James Michael Guffey, professionally known as Jimmy Rave was an American professional wrestler who was well known for working for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He made his professional debut as a 16-year old, appearing as the masked Mr. XTC. While at Ring of Honor, he was a member of the famed group The Embassy. He won the 2006 Ring of Honor Trios tournament alongside Alex Shelley and Abyss. Rave had also won multiple championship titles with National Wrestling Alliance and he appeared on World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Sunday Night Heat.” Additionally, on 28th November 2020, on his Twitter page, he announced his retirement due to an infection in his left arm that required amputation. Sadly, we lost him on 12th December 2021.
Jimmy Rave Died At 39
Jimmy Rave, a former professional wrestling champion who later struggled with drug addiction and lost his legs and an arm to amputation, has died on 28th November 2020. He was 39. A cause of death for Rave wasn’t immediately clear. His daughter Kailah and wrestling agent Bill Behrens confirmed on Tuesday in a statement that he had died. “James Michael Guffey has died at the age of 39,” the statement said, referring to Rave’s real name. While the reason for his death has not been revealed, Raves had been “struggling with drug addiction for many years” which led to the “amputation of his arm and, later, both of his legs,” the statement said.
Source: @the-sun
Famous For
- Being an American professional wrestler.
- For working for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Where was Jimmy Rave from?
Jimmy Rave was born on 8th December 1982 with the real name of James Michael Guffey in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. He was American by nationality and American-white by ethnicity. Similarly, his religion was Christian and his race was white. Rave lastly celebrated his 39th birthday on 8th December of 2021 and as per his birthdate, his star sign was Sagittarius. He was the son of his parents, Jim Guffey (father) and Toni Guffey (mother).
How was the Wrestling Career of Jimmy Rave?
- Jimmy Rave conceived his wrestling career debuting in October 1999 as the masked Mr. XTC after which he later adopted the ring name Jimmy Rave and wrestled for numerous professional wrestling promotions on the independent circuit.
- He debuted in Ring of Honor in 2003 and later became a member of The Embassy. He also gained notoriety for having received excessive heel heat from ROH fans.
- He developed a habit of stealing other wrestlers’ finishers and claiming them as his own whereas he also started to use Greetings From Ghana, a copy of Triple H’s “Pedigree”, as his new finisher and would again claim that he had in fact invented that move too.
- He and Alex Shelley of The Embassy attacked ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson on 14th January 2006 after a successful title defense
- At Tag Wars 2006, Jimmy, along with Shelley and Abyss, won the 2006 Trios Tournament as Rave used his title shot earned at the Tag Wars 2006, but came up short in his match with Danielson at the Fourth Anniversary Show.
- He feuded with Nigel McGuinness, culminating in a match on 4th March 2008, in Liverpool, England, where McGuinness finally managed to pin Rave in a Fight Without Honor to end the rivalry.
- It was announced on 22nd May 2007 that Rave had signed a contract with Ring of Honor however, it was announced on 2nd August 2007 that he had left both Rings of Honor and Full Impact Pro.
Source: @sport1
- It was announced in August 2007 that he had signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and then became a jobber to the X Division, and the Tag Team division with Lance Rock, putting over such teams as Team 3D, LAX, Prince Justice Brotherhood, and the Motor City Machine Guns.
- He was released from his TNA contract on 11th February 2009 along with his former tag team partner, Lance Hoyt.
- He also made a one-night return to TNA on 13th June 2011, losing to Austin Aries in a three-way first-round match of a tournament for a TNA contract.
- As well, he took part in TNA’s India project in December 2011, Ring Ka King, where he worked as a trainer and wrestled in a tag team with Zema Ion.
- Later at ROH’s 7th Anniversary Show, he made a surprise return to the company on 21st March 2009 when Prince Nana announced him as Bison Smith’s mystery tag team partner.
- He was defeated by Necro Butcher in a dog collar match on 19th September and subsequently left the promotion. He later revealed that ROH released him due to his drug addiction.
- He made his return for Ring of Honor at their 11th Anniversary Show iPPV on 2nd March 2013 and it was reported on 10th June 2013 that Rave was once again done with ROH.
- On 3rd April 2009, he made his debut with Great Championship Wrestling with a victory over his trainer, Murder One. He competed for Rampage Pro Wrestling (RPW), debuting in May 2009 and taking overhead booker duties in June 2010.
- He defeated Sal Rinauro to win the Rampage Pro Wrestling (RPW) Intercontinental Championship on 6th December 2009 and also went on to form the Jimmy Rave Approved stable, while working for RPW.
- Dragon Gate USA announced on 21st February 2011 that he would be making his debut for the promotion on 1st April in Burlington, North Carolina. He was given the opportunity to wrestle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on 31st July but was defeated by Adam Pearce in the four-way match.
- Rave made his debut for Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE) on 22nd June 2014, defeating Drew Adler as well as participating in a 12-man tournament for the Georgia Wrestling Crown Championship at AWE’s “To Be The Man!” show on 18th June 2015, at The Masquerade.
- He won his opening three-way match against Kyle Matthews and Sugar Dunkerton, then defeated Raphael King in the semifinals and finally Chip Day in the finals to win the tournament and become the first-ever GWC Champion.
- Furthermore, on 28th November 2020, on his Twitter page, he announced his retirement due to an infection in his left arm that required amputation.
Source: @the-sun
Awards and Achievements
Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment
- GWC Championship Tournament (2015)
Combat Zone Wrestling
- CZW Iron Man Championship (1 time)
Empire Wrestling Entertainment
- Scenic City Invitational (2015)
Full Impact Pro
- FIP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Fast Eddie Vegas
- FIP Tag Team Championship tournament (2005)
Great Championship Wrestling
- GCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Hardcore Championship Wrestling
- HCW Hardcore Championship (1 time)
National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
NWA Wildside
- NWA Wildside Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Peachstate Wrestling Alliance
- Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- PWA Heritage Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 181 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2009
Rampage Pro Wrestling
- RPW Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
Ring of Honor
- Trios Tournament (2006) – with Alex Shelley and Abyss
Southern Fried Championship Wrestling
- SFCW Phase One Championship (1 time)
STAR Pro Wrestling
- STAR Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Twin States Wrestling
- TSW Championship (1 time)
Source: @instagram.com/thejimmyrave
Was Jimmy Rave Married?
Jimmy Rave was a married wrestler. He tied a knot with his ex-wife Felicia with whom he had two children, as his daughter is named Kailah, and his son’s name is James II. They had been apart for a few years. At the time of his death, he was living in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area with his fiancee Gabby Gilbert, who was also a pro wrestler. Concerning Rave’s sexual orientation, he was straight.
Source: @instagram.com/thejimmyrave
How much was Jimmy Rave Net Worth?
Jimmy Rave had a net worth of between $1 million to $5 million as of 2021 whereas he had also a handsome amount of salary which was also in thousands of dollars per year. Rave had gained a considerable amount of money from his profession as his major source of income was from his wrestling career. He had not done endorsement work for any brands till the time of his death.
What was the Height of Jimmy Rave?
Jimmy Rave stood at a tall height of 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) with a balanced bodyweight of 210 lb (95 kg). He had light brown hair and eyes color. Enriched with the toned bicep and perfect built, Rave did not hesitate to go shirtless. In addition, his body build type was athletic.
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