1. Early Life and Training
Joseph Doering began his professional wrestling journey in 2004, undergoing training at the Can-Am Wrestling School and the TNA School. He made his professional debut on December 19, 2004, wrestling for Border City Wrestling (BCW), where he was defeated by D-Ray 3000.
2. Professional Wrestling Career
Joe Doering's professional wrestling career spans various promotions, most notably All Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling, where he established himself as a dominant force and a multi-time champion. His journey included early appearances in independent circuits, a brief stint in WWE's developmental system, and significant runs in major Japanese and American promotions.
2.1. Debut and Early Career
After his debut in Border City Wrestling (BCW) in December 2004, Doering continued to gain experience in various promotions. On April 28, 2006, he debuted for the Puerto Rican promotion World Wrestling Council (WWC) under the ring name Hans von Doering, defeating Fire Blaze. He continued to work for WWC until June 10 of that year. Doering also made early appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), competing in a six-man tag team match during the free preview show of TNA Turning Point 2005 on December 12, 2005. He also faced Rhino on the December 17, 2005, edition of TNA Impact!, and later, under the ring name Vaughn Doring, teamed with Brandon Thomaselli in a losing effort against Team 3D on the September 28, 2006, edition of Impact!.
2.2. All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)
Doering's tenure in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) was a pivotal part of his career, marked by multiple championship reigns, significant alliances, and his rise as a prominent foreign wrestler in Japan.

2.2.1. Initial Stint (2007-2010)
Joe Doering made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling on June 24, 2007, arriving as a foreign exchange student alongside Phil Atlas. During this period, he lived in the dojo with younger wrestlers and trainees. During his time as a foreign exchange student, he was also referred to as ジョン・ドーリングJohn DoeringJapanese. In July, he was selected by Keiji Mutoh as a partner to combat the Voodoo Murders (VM) faction. After completing his study abroad period, All Japan signed Doering to a full gaijin (foreign wrestler) contract in September 2007, making him a member of the main roster. His first major feud began with Suwama, whom he pinned on October 18, 2007. Despite Suwama's vow for revenge, Doering pinned him again in the opening match of the 2007 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, where Doering teamed with Keiji Mutoh against Suwama and Satoshi Kojima. Doering and Mutoh ultimately won the tournament by defeating Suwama and Kojima in the finals.
On January 3, 2008, Doering and Mutoh defeated Kojima and TARU to win the World Tag Team Championship. However, due to Mutoh's busy schedule, the team did not defend the titles before losing them on June 28 to GURENTAI's Taiyō Kea and Minoru Suzuki. Doering then entered the Champion Carnival for the first time, securing victories over Osamu Nishimura and former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Minoru Suzuki.
Doering's next feud was with Zodiac, whom he defeated on May 25, 2008, in a Hair vs. Mask match. On October 28, 2008, Doering turned heel and joined the Voodoo Murders, forming a tag team with his former rival Zodiac, known as "Voodoo Towers". They finished third in the 2008 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. In January 2010, it was reported that Doering had signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In his final match with All Japan during this stint, he unsuccessfully challenged Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.
2.2.2. Second Stint and Major Achievements (2010-2019)
On November 5, 2010, Joe Doering made a surprise return to All Japan Pro Wrestling for a show in Taiwan, stepping in due to Charlie Haas's absence. He rejoined the Voodoo Murders, teaming with KENSO in a losing effort against Suwama and Ryota Hama. On February 6, 2011, Doering and Kono defeated Akebono and Taiyō Kea to win the World Tag Team Championship. However, the Voodoo Murders faction was disbanded on June 3, 2011, following a backstage incident involving Nobukazu Hirai, leading to the vacation of the World Tag Team Championship.
Doering regained the World Tag Team Championship on May 20, 2012, this time teaming with Seiya Sanada, defeating Manabu Soya and Takao Omori. They lost the title back to Soya and Omori on June 17, after which Doering ended his partnership with Sanada. He briefly reunited with Zodiac in September, but after failing to regain the World Tag Team Championship from Soya and Omori on September 8, Doering turned on Zodiac, ending their short-lived reunion. On November 13, Suwama announced that he and Doering had formed a new partnership called "Last Revolution". Later that month, Last Revolution reached the finals of the 2012 World's Strongest Tag Determination League before losing to Manabu Soya and Takao Omori.
