professional wrestlerScottishIsraeliJewish

Noam Dar

Noam Dar is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler signed to WWE's NXT, leader of The Meta-Four, record 3-time NXT Heritage Cup holder, and the first Israeli wrestler to perform for WWE.

1. Early life and background

Noam Dar was born in Be'er Ya'akov, Israel, on 28 July 1993. At the age of five, he relocated with his family to Scotland, settling in Ayr. During his childhood, he became a dedicated supporter of the Glasgow-based football club Rangers and a fan of the English rock band Oasis. Oasis's music and aesthetic would later significantly influence elements of his professional wrestling persona.

2. Professional wrestling career

Noam Dar's professional wrestling career began in 2008 and has seen him compete across various independent promotions before achieving international recognition with WWE.

2.1. Independent circuit (2008-2016, 2019-2021)

Dar made his debut on the British independent circuit at the age of 15, competing for Scottish promotions such as British Championship Wrestling and Premiere British Wrestling. His early career also included international experience in Spain, where he wrestled for Dragon Gate's "European Invasion" and Zero1 Spain, securing victories against Colin McKaye and Sean South, respectively.

On 1 May 2011, Dar achieved his first championship, becoming one half of the Premier British Wrestling (PBW) Tag Team Champions alongside Liam Thomson. They held the titles for over 11 months, successfully defending them six times before losing to the team of Lionheart and Wolfgang. In February 2011, Dar participated in a tournament for the One Pro Wrestling 1PW World Heavyweight Championship but was unsuccessful. Later that year, he became the final 1PW Openweight Champion, winning the vacant title in a four-way match against Marty Scurll, Kris Travis, and Joey Hayes. He successfully defended this championship against Bad Bones and Kid Kash at 1PW's final show.

In October 2011, Dar worked a dark match for Dragon Gate UK's "Yosuka vs Shingo 3" event, defeating Daniel Robert. He concluded 2011 with another international trip, securing a win over MK McKinnan for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), which qualified him for a series of matches at the wXw 16 Carat Gold 2012 shows the following year.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, Dar began working higher-profile matches. He challenged unsuccessfully multiple times for the BCW Heavyweight and Openweight Championships and engaged in a feud with Eddie Edwards for IPW. For Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW), Dar wrestled Jerry Lynn and challenged Prince Devitt for the RPW Cruiserweight Championship. He entered the SWE Speed King Championship tournament, qualifying for the finals with a win over Spud but ultimately failing to win the championship. Dar also competed unsuccessfully in two tournaments for IPW, losing to Sami Callihan in a Quarter Finals match for the IPW:UK Cruiserweight Championship and to Zack Sabre Jr. in the first round of a tournament to crown the first British National Champion.

In April 2012, Dar started competing for Lionheart's Pro Wrestling Elite (PWE) promotion, debuting with a win over Mark Haskins before a loss to AJ Styles. He entered a tournament to crown a PWE World Heavyweight Champion, defeating El Ligero and Mikey Whiplash before losing to Andy Wild in the finals. Dar ended a successful year in PBW by capturing the PBW "King of Cruisers 2012" crown in a six-way match.

In 2013, Dar returned to Dragon Gate UK for a series of matches against Yamato, Jimmy Susumu, and Masaaki Mochizuki. RPW invited Dar back for a run of shows where he defeated Mark Andrews upon his return, but lost contests to Michael Elgin and Marty Scurll. Dar concluded 2013 by finally capturing the BCW Openweight Championship from Andy Wild. He held the championship for over a year before losing it to Kenny Williams in April 2015. Dar was granted a rematch for the title in a triple threat match also involving Will Ospreay, but Williams retained.

Between 2014 and 2015, Dar engaged in a three-match feud with Grado over the PWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Dar won 2-1 (disqualification victory, no-contest, loss). During this period, Dar also secured a notable win over Christopher Daniels. In late 2015, Dar debuted for Global Force Wrestling (GFW), defeating Chris Ridgeway. As a result of winning PWE's "Elite Rumble," Dar received another shot at the PWE World Heavyweight Championship. He successfully dethroned Iestyn Rees for the title on 23 July 2016, at PWE's "Five Year Anniversary: Dar Wars - The Final Episode" show.

2.1.1. Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW)

Noam Dar debuted in Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) with a victory over The Highlander before winning a tournament to become the inaugural ICW Zero-G Champion. Dar held the title for a record 266 days, the longest reign in the title's history, before losing it to Lionheart. He recaptured the championship less than two months later, becoming the first two-time ICW Zero-G Champion. Dar's second reign lasted 252 days, concluding with a loss to Andy Wild.

