an aristocratic adult film star. His finishing move was the "cream driver", a modified version of a basic suplex. He later enrolled in Shawn Michaels' wrestling school, the Texas Wrestling Academy, where he was trained by Rudy Gonzales. Early in his career, London made brief appearances in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Zero-One (Zero1) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). London competed in Zero1 for several months on a match-by-match basis, beginning in January 2003, before turning down a contract. London was contacted by TNA after ROH's one-year anniversary show, and told that they were interested in him doing some matches on a try-out basis. On February 12, 2003, he made his TNA debut in a Gauntlet match against Jerry Lynn, which he lost. London competed mainly in the company's X Division, even earning shots at the NWA TNA X Division Championship. His last appearance in TNA was on June 18, 2003, at the TNA Anniversary show. He wrestled X Division Champion Chris Sabin for the title, only to lose due to interference from CM Punk. London has said that he viewed his time in TNA as a "stepping stone", but knew that he didn't want to be there long-term. London also made several appearances for East Coast Wrestling Association and won the 7th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament. Ring of Honor (2002–2003; 2013–2014) He made his debut in Ring of Honor (ROH) on March 30, 2002, in a match against Chris Marvel. He began a lengthy feud with Michael Shane during a tag team match for ROH contracts on July 27, 2002. During the bout, both Shane and London made simultaneous pinfalls on their opponent's partners. The referee only counted for Shane, giving his team the victory, which led to London and Shane brawling. The two continued to feud over the next several months in matches such as Street Fights (where the crowd chanted "please don't die" due to London's high risk offense), a Triple Threat match and a Gauntlet match. On December 7, 2002, London won a tournament to capture the ROH Number One Contender's Trophy, guaranteeing a match for the ROH Championship. He lost the match three weeks later to then-champion Xavier. On February 8, 2003, London competed in a Triple Threat match for the Number One Contender's Trophy, pinning A.J. Styles for the win. After the match, Xavier informed London that he would compete for the title