Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoaʻi (born May 25, 1985)[6] is an American professional wrestler and a former professional gridiron footballplayer, who is part of the Anoaʻi family.[4] He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring nameRoman Reigns.
After playing collegiate football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started his professional football career with brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He then played a full season for the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football.
Anoaʻi then pursued a career in professional wrestling and was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW). As Roman Reigns, he made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Dean Ambroseand Seth Rollins as The Shield. The trio teamed together until June 2014, after which Reigns entered singles competition. Reigns is a three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time United States Champion, a one-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-timeWWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins), the 2015 Royal Rumble winner and the 2014 Superstar of the Year. He also tied the WWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series elimination match with four in the 2013 event and set the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12 in the 2014 event. Upon winning the Intercontinental Championship, he became the twenty-eighth Triple Crown Champion and the seventeenth Grand Slam Champion.
Since 2014, WWE has attempted to establish Reigns as their next "face of the company".[7] Reigns has headlined numerous WWE pay-per-view events, including the last four WrestleManias (31, 32, 33 and 34) to equal Hulk Hogan's record of consecutive WrestleMania main events.[8][9] However, Reigns' ascendancy as a world title-chasing/holding heroic character has been marked by critics' disapproval and overwhelmingly negative crowd reactions, with fans taking issue with his perceived special treatment, real-life demeanor, wrestling moveset, speaking skills and character presentation.[10] He was consequently named 2016's Most Hated Wrestler of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (becoming the first babyface wrestler—i.e. a heroic character—to have been recognized as such)[11] as well as the Most Overrated by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.[12]
Contents
[hide]Football career
| No. 99 | |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | Defensive tackle[6] |
| Height | 6 ft 3[6] in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 280[6] lb (130 kg) |
| College | Georgia Tech[6] |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2007 | Minnesota Vikings*[13] |
| 2007 | Jacksonville Jaguars*[13] |
| 2008 | Edmonton Eskimos[14] |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career stats | |
| Tackles | 9[14] |
| Knockdowns | 0[14] |
| Sacks | 0[14] * CFL statistics only |
Anoaʻi played football for three years at Pensacola Catholic High School and one year at Escambia High School. In his senior year, he was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Pensacola News Journal.[6] He then attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team along with Calvin Johnson, who later became a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).[6] Anoa'i was a three-year starter beginning in his sophomore year and was also one of the team captains as a senior.[6] Anoa'i was named to the first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after recording twenty-nine tackles for loss and twelve sacks in 2006.[15]
After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft, Anoa'i was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in May 2007, but was released later that month.[13][16] The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him in August 2007, only to release Anoa'i less than a week later before the start of the 2007 NFL season.[13]
In 2008, Anoaʻi was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[14] Wearing the number 99, Anoaʻi played for one season with the Eskimos, featuring in five games, of which he started three.[14][17] Anoaʻi's most notable game came against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in September, where he tied for the team lead with five tackles and had a forced fumble.[18] Anoa'i was released by the Eskimos on November 10, and proceeded to retire from professional football.[14]
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Developmental territories (2010–2012)
Anoa'i made his first venture into wrestling in July 2010, when he signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE) and was later assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).[2] He debuted on September 9, 2010, using the ring name Roman Leakee (often shortened to Leakee), in a loss to Richie Steamboat in a singles match.[19] Further losses to Idol Stevens and Wes Brisco ensued,[19] before he gained his first win on September 21 over Fahd Rakman.[19] He continued competing in FCW throughout the remainder of the year, wrestling mainly in tag team matches.[19] On the January 16, 2011 episode of FCW television, Leakee was a competitor in a 30-man Grand Royal, but was eliminated.[20] Later in 2011, Leakee formed a tag team with Donny Marlow and the pair unsuccessfully challenged Calvin Raines and Big E Langston for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 8.[21]