In early 2013, Last Revolution expanded into a stable with the additions of Kaz Hayashi, Shuji Kondo, and Yasufumi Nakanoue. However, with Hayashi and Kondo's departure from All Japan in June 2013, Doering announced that Last Revolution would disband after June 30. Following a non-title singles victory over the reigning Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Suwama on September 15, Doering and Suwama decided to reform their partnership, renaming their team "Evolution". On October 22, Evolution defeated Burning (Go Shiozaki and Jun Akiyama) to win the World Tag Team Championship, marking Doering's fourth reign. On December 8, Evolution defeated Xceed (Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara) in the finals to win the 2013 World's Strongest Tag Determination League.
On February 16, 2014, Hikaru Sato joined Doering and Suwama, solidifying Evolution as a stable. On June 28, Doering and Suwama lost the World Tag Team Championship to Wild Burning (Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori). On July 27, 2014, Doering achieved a major milestone by defeating Suwama to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the first time, becoming only the sixth non-Japanese wrestler to hold the prestigious title. He made his first successful defense against former champion Akebono on August 30. Doering's second defense took place on October 18 at a Border City Wrestling (BCW) event in Windsor, Ontario, where he defeated Rhino, marking the first time the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship was defended outside Japan. He made his third successful defense on October 29 against the winner of the 2014 Ōdō Tournament, Go Shiozaki. Doering lost the title to Shiozaki in a rematch on January 3, 2015.

Doering was scheduled to participate in the 2016 Champion Carnival, but was forced to withdraw after being diagnosed with a brain tumor on February 25, 2016. He underwent surgery on March 4, and focused on radiation and chemotherapy. On November 27, Doering made an appearance at All Japan's show in Ryōgoku Kokugikan, announcing his return to the ring in January 2017. His return match took place on January 2, 2017, when he, Hikaru Sato, and Suwama defeated Jake Lee, Kento Miyahara, and Naoya Nomura in a six-man tag team match. Doering later stated that his brain tumor was "100% cured" and that he was focused on returning his wrestling to 100%. In April, Doering reached the finals of the 2017 Champion Carnival, but lost to Shuji Ishikawa. On July 30, Doering officially left Evolution.
On October 21, 2017, Doering defeated his former Evolution partner Suwama to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He lost the title to Kento Miyahara on March 25, 2018. On September 24, 2018, during a tag team match featuring The Bodyguard and Dylan James of the Sweeper unit against Jake Lee, Dylan James turned on Lee and allied with Doering, forming a new tag team called "The Bomber". While Doering did not achieve significant singles success, The Bomber won the 2018 World's Strongest Tag Determination League that year. From 2020 to April 2022, Doering was largely absent from AJPW due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
2.3. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
In January 2010, Joe Doering signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He made his debut in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, on February 25, 2010, under his real name, where he lost to Johnny Prime. On March 18, he defeated Prime in a rematch under the new ring name Drake Brewer. Due to limited appearances, Doering was released from his developmental contract in September 2010.
2.4. Impact Wrestling / TNA
Joe Doering has had several stints with Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA), culminating in a prominent role within the "Violent By Design" stable.
2.4.1. Early appearances (2005-2006, 2018)
Doering's initial appearances in TNA included a six-man tag team match at the TNA Turning Point 2005 pre-show on December 12, 2005. He also competed on TNA Impact!, losing to Rhino on December 17, 2005. His final TNA appearance during this early period was on September 28, 2006, under the ring name Vaughn Doring, where he and Brandon Thomaselli were defeated by Team 3D. Doering returned to Impact for a single appearance on March 16, 2018, at One Night Only: March Breakdown, where he defeated Moose.
2.4.2. Violent By Design (2020-present)
On November 14, 2020, Doering made a surprise return to Impact Wrestling at Turning Point, assisting Eric Young in an assault on The Deaners. During this period, Doering's previous history with the promotion was not acknowledged. On the November 17 edition of Impact!, Doering made his official in-ring return, defeating Suicide in a squash match. Doering and Young initiated a brief feud with The Deaners, claiming they needed to be "cleansed of their sickness." At Final Resolution, Doering and Young successfully coerced Cody Deaner to turn on his partner and align with them. This trio, consisting of Doering, Deaner, and Young, later adopted the name Violent By Design (VBD). On January 16, 2021, Doering made his Impact pay-per-view debut alongside his VBD stablemates, defeating Rhino, Tommy Dreamer, and Cousin Jake at Hard to Kill.
