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Cole Karter
Image
Karter in August 2025
Personal information
BornCole McKinney[1]
(2000-05-30) May 30, 2000 (age 26)[2][3]
Charleston, West Virginia[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Cole Karter[4]
Troy Donovan[5]
Troy "Two Dimes" Donovan[6]
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Billed weight238 lb (108 kg)[3]
Trained byInternational Wrestling Cartel (IWC)
DebutAugust 8, 2020[3]

Cole McKinney[1] (born May 30, 2000) is an American professional wrestler. As of July 2022, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he performs under the ring name Cole Karter and is a member of The Frat House. He is also known for his brief time in WWE on the NXT brand in 2022 under the ring name Troy "Two Dimes" Donovan.

Professional wrestling career

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Independent circuit (2020–2022)

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McKinney began his professional wrestling career wrestling for the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) in Pennsylvania under the ring name Cole Karter with his debut match taking place on August 8, 2020.[7] In 2021, Karter made several appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Dark and Dark: Elevation, with his most notable appearance being on the April 14, 2021, episode of Dynamite, losing to Anthony Ogogo.[8][9] On October 16, Karter defeated Anthony Greene in the finals of the Super Indy 20 to win the IWC Super Indy Championship. However, three months later on January 22, 2022, Karter vacated the title after signing with WWE.[10][11]

WWE (2022)

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On March 17, 2022, McKinney was announced among a class of recruits who reported to the WWE Performance Center to begin training with WWE.[1] On the April 8, 2022, episode of NXT Level Up, he made his debut for the NXT brand under the ring name Troy Donovan, teaming with Channing Lauren in a losing effort to Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward.[5] On the April 26 episode of NXT, Donovan and Lauren were introduced as Tony D'Angelo's henchmen under the modified ring names of Troy "Two Dimes" Donovan and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, forming a stable known as The D'Angelo Family. On the May 24 episode of NXT, Donovan and Lorenzo earned their first win as a team when they defeated Malik Blade and Edris Enofe.[12][13] At NXT In Your House, The Family defeated Legado Del Fantasma in a match where the losing team had to join the winning team's stable, thus forcing Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro to join The Family.[14]

On June 11, Donovan was released from his WWE contract due to a policy issue. His last appearance was on the June 14 episode of NXT (taped on June 8) where he teamed with Lorenzo in a losing effort to Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. To explain his departure, on the June 28 episode of NXT, D'Angelo and Lorenzo were shown standing near a bridge and looking down at the river with D'Angelo claiming that he had taken care of a traitor within his group (referring to Two Dimes) by "making him sleep with the fishes".[15][16][17]

All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2022–present)

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Shortly after his release from WWE, McKinney, under his previous name Cole Karter, made his return to AEW on the July 16, 2022, episode of Dark (aired July 26), defeating Mike Orlando. At Dynamite: Fyter Fest on July 20, Karter challenged Ricky Starks for the FTW Championship in a losing effort. Following this, it was announced that Karter had signed with the company.[18][19][20] On the August 1 episode of Elevation, after picking up a victory over Serpentico, Karter was approached by QT Marshall backstage who offered him a spot in his group The Factory alongside Aaron Solo, Anthony Ogogo, and Nick Comoroto, which Karter accepted. On the September 3 episode of Elevation, Karter wrestled his first match as a member of The Factory teaming with Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto in a losing effort to "Hangman" Adam Page and The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds).[21][22][23] On the November 2 episode of Dynamite, Karter (disguised as Sting) cost Darby Allin his match against Jay Lethal, which was revealed to be a deal made between Jay Lethal and The Factory. During Full Gear's pre-show Zero Hour, Karter teamed with Marshall, Solo, Comoroto, and Lee Johnson, losing to Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta), Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, and Danhausen. On the December 12 episode of Rampage, Karter faced Allin in a singles match but was defeated.[24][25][26][27]

Heading into 2023, The Factory quietly disbanded as Karter began appearing more frequently in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). Karter would begin a winning streak on ROH on Honor Club, defeating the likes of LSG, Griff Garrison, and Rhett Titus, which gained the attention of Maria Kanellis, who offered him her managerial services which Karter accepted.[28][29][30] Soon after, Karter and Maria would attempt to recruit Griff Garrison to join them as Karter and Garrison began teaming up. On the September 28 episode of Honor Club, Karter and Garrison, now managed by Maria, won their first match as a team wherr they defeated Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo of The Infantry.[31][32][33][34] On the January 25, 2024, episode of Honor Club, Karter and Garrison defeated Angélico and Serpentico of Spanish Announce Project (SAP) and afterwards stole Serpentico's mask. This ignited a feud between the two teams as over the next few weeks, SAP attempted to regain Serpentico's mask, but were unsuccessful as Karter, Garrison, and Maria always found a way to escape.[35][36]