In 2012, Leakee pinned FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger during a tag team match on the January 8 episode of FCW television.[22] On the February 5 episode of FCW television, he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match to become the number one contender to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.[23] He failed to win the championship when he lost to then champion Kruger the following week.[24] Leakee later won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton[25][26] and would drop the titles to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan shortly after.[27]
After WWE rebranded FCW to NXT in August 2012,[28] Anoaʻi, with the new ring name of Roman Reigns and a villain character, made his debut on the October 31 episode of NXTby defeating CJ Parker.[29] After defeating Chase Donovan two weeks later,[30] Reigns wrestled his last match on the December 5 episode of NXT by defeating Gavin Reids.[31]
The Shield (2012–2014)
Reigns made his main roster television debut as on November 18 at Survivor Series alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, assaulting Rybackduring the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to retain the title.[32] The trio declared themselves The Shield and vowed to rally against "injustice", while also denying working for Punk, even though they would routinely emerge from the crowd to attack Punk's adversaries, including Ryback and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane).[33][34][35][36] This led to a six-man tag teamTables, Ladders, and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, in which Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in their debut match.[37] The Shield continued to aid Punk in January 2013, attacking both Ryback and Reign's real-life cousin The Rock.[38][39] On the January 28 episode of Raw, it was revealed that Punk and his manager Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield and Brad Maddox to work for them.[40]
The Shield then indistinctly ended their association with Punk while beginning a feud with John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus that directed to a six-man tag match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won.[41][42][43] The Shield had their first Raw match the following night, where they gained success against Ryback, Sheamus and Chris Jericho.[44] Sheamus then formed an alliance with Randy Orton and Big Show to face the trio on April 7 at WrestleMania 29, where The Shield emerged victorious in their first WrestleMania match.[45][46] The following night on Raw, The Shield attempted to attack The Undertaker, but they were stopped by Team Hell No.[47] This set up a six-man tag team match on the April 22 episode of Raw, which The Shield won.[48] On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Shield's undefeated streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended in a disqualification loss in an elimination tag team matchagainst Cena, Kane and Bryan.[49]
On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Reigns and Rollins defeated Team Hell No in a tornado tag team match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[50] They made their first televised title defense on the May 27 episode of Raw, defeating Team Hell No in a rematch.[51] On the June 14 episode of SmackDown, The Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag team matches came to an end at the hands of Team Hell No and Randy Orton, when Bryan submitted Rollins.[52][53] Reigns and Rollins defeated Bryan and Orton at Payback to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.[54] Further successful title defenses followed against The Usos on July 14 during the Money in the Bank pre-show and The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) on September 15 at Night of Champions.[55][56] On the September 23 episode of Raw, Reigns was pinned for the first time while on the main roster courtesy of The Usos when The Shield participated in and lost an eleven-on-three handicap elimination match.[57]
In August, The Shield began working for chief operating officer Triple H and The Authority.[58][59] On the October 14 episode of Raw, Reigns and Rollins lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a no disqualification match, following interference from Big Show.[60]At Hell in a Cell on October 27, Reigns and Rollins failed to regain the tag team title in a triple threat tag team match.[61] The first seeds of dissension were sown in The Shield (especially between Ambrose and Reigns) with Ambrose's boasting of being the only member left with a championship.[62]At Survivor Series on November 24, Reigns was the sole survivor for his team in the traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match after eliminating four opponents.[63] After losing to Punk in a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15,[64] Reigns defeated Punk in a singles match following a distraction from Ambrose on the January 6, 2014 special episode of Raw Old School, making him the only member of The Shield to have beaten Punk.[65] On January 26, 2014, Reigns entered the Royal Rumble match at number 15 and set the record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble with 12, as he eliminated both his Shield teammates, and was the runner-up in the match after being eliminated by Batista.[66][67] The next night on Raw, The Shield competed in a six-man tag team match against Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and John Cena, with all three members of the winning team qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which The Shield lost via disqualification after The Wyatt Family interfered and attacked Cena, Bryan and Sheamus.[68] The Shield wanted revenge and a six-man tag team match for The Shield against The Wyatt Family on February 24 at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was arranged, in which The Shield lost.[69] Despite more dispute,[70] The Shield recounciled in March.[71]