As a member of Violent By Design, Doering achieved significant tag team success. On May 17, 2021, Violent By Design (Doering, Eric Young, Rhino, and Deaner) won the Impact World Tag Team Championship by defeating FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson), utilizing the Freebird rule. They lost the titles on July 17, 2021, but Doering and Eric Young regained the Impact World Tag Team Championship on March 5, 2022, by defeating The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) at Sacrifice. On July 1, 2022, Doering received his first Impact World Championship match against Josh Alexander at Against All Odds, but he was unsuccessful, ending his undefeated streak in Impact Wrestling.
2.5. Other Promotions
Beyond his major stints in AJPW and Impact Wrestling, Joe Doering has also competed in various other independent promotions. On March 20, 2007, he debuted for Juggalo Championship Wrestling, teaming with Conrad Kennedy III in a losing effort against Necro Butcher and Zach Gowen. On November 8, 2013, Doering made his debut for Dubai Wrestling Entertainment, where he was defeated by Behnam Ali. He also competed in European Wrestling Association, defeating Dragon Okic on January 17, 2014. On May 9, 2014, Doering returned to Border City Wrestling, where he teamed with Jon Bolen to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi and Takaaki Watanabe.
3. Personal Life and Health Challenges
Joe Doering's personal life has been significantly impacted by his ongoing battle with a brain tumor. On February 25, 2016, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which forced him to withdraw from the Champion Carnival tournament in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor on March 4, 2016. Following his recovery and return to the ring in January 2017, Doering stated that his brain tumor was "100% cured."
However, on August 30, 2022, Doering announced that the disease had returned, necessitating further medical treatment. Both Impact Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling confirmed his temporary absence from active competition to undergo another surgery. This recurrence led to his withdrawal from an All Japan Pro Wrestling event in September 2022, marking a period of inactivity as he focused on his health. Doering's journey through these severe health adversities has become a testament to his personal strength and resilience.
4. Championships and Accomplishments
Doering has achieved numerous championships and accolades throughout his professional wrestling career.
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- World Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Keiji Mutoh (1), Kono (1), Seiya Sanada (1), and Suwama (1)
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2007) - with Keiji Mutoh
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2013) - with Suwama
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2018) - with Dylan James
- European Wrestling Association
- EWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Impact Wrestling / Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Impact World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Eric Young, Rhino, and Deaner (1); and with Eric Young and Deaner (1), both under the Freebird rule
- Power of Wrestling
- Catch Weltcup (2019)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 64 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2014 and 2018
4.1. Lucha de Apuesta record
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes Mask Joe Doering Zodiac Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan May 25, 2008 Hair vs. Mask match
5. Wrestling Style and Signature Moves
Joe Doering is known for his powerful and hard-hitting wrestling style, characterized by a strong emphasis on impactful throws and strikes. Standing at 77 in (195 cm) (6 ft 5 in) and weighing 298 lb (135 kg) (298 lb), his physique complements his in-ring approach.
His signature and finishing moves include:
5.1. Finishing Moves
- Sitout Powerbomb
- Revolution Bomb (a variation of the Spiral Bomb)
5.2. Throwing Moves
- Suplex
- Superplex
- Backdrop
- German suplex
- Sky High Bomb (a Spinning Spinebuster)
- High-Angle Spinebuster
- Death Valley Bomb
5.3. Striking Moves
- Elbow
- Elbow Stamp
- Back Elbow
- Backhand Chop
- Chop Smash
- Clothesline
- Dropkick
- Shoulder Tackle
- Spear
5.4. Aerial Moves
- Tope suicida
- Flying crossbody
5.4.1. Entrance Music
His entrance music is "Kill It".
6. Legacy and Impact
Joe Doering's career is a testament to his unwavering dedication and remarkable resilience in the face of significant health challenges. His multiple championship reigns in All Japan Pro Wrestling, particularly his two Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship victories, solidify his status as one of the most successful foreign wrestlers in the promotion's history. His ability to adapt and perform at a high level across different wrestling styles, from the hard-hitting Japanese strong style to the more character-driven American promotions, showcases his versatility.
Beyond his in-ring accomplishments, Doering's public battle with a brain tumor and his subsequent returns to active competition have made him an inspiring figure. His commitment to recovery and his determination to continue his career have resonated deeply with fans and fellow wrestlers, highlighting his profound personal strength. As noted by wrestling critic Keisuke Osano, Doering quickly became an indispensable asset to All Japan Pro Wrestling early in his career, a prediction that proved true as he consistently delivered high-quality performances and became a cornerstone of the company. His journey serves as a powerful example of perseverance and passion within the demanding world of professional wrestling.