a Shot in the Dark (Wheeler) to an opponent held in the tree-of-woe position)
• Diving Leg Drop (Wheeler) / Diving Splash (Taylor) combination from the same top turnbuckle
• Domino City Machine Gun Sandwich (Running Arched Big Boot (Tristan) / Enzuigiri (Joey) combination to a cornered opponent)
• Doomsday Front Dropkick
• Double Slingshot DDT
• Double Superkick to a seated or a kneeling opponent
• Inverted Atomic Drop by Taylor followed by a Running Dropkick to the knees by Wheeler followed by an Inverted STF by Taylor followed by a Running Dropkick to the face of the opponent by Wheeler
• Irish Whip by Wheeler into a Belly-to-belly Suplex by Taylor, tossing the opponent into his partner held in a tree-of-woe position
• Kneeling Side Slam by Wheeler followed by a Diving Splash by Taylor
• Powerbomb (Wheeler) / Springboard Clothesline (Taylor) combination
• Reverse STO (Taylor) / Step-up Enzuigiri (Wheeler) combination
• Running Release Powerbomb (Wheeler) / Double Knee Backbreaker (Taylor) combination
• Side Slam Backbreaker into a hold (Wheeler) / Diving Elbow Drop (Taylor) combination
• Springboard Dropkick by Wheeler into a Reverse STO by Taylor
• Standing Inverted Indian Deathlock Surfboard by Taylor followed into a Springboard Diving Leg Drop to the back of an opponent's head by Wheeler, usually onto a steel chair
• Stereo Suicide Dive
• Taylor DDTs one opponent while simultaneously performing a Reverse STO to another as Wheeler hits a Step-up Enzuigiri – used on rare occasions

Managers

• Serenity Wheeler
• Téa Gardner
• Tristan Taylor
• Yugi Mutou

Nicknames

• “The Godfather of Games / Wrestling” (self-proclaimed)

Entrance themes

• “Similar Creatures” by Peroxwhy?gen (XCF)
• “Say It to My Face” by Downstait (APEX; 2013 – present)
• “Motorcity” by Adam Skaggs (AWF/APEX; July 19, 2013 – present; used while as a part of Domino City Machine Guns)
• “Save Yourself” by Area 7 (CWA)

Championships and Accomplishments

Cartoon Wrestling Alliance

• CWA Combine Championship (3 times) – Yugi Mutou (2) and Tai Kamiya (1)

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW: Blood & Ink

• ECW Animation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Yugi Mutou (1) and Tristan Taylor (1)
• ECW Animation Television Championship (1 time)

Universal Character Association

• UCA Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
• UCA Hardcore Championship (2 times)
• UCA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Yugi Mutou

X-Treme Crossover Federation

• XCF Hypercore Championship (1 time)
• XCF Prince of TV Championship (3 times)
• XCF Mixed Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Serenity Wheeler
• Male Rider War (2008)