Daniel McDevitt (born October 19, 1973[1]), best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter.
He was a well-known "heel" in the mid-to late 1990s, especially in the Mid-Atlantic region as a top star in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, and engaged in feuds with Johnny Gunn, Axl Rotten, Stevie Richards and Adam Flash on the East Coast.
A graduate of the Baltimore Monster Factory, where he was trained by Axl and Ian Rotten, McDevitt's "Bone Breakers" students include WWE's Lita, Mickie James, Orlando Jordan and Florida Championship Wrestling star Calvin Raines.
[8] His third and final reign as MEWF Heavyweight Champion lasted less than a day following his victory of Johnny Gunn in Essex on June 30, 1996, losing the belt immediately after to Axl Rotten in a steel cage match.
[15] Over the summer, McDevitt formed a tag team with Axl Rotten[10] and together defeated Darkside (Glen Osbourne & Rockin' Rebel) in Catonsville on August 16.
He lost the titles while teaming with Headbanger Mosh, who was substituting for Rotten, against Menace 2 Society (Adam Flash and Nick Tarantino) in Baltimore on September 13, 1996.
[24][25] Over the next few months, he would appear on ECW Hardcore TV[26] and numerous live events against ECW stars such as Pitbull #2, Balls Mahoney,[22] Taz,[27] and Tommy Dreamer,[28][29][30] He also both wrestled and teamed with his one-time rival Axl Rotten[12] facing then NWA United States Tag Team Champions The Lost Boys (Yar and Wolf) and The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa) that spring.
[38] In the spring of 1998, McDevitt and then partner Mark Shrader decided to leave the MEWF following unresolved creative control and salary disagreements with the promotion's management.
[5] Among its most prominent students were Orlando Jordan and Florida Championship Wrestling star Calvin Raines; WWE's Mickie James and Lita would also train at the facility.
[40][41] Over half the active MEWF roster jumped to their new promotion, including its then booker Axl Rotten,[42] and, on July 19, 1998, MCW's first show was held at Baltimore's Patapsco Arena and attended by nearly 1,200 fans.
The show's success and broke the longstanding monopoly over Maryland pro wrestling by the MEWF and would eventually lead to MCW becoming the top promotion in the region.
[54] On July 18, 2001, at MCW's 3rd annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup, McDevitt joined Jimmy Cicero and Kelly Bell in a 6-man tag team match against Brian Christopher, Adam Flash, and The Bruiser.
The promotion held its final show, "The Last Dance: Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup", on July 16, 2003, at Michael's Eighth Avenue ballroom, in which over 1,000 fans were in attendance.
[64] McDevitt would often use this venue during the MCW years as the Maryland State Athletic Commission, which issued heavy fines for hardcore wrestling, had no jurisdiction on federal property.
The wedding gained particular notoriety for the appearance of The Iron Sheik, who was among the many wrestling personalities in attendance, by causing a disruption during the Best man's speech to the couple.
McDevitt described the incident years later in an interview with Christopher Porter of ExpressNightOut.com: I got married in 2005 and, for whatever reason, I made the absolutely horrible mistake of inviting The Iron Sheik to my wedding.
The brawl ended up having the entire MCW locker room enter the ring to pull the two men apart and was eventually stopped by the State Athletic Commission for excessive violence.
[64][71] On July 22, the two finally met at MCW's "Red, White, Black & Bruised" in a "fans bring the weapons" street fight at the Fort Meade Pavilion.
[64] While TNA's Sonjay Dutt, Monty Brown and Christian Cage were billed as the main attractions, the match between McDevitt and Flash was considered the highlight of the show with all "the blood & violence that wrestling in Fort Meade Pavilion can provide".
He was originally scheduled to have a mystery partner,[73] however, this was changed to t 6-man tag team match with Headbanger Mosh and Orlando Jordan versus Bad Boy Luke, D. J. Hyde, and J. D.
[74] McDevitt continued his feud with Flash facing him in tag team match with Christian York at "Monster Mash" on October 29, 2006,[75] and The Dudley Boyz a month later.
McDevitt later released a lengthy "shoot" video on YouTube discussing the circumstances of his divorce and Kim's confession to an affair with Zachary Shane.
At "Aggravated Assault", on April 21, 2007, McDevitt ordered Adam Flash to defend his title against Test due to Creative Control's interference at an MCW show a month earlier.
They overturned Danny Doring's title victory over Adam Flash and introduced McDevitt's ex-wife Kim Payne and Zachary Shane in their official return to MCW.
He and his manager Judd The Stud "stole" the fundraiser money earlier in the show but were forced to return the donations after wrestling WWF legend King Kong Bundy.
[82] His feud between Kim McDevitt and Zachary Shane continued for almost the entire year as the two always managing to escape defeat with the help of Creative Control.
MCW's "Xtreme Measures III" saw the two in an 8-man tag team match with Danny Doring and Balls Mahoney against The Bruiser, Zachary Shane, and the Badstreet Boys (Joey Matthews and Christian York).
[65] His last major appearance as "Corporal Punishment" was at MCW's "Summer Heat" supercard where he teamed with Adam Flash and Kevin Nash against The Bruiser and The Ghetto Mafia on April 23, 2008.
[4] A year later, McDevitt was interviewed by ExpressNightOut.com briefly discussing his early career, his divorce with Kim Payne, experiences as an independent wrestling promoter, and his personal life as a real estate agent.
It was also during that interview, while promoting MCW's upcoming anniversary show, that he confirmed that was no longer an active wrestler due to nagging injuries suffered during his career.