In February 2025, Karter and Garrison formed a stable, the "Frat House", with Preston Vance and Jacked Jameson.[37]

Championships and accomplishments

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Image
Karter is a former IWC Super Indy Champion

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "WWE welcomes newest class of recruits to the WWE Performance Center". WWE.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Join us in wishing a Happy Birthday to AEW star @realcolekarter". Twitter. May 30, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cole Karter Profile". Cagematch. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ring of Honor Roster". Ring of Honor. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "NXT Level Up results: April 8, 2022". WWE.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Tony D'Angelo invites Santos Escobar to a sit down: WWE NXT, April 26, 2022". YouTube. April 26, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ "IWC Basebrawl Results". Cagematch. August 8, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ "AEW Dark Results: April 13, 2021". Cagematch. April 13, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ "AEW Dynamite Results: April 14, 2021". Cagematch. April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  10. ↑ "IWC Super Indy 20 Results". Cagematch. October 16, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Last night, @realcolekarter said goodbye to IWC! However, he didn't leave without giving his fans one last parting gift! Good luck in #wwe #nxt Cole! We are all very proud of you!". Twitter. January 23, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  12. ↑ "WWE NXT Results: April 26, 2022". WWE.com. April 26, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ "WWE NXT Results: May 24, 2022". WWE.com. May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ "NXT In Your House 2022 Results". WWE.com. June 4, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Troy 'Two Dimes' Donovan released by WWE". F4W Online. June 12, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024. Dave Meltzer is reporting that Donovan was released from the company yesterday due to a policy issue. "Troy 'Two Dimes' Donovan of the D'Angelo family was let go yesterday [June 11]," Meltzer reports. "This wasn't a budget or creative decision, but a policy issue and he was told he may be brought back in a year."
  16. ↑ "WWE NXT Results: June 14, 2022". Cagematch. June 14, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Tony D'Angelo deals with a traitor: WWE NXT, June 28, 2022". YouTube. June 28, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ "AEW Dark Results: July 26, 2022". Cagematch.
  19. ↑ "AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2022 Results". Cagematch. July 20, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Cole Karter Said To Be Under Tiered AEW Deal". fightful.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ "AEW Dark Elevation Results". Cagematch. August 1, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  22. ↑ "After @realcolekarter's second victory in #AEW, the question still remains: will he accept @QTMarshall's offer to join #TheFactory?". Twitter. August 1, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  23. ↑ "AEW Dark: Elevation Special Results". Cagematch. September 3, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Was that really @Sting that gave @TheLethalJay the assist in the victory?!". Twitter. November 2, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  25. ↑ ".@lexynair catches up with @sonjaydutterson and @thelethaljay..." Twitter. November 9, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  26. ↑ "AEW Full Gear Zero Hour Results". Cagematch.
  27. ↑ "AEW Rampage Results: December 2, 2022". Cagematch. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  28. ↑ "ROH on Honor Club Results: August 3, 2023". Cagematch. August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  29. ↑ "ROH on Honor Club Results: August 10, 2023". Cagematch. August 10, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  30. ↑ "ROH on Honor Club Results: August 17, 2023". Cagematch. August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  31. ↑ ""We'll see what position you're in after tonight" - @MariaLKanellis to @realcolekarter". Twitter. August 10, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  32. ↑ ".@MariaLKanellis says she has an opportunity for @realcolekarter AND @griffgarrison1..." Twitter. August 31, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  33. ↑ ".@LexyNair catches up with @griffgarrison1 post-match...But, @MariaLKanellis & @realcolekarter quickly interject". Twitter. September 14, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  34. ↑ "ROH on Honor Club Results: September 28, 2023". Cagematch. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  35. ↑ "ROH on Honor Club Results: January 25, 2024". Cagematch. January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  36. ↑ ".@realcolekarter & @griffgarrison1 continue their mind games with @Angelico_AEW & @KingSerpentico!". Twitter. February 8, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  37. ↑ Tessier, Colin (February 27, 2025). "Preston Vance on the Frat House: this is what I want, I can finally be myself". Fightful.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  38. ↑ Cite error: The named reference iwcsic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ↑ "IWC "Super Indy 20 (16/10/2021)"". Hashtag Wrestling. October 18, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  40. ↑ Cite error: The named reference IWC Reloaded 8.0 Results was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ↑ Cite error: The named reference IWC Reloaded 8.0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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