MMP Hall of Fame: Diamond King

DIAMOND KING

Bio

Jim Manning never planned on becoming a professional wrestler. An active member of the Reform Party of Canada as a youngster, he attended Yale University where he earned a business degree. It was also here where he met Stan Harris (known professionally as Sudan Stan). Stan was the Yale wrestling coach who operated many business in all parts of the world. He trained Jim during his college years and turned the inexperienced Canadian into one of the top wrestlers the Ivy League had ever produced. An elbow injury prevented Jim from competing nationally in his senior year, and his amateur career more or less died at that point. With his education complete, Jim, a long time wrestling fan, decided to try and apply his amateur training to a career as a pro. Catching many of his early opponents off guard by being a big man who focused more on a submission style rather than a power attack, Jim's stock quickly rose throughout the independents. Competing under the name "Diamond King", his first big deal came when he signed on with the Hardcore Wrestling Alliance in March 1998, and by early June of that year he had captured that promotion's world heavyweight championship. Stan soon became his manager, bringing a young Sudanese prodigy named Jamaal to the United States to serve as DK's bodyguard. Shortly after joining the HWA, DK also signed with the MMP, winning a battle royal to become that company's first world champion. DK lost the world title in a four way match (he was not the man pinned), but after lengthy feuds with The Congregation, Ace Manley, and Mr. Marvellous that occupied most of 1998, DK captured the title again in early 1999, only to be stripped of the belt the following day. He retired from the MMP in early 1999 to explore other opportunities.

MMP Career History

Diamond King made his name well known very early on in the MMP. At the inaugural card in April 1998, he captured the world title in a battle royal involving every wrestler on the roster at the time. His participation in the Hardcore Wrestling Alliance led to a series of inter-promotional matches between the two companies, many of which saw members of DK's Genocide Xpress battle Mr. Marvellous and Aries in tag team matches. Diamond King lost the world title in a Four Corners of Death Match at the Chaos on the Coast PPV on May 30, 1998 when Gargoyle Z pinned The Ryno in a match that also involved Blitzkrieg. After beating former GX ally "The Demented" xXx on June 13, Diamond King went on to compete in a one-night tournament for the vacant world title on the June 17 Championship Fever PPV. He defeated Darkson and Aries before losing the final round to Blitzkrieg on interference from former ally Xenith Xavier. Nevertheless, Diamond King continued on his quest to regain the title, leading Team GX to a victory over Team House at the BattleGround PPV on July 22. Diamond King's appearances soon became fewer and fewer, participating almost exclusively on PPV events beginning in the summer of 1998. In his first-ever meeting with The Congregation, he fought nearly the entire match by himself against both Super Cupid and Masochrist until his bodyguard Jamaal revealed himself as the mystery tag team partner, leading to a tag team victory on August 8. After beating former HWA rival Tyrone Hughes, DK set his sights on new world champion Aries. A loss in the rematch between himself, Jamaal, and The Congregation at Apocalypse in Arizona seemed to set Diamond King back, and when he lost a Steel Cage Match to West Law in September, things seemed to be slipping away for the former champion. He rebounded to earn a title shot at Aries at Suicidal September, but a Godly Drop enabled the champion to retain his title. After a month long hiatus, he made what was supposed to be a triumphant return to the ring, but was pinned by The Bootlegger. With his career seemingly at a crossroads, Diamond King took more time off to re-focus, returning in December with a win over Bobby Stone and setting his sights on Masochrist, his hated rival, the current world champion. A decisive pinfall victory over Aries earned DK a title shot, and with the help several other wrestlers, he defeated Masochrist in a Hell in a Cell Match to win the world title for a second time. Mr. Marvellous, disguised as "Mascara Mexico", had threatened the referee with a knife if he did not stop the match and take the title away from Masochrist. Due to the circumstances surrounding the decision, Diamond King was stripped of the title. His final match in the MMP took place at Main Event Madness, a ten man tag team match with the man to score the fall being awarded the vacant title. His team won, but it was not Diamond King who made the pin. In the days that followed, Diamond King left the MMP to explore other possibilities, only to return one last time at MMP Final Judgment to answer an impromptu open challenge from new world champion Virus Richards. Diamond King accepted the match and won the title in a very short match, making him the only three time world champ in MMP history and the only man to hold the title three times..

Match Summary
Running total of overall record in parenthesis

1998

*MMP Chaos on the Coast: Participated in Four Corners of Death Match against Blitzkrieg, The Ryno, and Gargoyle Z. (0-0)
*June 13: Beat "The Demented" xXx by submission. (1-0)
*MMP Championship Fever: Beat Darkson by knockout, pinned Aries, pinned by Blitzkrieg. (3-1)
*June 27: Beat Lenny Shaw in a Submission match. (4-1)
*MMP BattleGround: With Killa Blade, "The Dominator" Carl Donovan, and Scorpion, beat West Law, Jeremy Grieve, Xenith Xavier, and "The Demented" xXx in an Elimination Match. (5-1)
*August 8: With Jamaal, pinned The Congregation. (6-1)
*August 15: Beat Tyrone Hughes by disqualification (7-1)
*MMP Apocalypse in Arizona: Beat Brick Stevens in a Towel Match, with Jamaal, pinned by The Congregation in a Bleeding Sun Death Match. (8-2)
*September 5: Lost to West Law by knockout in a Steel Cage Match. (8-3)
*MMP Suicidal September: Pinned by Aries. (8-4)
*October 31: Pinned by The Bootlegger. (8-5)
*November 7: Went to a no-contest with Dr. No Limit. (8-5)
*November 14: With Virus Richards and Jamaal, pinned Psychotic Sam, The Saint, and Dr. No Limit. (9-5)
*December 12: Beat Bobby Stone by submission. (10-5)

1999

*January 16: Pinned Aries. (11-5)
*January 23: Beat XuMed by submission. (12-5)
*January 30: Beat Masochrist by submission in Hell in a Cell for the world championship. (13- 5)
*February 20: Beat Pablo in a Submission Match. (14-5)
*MMP Main Event Madness: With Captain Patrick O'Conner, The Ryno, The Ghettoman, and Gemini Killer, pinned Aries, Masochrist, Psychotic Sam, Mr. Marvellous, and Super Cupid. (15-5)

2000

*Final Judgment: Defeated Virus Richards by submission for the World Championship. (16-5)

They Said It...

"A gentlemen's gentlemen. There is no other way to describe this wrestler's persona. This two time World Champion epitomized class in a federation too often populated by the 'undead' and the psychotic. I have had the distinct advantage of competing with Diamond King here in the MMP and elsewhere, his style and wit are the same whereever he competes. Who could forget his campaign to improve Quincy and the burning of Club Takitoff?" -- Captain Patrick O'Conner

"Diamond King. My former boss. A friend in the back. A hated foe for the cameras. DK, we spent a long time together in this industry, and on the occastion of your induction into the Hall, I simply say to you cogratulations and Godspeed. May your career in retirment be as pleasent as your leaving was for all of us (smiles)" -- Damien Jentz

"We don't have to talk about why the great DK (our former stablemate in GX) is an inductee to the Hall of Fame. His legend is known by everybody and hell he fed The Lard well while we were business associates." -- Irwin Hinkle

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