In 2012, Dar unsuccessfully challenged for both the ICW Tag Team Titles and the ICW Heavyweight Championship. From 2013 to 2015, Dar continued his pursuit of championships in ICW, challenging subsequent champions Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, Kenny Williams, and Stevie Boy unsuccessfully for the ICW Zero-G Championship. He also began teaming with Kenny Williams as Champagne Superbollocks, challenging Polo Promotions for the ICW Tag Team Championships on two occasions, resulting in one swiftly interrupted no-contest and one loss. Following a "Best of Five" series with Joe Coffey, which Dar lost 3-2, and a lengthy feud with ICW authority figure Red Lightning, Dar ended 2015 on a high note by defeating Joe Hendry in an ICW World Heavyweight Championship No.1 Contender match and securing a win over former two-time champion Drew Galloway.

Dar remained a prominent figure in ICW throughout 2016, entering the 30-man Square Go! match and challenging for the Zero-G Championship, in addition to securing wins over Doug Williams, Sha Samuels, and Liam Thomson. Dar was featured in one of the three main events of ICW's debut iPPV, Shug's Hoose Party 3, where he teamed with Sha Samuels and Grado as "Team Mark Dallas" to defeat The Black Label (Drew Galloway, Jack Jester, and Wolfgang), thus restoring 50% of ICW ownership to Mark Dallas.

Due to his signing with WWE, Dar's final ICW match was against Andy Wild on 11 September 2016. Dar lost the match, then delivered a farewell speech and received an ovation from the crowd and the ICW roster. He returned to ICW for a one-night appearance on 29 July 2017 for Shug's Hoose Party 4, Night One, teaming with Sha Samuels in a winning effort against Joe Coffey and Bram. On 11 November 2018, it was announced that Dar would make a further appearance at ICW Fear and Loathing XI, teaming with Wolfgang and BT Gunn against British Strong Style.

Dar returned to ICW on Night Two of Fear & Loathing XII, defeating Kieran Kelly and Leyton Buzzard in a triple threat match. Following the match, Dar announced his full-time return to ICW, alongside his commitments to NXT UK, leveraging WWE's global expansion and partnership with ICW. In the main event of ICW's 9th Annual Square Go! event, Noam Dar defeated Stevie Xavier to capture the ICW World Heavyweight Title for the first time, an accomplishment he had not achieved in his initial tenure with the promotion. Dar became the first ICW World Heavyweight Champion of non-British descent, being born in Israel to an Israeli father. After prolonged inactivity as champion due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his WWE contract limitations, Dar was forced to vacate the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, ending his reign at 583 days.

2.1.2. Preston City Wrestling (PCW)

Dar debuted in Preston City Wrestling (PCW) in 2011, fighting his way to the finals of a tournament to crown the first PCW Heavyweight Champion before being defeated by T-Bone. However, Dar remained in title contention and in 2012, he became the inaugural PCW Cruiserweight Champion. He held the championship for 168 days before losing the title to Dave Rayne in 2013.

Dar rebounded into title contention by winning the 2013 "Road to Glory" tournament, securing victories over CJ Banks, Brian Kendrick, and Joey Hayes. This tournament win earned him another shot at the PCW Heavyweight Championship. Cashing in his title opportunity, he wrestled champion Doug Williams to a time-limit draw, before challenging later champion Lionheart in a losing effort. Dar concluded 2013 with a loss to Doug Williams, a victory over Johnny Gargano, and a Tag Team loss where Dar, teamed with Uhaa Nation, faced both Williams and Lionheart.

Following his championship loss, Dar remained a prominent figure in PCW in 2014 and 2015, wrestling established names such as Paul London, Steve Corino, Chris Hero, Tommaso Ciampa, John Morrison, and Rob Van Dam. Dar engaged in a violent three-match feud with former WWE star Drew Galloway, which Dar won 2-1.

Due to a working relationship between PCW and Ring of Honor (ROH), Dar competed on a number of ROH/PCW "Supershows", wrestling opponents like Cedric Alexander, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and A. C. H.. He also notably challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship.

Dar entered the 2016 "Road to Glory" tournament, eliminating Timothy Thatcher and El Ligero, but was eliminated in the semi-finals by Drew Galloway. In March 2016, Dar wrestled Jeff Jarrett in a losing effort at the PCW vs GFW "Global Conflict" show. Following this loss, Dar began a climb up the card, with wins over Phillip Michaels, John Morrison, and PCW Heavyweight Champion Sha Samuels in a match that was originally billed as a championship contest but was reversed to a non-title match by GM Joanna Rose after Dar's victory.