In March, The Shield came out to seemingly attack Jerry Lawler, only to attack Kane instead, turning all three men into fan favorites in the process.[72] Over the next few weeks, The Shield continued exchanging assaults with Kane, who was joined by The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg), leading to a match between the two teams on April 6 at WrestleMania XXX, which The Shield won.[73] The feud with Kane also prompted The Shield to sever ties with Triple H, who reformed Evolution to counter them.[74] In May, The Shield defeated Evolution at both Extreme Rules and Payback.[75][76] After Batista "quit" WWE the following night on Raw, Triple H initiated his "plan B" which involved Rollins turningon The Shield and aligning himself with Triple H and The Authority.[77]
Controversial rise to main event status (2014–2015)
After the dissolution of The Shield in June 2014, Reigns (now a singles wrestler) was quickly inserted into world title contention that month and he headlined the next two pay-per-view events.[78] The first when, two weeks after Rollins' betrayal, Reigns won a battle royal on the June 16 episode of Raw to gain a spot in the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match on June 17 at Money in the Bank,[79] but failed to win the title during the main event match.[80] The second was July 20's Battleground, where Reigns again unsuccessfully challenged for the world title, this time in a fatal four-way main event match (also involving Kane, Randy Orton and defending champion John Cena).[81] The following night on Raw, Reigns started a feud with Randy Orton, which led to a match between the two on August 17 at SummerSlam, where Reigns defeated Orton.[82] Meanwhile, Reigns' former teammates Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins had been feuding over Rollins' betrayal, with Rollins beating Ambrose in five matches and ultimately injuring Ambrose in the storyline.[80][81][82][83][84] This led to a feud between Rollins and Reigns, where a singles match was set up for Night of Champions on September 21, even though six days before the pay-per-view event he cleanly defeated Rollins in a singles match on Raw.[85]Then Reigns developed a legitimate incarcerated hernia which required surgery a day or two prior to Night of Champions and, as a result, Rollins was declared the winner via forfeit, while Reigns was ruled out of action indefinitely.[86][87]
"Reigns was a greener-than-grass wrestler who WWE identified as the Face of the Performance Center Machine – taking raw talent without the "bad habits" from the independents and trying to manufacture a WrestleManiaMain-Eventer".
James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter in February 2015 on Reigns' background compared to that of his Shield teammates[88]
Reigns returned to WWE television on the December 8 episode of Raw, accepting the 2014 "Superstar of the Year" Slammy Award.[89] On December 14 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, when Big Show interfered in John Cena's match against Seth Rollins, Reigns attacked both Big Show and Rollins, helping Cena win.[90] This started a feud between Reigns and Big Show,[91] in which Reigns defeated him multiple times by countout[92] and disqualification.[93] On January 25, 2015, Reigns, entering at number 19, won the 2015 Royal Rumble match by eliminating the other entrants in the final four: Big Show, Kane and lastly Rusev.[94] The following night on Raw, Reigns acknowledged being part of the Anoaʻi family for the first time on WWE television.[95]Former WWE writer Kevin Eck said that WWE executives Vince McMahon and Triple H initially (when Reigns was still part of The Shield) refused to acknowledge Reigns' Samoan heritage as they thought it would damage Reigns' mystique.[96] On the February 2 episode of Raw, Reigns suffered his first pinfall loss in a singles match on the main roster when Big Show defeated him after interference from Rollins.[97][98] Reigns was then forced to defend his WrestleMania title shot against Daniel Bryan in the main event of Fastlane on February 22 and succeeded in doing so after beating Bryan via pinfall.[99][100] Post-Fastlane, Bryan and Paul Heyman endorsed Reigns with "two shockingly transparent promos... attempting to illustrate Reigns' greatness".[101]On March 29 at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while Reigns' main event match with Brock Lesnar was in progress, turning it into a triple threat, which Reigns lost when he was pinned by Rollins.[102]
