Born |
Des Moines, Iowa |
August 21, 1979
---|---|
Residence | Tempe, Arizona |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Tommy Blaze Tommy Drake |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
Billed from | Des Moines, Iowa Phoenix, Arizona |
Trained by |
Michael Modest Donovan Morgan Rick Thompson |
Debut | December 12, 2000 |
Cory R. Carey (born August 21, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy Drake. He is best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and various independent promotions in the United States. Drake wrestled dark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment, and made regular appearances on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown.
Carey grew up in rural Iowa, and began wrestling at age 5. Carey attended Canby High School in Oregon, graduating in 1997 at age seventeen. Working odd jobs after high school, Carey moved to Hayward, California, at the request of Ed "Moondog" Moretti, and attended the All Pro Wrestling (APW) Boot Camp. There he was trained by Michael Modest, Donovan Morgan, and Ric Thompson. He debuted in APW on December 12, 2000 in Vallejo, California as Tommy Blaze, scoring a victory over Kid Chrome.
Soon after his debut Drake began feuding with various APW wrestlers. In 2000, Drake and Donovan Morgan began the training of The Great Khali. Khali lived with Drake in a small apartment in Hayward, until Khali left for Japan and eventually the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
After a falling out with APW, Drake jumped ship to Pro Wrestling Iron, started by Morgan and Mike Modest. Drake became an assistant trainer, and would train PWI's students when not in Japan. In 2001 he helped further the training of Tough Enough winner John Morrison, who went on to become the ECW Champion.