Dar was a surprise addition to the main event of the "Tribute to the Troops 3" iPPV on 25 June 2016, defeating Drew Galloway and Sha Samuels to win the PCW Heavyweight Championship. He successfully retained the title twice in one night on 6 August 2016, at the "Fifth Anniversary" iPPV, defeating Samuels in a rematch and "Road to Glory" 2016 winner and current PCW Tag Team Champion Rampage Brown, respectively. Dar again retained the PCW Heavyweight Championship on 3 September 2016, at PCW "Collision Course".

2.1.3. Progress Wrestling

Noam Dar competed at the first Progress Wrestling show in 2012, entering a tournament to become the inaugural Progress Champion, though he was unsuccessful. He then embarked on a winning streak that extended into 2013 when he became the #1 Contender to the Progress Championship with a win over Dave Mastiff. However, Dar was unable to defeat El Ligero for the title.

In 2014, Dar entered and won the first Progress World Cup tournament, representing Israel. He defeated Darrell Allen (Jamaica), Grado (Scotland), and Rampage Brown (England). This tournament victory earned him another shot at the Progress Championship against Jimmy Havoc. During the match, he made Havoc submit, but the referee was incapacitated at the time, nullifying the decision, and Havoc eventually won.

In 2015, at Chapter 18, Dar again challenged Havoc for the championship in a six-way elimination match. Dar eliminated Mastiff first, but Mastiff then re-entered the match and attacked Dar, leading to Dar's elimination. Dar then entered the inaugural "Super Strong Style 16" tournament but was eliminated in the first round by Dave Mastiff due to referee stoppage and a storyline injury. The two were scheduled to meet at Chapter 20, but travel issues prevented Mastiff from appearing. Consequently, Dar faced Pastor William Eaver and lost in what would become Dar's last Progress match.

2.1.4. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)

Dar was a contestant on Season 2 of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's British Boot Camp series, which was televised nationally in the UK on Challenge TV. He advanced to the final six of the competition, which was ultimately won by Mark Andrews. Dar worked a handful of matches for TNA in both the UK and US, most notably suffering a loss on Xplosion to former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries. As one of the final six contestants, Dar accompanied TNA on their UK stadium tour, where he was victorious in two tag team matches and wrestled to a no-contest with Rampage Brown.

2.1.5. What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW)

On 2 June 2016, Noam Dar was announced as part of the What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) roster. He wrestled his first match for the promotion against Rampage on the 4 July episode of Loaded, losing via pinfall. On the 18 July episode of Loaded, he defeated Joseph Conners. At WCPW Built To Destroy, he challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship but was defeated via pinfall. On the 8 August episode of Loaded, Dar competed in a triple threat match against Will Ospreay and El Ligero, with Ospreay emerging victorious after an OsCutter on Dar.

On the 15 August episode of Loaded, Dar put his WCPW career on the line against Doug Williams for a chance to face Cody Rhodes in October. After a controversial finish, Williams secured the win, forcing Dar to leave WCPW.

2.1.6. Other independent promotions

Beyond the major promotions, Dar has competed for a variety of other independent promotions. His engagements have included earlier appearances with British Championship Wrestling (BCW) and Premiere British Wrestling (PBW). He also wrestled for Dragon Gate's "European Invasion" and Zero1 Spain, as well as Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where his performance earned him a spot in their 16 Carat Gold 2012 shows. Dar also participated in events for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW), Pro Wrestling Elite (PWE), and Global Force Wrestling (GFW), and competed in joint "Supershows" with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Preston City Wrestling.

2.2. WWE (2016-present)

Dar's WWE career began in the Cruiserweight division and evolved into multiple championship reigns on the NXT brand.

2.2.1. Cruiserweight division (2016-2020)

On 31 March 2016, Noam Dar was announced as a participant in WWE's inaugural Global Cruiserweight Series tournament, later renamed the "Cruiserweight Classic," representing both Israel and Scotland. The tournament commenced on 23 June, where Dar defeated Indian representative Gurv Sihra in his first-round match. On 14 July, he defeated Hong Kong native Ho Ho Lun in his second-round match. However, on 26 August, Dar was eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-finals by Englishman Zack Sabre Jr.. During the Cruiserweight Classic finale, Dar teamed with Cedric Alexander in a losing effort against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

On the 22 August episode of Raw, Dar was announced as part of the upcoming cruiserweight division and had officially signed with WWE. His main roster debut occurred on the 7 November episode of Raw in his home country of Scotland, where he teamed with The Brian Kendrick in a losing effort against Rich Swann and Sin Cara. On the 6 December episode of 205 Live, Dar secured a victory over Cedric Alexander. Following the match, Dar delivered a villainous promo, establishing himself as a heel.

