Montel Vontavious Porter
| Montel Vontavious Porter | |
|---|---|
Montel Vontavious Porter in 2012
|
|
| Birth name | Alvin Antonio Burke Jr. |
| Born |
October 28, 1973 Liberty City, Miami, Florida, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Antonio Banks Antonio Bank$ Lord of War Montel Vontavious Porter MVP |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed weight | 259 lb (117 kg) |
| Billed from | Miami, Florida |
| Trained by |
Soulman Alex G Norman Smiley |
| Debut | 2002 |
Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and rapper, better known by his ring name Montel Vontavious Porter (abbreviated as MVP). He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and has also worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Assad was trained by former professional wrestlers Soulman Alex G and Norman Smiley. Following the completion of his training, Assad began wrestling for numerous independent promotions, including a stint in TNA. During his time in these promotions, he won various championships in singles competition. Assad signed with WWE in 2005 and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), one of the company's developmental territories.
After being promoted to the SmackDown! brand, Assad made his WWE wrestling debut in October 2006. In May 2007, he won the United States Championship, giving him his first title reign with the company. That same year, he captured the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Matt Hardy. Assad won the United States Championship for a second time on March 17, 2009. Following his tenure in WWE, Assad joined NJPW in February 2011. He spent the next two years with the promotion, becoming the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion in May 2011.
Assad was born in Liberty City, Miami, but grew up in Opa-locka, Florida. His father was a police officer. He joined a gang when he was 12, describing it as "a graffiti gang", which later turned into a street gang. He spent six months in a juvenile detention center after a robbery. He later completed 9½ years of an 18½ year prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping which he started at the age of sixteen. While in prison, he converted to Islam and changed his name from Alvin Burke Jr. to Hassan Hamin Assad. Due to his past criminal record, Assad's visits to other countries on international tours are subject to permits and background checks for recent behavior.
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