Justin Gaines

Justin is a tall, well-toned youngster still adding adult muscle. He has long, dirty blond hair and usually has three days of dark stubble on his face (give or take). He typically will wrestle in black boots that have the initials "JG" on them in white, a black set of brief trunks, black knee pads, and taped-up wrists. He comes to the ring in all that, plus a black hat and a black leather vest with his name on the back in white script lettering, which he discards when he gets to ringside.

Justin Gaines is a fourth generation professional wrestler — the son of Gunnar "Grizzly" Gaines and Cheryl Gaines (nee Cheryl Chesapeake), nephew of George Gaines (aka Green Grappler), grandson of "Ringmaster" Charles Chesapeake as well as Larry "Chainsaw" Gaines, and great grandson of Walter (later known as Ebeneezer) Gaines. So wrestling runs in the family and has been part of his life, for all of his life. ("All My Life." Has a certain resonance to it.)

His ring debut was in IIWF when he was two weeks old, participating (unwittingly) in a ruse where his mother faked a miscarriage (due to poisoned meat) in order to give Gunnar a psychological advantage over an opponent, who felt undeserved guilt and shame over causing the loss of a child. As part of this incident, Justin was paraded to the ring in a coffin, only to cry out when the lid was lifted, revealing the ruse and letting his opponent know he'd been had. At the time, it is no overstatement to say his father was one of the 10 most famous wrestlers in the world.

It's fair to say, Justin has not known a time when he wasn't aware of wrestling or affected by it. His father's career hit a decline as Justin became a toddler and then a preschooler, leaving him the opportunity to spend time with his dad. He was joined by a sister, Robyn Jo, when he was 3 and a half. However, his parents divorced when he was in kindergarten. He split time from there with both parents, who could not agree on how to raise the young boy. His father raised him in Alaska, his mother in Laguna Beach. He spent different grades in different locales but classmates always knew who he was and who his parents were. The specter of wrestling fame loomed large.

Reaching high school in Fairbanks, where he chose to live with Gunnar, Justin wrestled for his high school team, earning state championships his first two years. The phone then rang for Gunnar, who had a late-career revival tag teaming with Ryan Martinez to help build the young superstar, and Justin was along for the ride, culminating in a SuperClash 2-on-2 with Justin and Gunnar vs. Ryan and Alex Martinez. Justin and Gunnar took the loss but continued as a team before fading away as Gunnar lost interest.

This left Justin to ponder options. He completed high school, returning to wrestling his senior year for one more state championship. After graduation, he signed a series of short term contracts to compete in out-of-the-way regional promotions in Japan and Mexico, with even a stint in Austria and some appearances in India. Gaining attention for his dependability, which contrasted with his father's rather difficult reputation, the AWA brought him back on board at age 20, in 2018. Justin determined he must find his own path outside the considerable shadow of his father.

Grizzly Slam — He will occasionally use the finisher made famous by his father, Gunnar "Grizzly" Gaines. It's a cross between a chokeslam and a uranage. He lifts the opponent by the neck then slams him to the mat, but follows through with his whole body, similar to the chokeslam the way Paul Wight did it when he was a rookie. Gunnar had an armbar version of this (Grizzly Slam Deluxe) and a mandible claw version (Grizzly Slam Limited Edition). Let's not use those for now.

None — but part of the Generation Lost faction

I most compare him to a younger Barry Windham or later on, a JBL.

Voice: Slates are never clean. And respect is never assumed.

[The staccato rhythm of "All My Life" by Foo Fighters plays.]

## All my life, I've been searchin' for somethin'
## Somethin' never comes, never leads to nothin'
## Nothin' satisfies, but I'm gettin' close
## Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
## All night long, I dream of the day
## When it comes around, then it's taken away
## Leaves me with the feelin' that I feel the most
## Feel it come to life when I see your ghost

[The music kicks into overdrive as out steps Justin Gaines, clad in a black hat, his ring gear of black brief tights, black knee pads, a black leather vest personalized with his name, and black boots personalized with his initials near the ankle. The music continues without the vocal.]

** Broadcaster will discuss Gaines and his look of all smiles, determination, pensiveness, whatever the case may be fitting the situation. **

[Justin reaches the ring. He discards his leather vest and black hat, handing them to a ringside attendant. He bounds from ropes to ropes a few times, making the crossing in few steps due to his tall stature.]

Heel