In early 2017, Dar began an on-screen relationship with Alicia Fox, who was also involved in an on-screen relationship with Cedric Alexander. After Dar defeated Alexander on two separate occasions, they had a third match on the 10 January episode of 205 Live. Fox interfered on Dar's behalf, allowing him to defeat Alexander once again and officially siding with Dar. Dar and Fox subsequently accompanied each other to their respective matches. At Fastlane, Dar teamed with Kendrick in a losing effort against Swann and Akira Tozawa. After weeks of Fox receiving anonymous flowers (for which Dar initially took credit), Swann revealed himself as the sender on the 18 April episode of 205 Live. Fox chose to side with Swann, abandoning Dar. However, Dar and Fox reunited on the 2 May episode of 205 Live after Dar defeated Swann. The two would team together in a losing effort to Swann and Sasha Banks at Extreme Rules. Dar ultimately lost to a recently returned Alexander on the 11 July episode of 205 Live in an "I Quit" match. Following his loss, Dar broke up with Fox.

In the latter half of 2017, Dar joined "The Zo Train," a faction consisting of Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore. On 12 December 2017, it was reported that Dar had suffered a knee injury requiring surgery. He underwent successful surgery to his left knee on 14 December to repair a meniscus tear. While no definitive timetable for his return was set, he estimated it would be around five months. On 20 June 2018, during a taping for WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament, Dar returned to action in a fatal four-way match, defeating Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, and Travis Banks to become the number one contender for the WWE United Kingdom Championship.

On 3 July 2018, Dar made his return to 205 Live as a face, defeating TJP. A week later, Dar had a rematch with TJP, losing via submission. Upon his return, he began a brief feud with Lio Rush. Dar was scheduled to face Rush on the 19 September episode of 205 Live, but Rush postponed the match until the following week, which Rush won. On 17 October, at the first episode of NXT UK, Dar unsuccessfully challenged Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship in the main event. Dar then began a feud with Tony Nese, with the two exchanging victories and Nese attacking him in the parking lot. Their feud concluded on the 12 February 2019 episode of 205 Live in a well-received No Disqualification match, which Nese won.

On the 13 March episode of NXT UK, Dar turned heel, expressing disdain for the cruiserweights in NXT UK. He offered Mark Andrews a handshake, then attempted to attack Andrews, who countered and sent Dar out of the ring. The following episode featured a match between Andrews and Dar that resulted in a no-contest. During the match, Dar injured his knee, which sidelined him for almost two months. He returned from injury on 19 April at the NXT UK television tapings. At NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, Dar defeated Travis Banks in his first TakeOver match. After NXT UK's return from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that Dar would participate in the NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament. He defeated Alexander Wolfe in the first round of the tournament, with former NXT UK and NXT Tag Team Champion Pete Dunne serving as the special guest referee. On the 5 November 2020 episode of NXT UK, Dar lost to the eventual tournament winner, A-Kid, in the second round of the Heritage Cup.

2.2.2. Heritage Cup Champion and The Meta-Four (2021-present)

In 2021, Dar began hosting his own talk show segment called Supernova Sessions and formed an on-screen alliance with his real-life friend Sha Samuels. On the 7 October episode of NXT UK, Dar defeated Wolfgang to become the next #1 Contender to the NXT UK Heritage Cup. On the 28 October episode of NXT UK, Dar defeated Tyler Bate 2-1 to win the NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship, marking his first championship victory in WWE and making him the first champion of Israeli descent in company history. When he originally won the title, it was called the NXT UK Heritage Cup because it was part of the NXT UK brand. On the 14 July episode of NXT UK, Noam Dar lost the Heritage Cup Championship to Mark Coffey in a match that concluded in the sixth round. Dar would later regain the Heritage Cup Championship from Mark Coffey during the 7 July taping of NXT UK.

Following the closure of the NXT UK brand in September 2022, Dar, along with the Heritage Cup, went on hiatus from WWE. He reappeared on the 4 April 2023 episode of NXT, making his debut for the NXT brand. During his second reign in April 2023, the title was transferred to the NXT brand and renamed to NXT Heritage Cup. He appeared to seek a new challenger for his renamed NXT Heritage Cup Championship. Dar made his NXT in-ring debut on the 18 April episode, defeating Miles Borne in a non-title match. On the 16 May episode of NXT, Dragon Lee challenged Dar to a match at NXT Battleground for the Heritage Cup, which Dar accepted. At NXT Battleground on 28 May, Dar defeated Lee to retain the Heritage Cup with assistance from Jakara Jackson, Lash Legend, and Oro Mensah. On the 6 June episode of NXT, during a backstage segment, Dar accepted Nathan Frazer's challenge for the Heritage Cup and formally introduced his group as The Meta-Four, consisting of Jakara Jackson, Lash Legend, and Oro Mensah. The following week, it was revealed that Dar had suffered a knee injury. Consequently, Mensah defended the Heritage Cup on Dar's behalf but was defeated by Frazer, ending Dar's second reign at 292 days.

At NXT: Heatwave on 22 August, Dar defeated Frazer to win the Heritage Cup for a record-setting third time. At NXT: Halloween Havoc Night 1, Akira Tozawa returned to NXT and stole the Heritage Cup from The Meta-Four. Tozawa returned the Heritage Cup to Dar on Night 2 before managing to spook Dar into a match for the Cup on the following week's NXT, which Dar won 2-1. On the 27 February 2024 episode of NXT, Dar lost the Heritage Cup to No Quarter Catch Crew's Charlie Dempsey in a 2-1 match, ending his third reign at 189 days. On 26 March, it was announced that The Meta-Four would be the hosts of NXT Stand & Deliver. Around this time, Dar began a rivalry with new NXT Champion Trick Williams. During a Supernova Sessions on the 7 May episode of NXT, Dar claimed that in a previous match where Williams won, Dar's leg was under the ropes, which should have broken the pinfall, and called Williams a fraud. Dar proceeded to attack Williams shortly after Lash Legend revealed that she was having a relationship with Williams. On the following episode of NXT, Dar was found attacked by an unknown assailant. Later that night, Mensah was defeated by Je'Von Evans after interference from Williams. On the 28 May episode of NXT, a debuting Ethan Page revealed himself as Dar's attacker. The following week, Mensah began feuding with Page, effectively turning Dar and the rest of The Meta-Four into fan favorites.

3. In-ring style and persona

Noam Dar's in-ring style is characterized by a combination of technical grappling, agile maneuvers, and impactful strikes. His finishing moves include the Champagne Superkneebar (a kneebar), the Fisherman brainbuster, and the Nova Roller (a running enzuigiri) which he adopted around 2016.

His signature moves often feature a variety of impactful strikes, such as a jumping bicycle kick, a lariat targeting the opponent's neck, and precise knee kicks to the opponent's leg. Dar also utilizes multiple variations of the European uppercut, including diving, running uppercuts in the corner, and standing uppercuts. Other notable signature moves include a running dropkick, a spinning leg lariat, the STF (a step over toe hold face lock), and a suicide dive.

Dar has had several nicknames throughout his career, including "The Israeli Icon," "The Jewdi Master" (used in ICW), "The Champagne Supernova," and primarily, "The Scottish Supernova." His wrestling persona and gimmick were significantly inspired by the English rock band Oasis, a band he admired since childhood. He was briefly managed by Alicia Fox during his initial WWE run. His entrance themes have included "Fair City Riots" by Titors Insignia (used in ICW and WCPW) and "Morning Glory" by Oasis (used in FPW). Since 7 November 2016, his primary WWE entrance theme has been "Weekend Rockstar" by CFO$.

4. Championships and accomplishments

Noam Dar has achieved numerous championships and accolades throughout his professional wrestling career.

  • British Championship Wrestling
    • BCW Openweight Championship (1 time)
  • Insane Championship Wrestling
    • ICW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • ICW Zero-G Championship (2 times, inaugural)
    • ICW Zero-G Title Tournament (2010)
  • Fighting Spirit Magazine
    • UK Wrestler of the Year Award (2012)
  • One Pro Wrestling
    • 1PW Openweight Championship (1 time)
  • Preston City Wrestling
    • PCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time, inaugural)
    • PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • Road to Glory Tournament (2013)
    • PBW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Liam Thomson
    • King of Cruisers (2012)
  • Progress Wrestling
    • Progress World Cup (2014)
  • Pro Wrestling Elite
    • PWE World Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
    • Elite Rumble (2015, 2016)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked No. 106 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016
  • WWE
    • NXT Heritage Cup (3 times)
    • NXT UK Heritage Cup #1 Contender Tournament (2021)
  • The George Kid Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame
    • Inducted in 2021

5. Other media

Noam Dar has appeared as a playable character in several video games within the WWE 2K series. These include WWE 2K18, WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20, WWE 2K23, and WWE 2K24.