In April, Reigns re-ignited his feud with Big Show, which culminated on April 26 in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, where Reigns defeated Show.[103] On May 17 at Payback, Reigns once again failed to win the world title from Rollins in a fatal four-way main event that also involved Orton and Ambrose.[104] On June 14 at Money in the Bank, Reigns competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which he failed to win after Bray Wyatt interfered and attacked him.[105] On July 17 at Battleground, Wyatt defeated Reigns after former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper attacked Reigns.[106][107] On the August 6 episode of SmackDown, Wyatt accepted Reigns' challenge to a tag team match at SummerSlam, with Reigns and Ambrose facing Wyatt and Harper.[108] Reigns pinned Wyatt at the event on August 23[109] and the following night on Raw in a rematch, which ended via disqualification after Reigns and Ambrose were attacked by Wyatt's new ally, the debuting Braun Strowman.[110] On September 20 at Night of Champions, Reigns and Ambrose teamed with Chris Jericho, but were defeated by Wyatt, Harper and Strowman.[111] The feud between Reigns and Wyatt ended after their Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cellpay-per-view event on October 25, in which Reigns was victorious.[112][113]
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2015–2016)
On the October 26 episode of Raw, Reigns won a fatal four-way match (also involving Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens) to become the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[114][115] However, then champion Seth Rollins legitimately injured his knee on November 4 and vacated the title the following day, which led to a tournament to crown a new champion.[116] Following this, Triple H attempted to persuade Reigns into joining The Authority by offering him a bye into the tournament finals which he declined.[117] Reigns then defeated Big Show in the first round,[117] Cesaro in the quarterfinals,[118] Alberto Del Rio in the semifinals[119] and Dean Ambrose in the finals at Survivor Series on November 22 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[120] Triple H attempted to offer congratulations, but Reigns hit him with a spear and Sheamus then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Reigns, thus ending Reigns' reign at only 5 minutes.[121][122] On December 13, Reigns failed to regain the title from Sheamus in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs following interference on Sheamus's behalf by fellow League of Nations members Alberto Del Rio and Rusev, but subsequently Reigns would attack the trio and also Triple H, who came out to stop him.[123]
The next night on Raw, Mr. McMahon granted Reigns a title rematch against Sheamus (with Reigns' career on the line), which Reigns won after overcoming McMahon, Del Rio and Rusev's interferences to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[124] On the January 4, 2016 episode of Raw, Reigns successfully defended his title against Sheamus, despite McMahon acting as the special guest referee.[125] Reigns was then slated to defend his title in the Royal Rumble match on January 24, where Reigns scored a total of five eliminations after entering first, heading backstage for much of the match after an attack by The League of Nations and was eliminated upon his return by eventual winner Triple H, thus losing the world title and lasting nearly an hour (the longest out of everyone in the match).[126] At Fastlane on February 22, Reigns pinned Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match also involving Brock Lesnar to receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania 32 on April 3,[127] where he defeated Triple H in the main event to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for a third time.[128] Earlier in March 2016, Reigns changed his ring entrance to the entrance ramp (a default like other wrestlers) instead of coming out through the crowd.[129] For this third world title reign, Reigns had two successful televised title defenses in May against AJ Styles, first at Payback[130] and then Extreme Rules.[131] Right after the Extreme Rules match against Styles on May 22, Reigns was attacked by a returning Seth Rollins.[132]
Near the end of his reign, the 2.03 TV rating for the June 13 episode of Raw which he appeared in was the lowest since March 3, 1997.[133][134] At Money in the Bank on June 19, Reigns was defeated cleanly by Rollins marking his first clean loss on the main roster, ending his title reign at 77 days.[135] On June 21, Anoaʻi was suspended for 30 days for his first violation of WWE's Wellness Program and, in response, he apologized on Twitter.[136] WWE's Wellness Program uses drug testing to detect substance abuse.[137] Pro Wrestling Torch and TheWrap reported that WWE knew of Anoaʻi's violation before Money in the Bank, leading to Reigns being scripted to lose his world title at the event.[138][139]
Grand Slam winner (2016–2018)
On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Reigns was drafted to the Raw brand.[140] Despite Reigns' suspension, WWE continued to advertise Reigns as part of the Battleground main event,[141] and went on to acknowledge Reigns' suspension on television.[142] On July 24 at Battleground, Reigns made his televised return, facing Rollins and Dean Ambrose (whom Rollins dropped the title to at Money in the Bank after Ambrose cashed-in his Money in the Bank contract) for the now-renamed WWE Championship,[143][144] but Ambrose successfully retained the championship when he pinned Reigns in a clean finish.[145] The following night on Raw, Reigns also failed to contend for the newly announced WWE Universal Championship against Rollins at SummerSlam, as he lost to the debuting Finn Bálor after earlier winning a fatal four-way match that involved Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn and Sheamus.[146]
On the August 1 episode Raw, Reigns confronted Rusev,[147] then on the August 8 episode of Raw, after interrupting Rusev and Lana's wedding celebration, Reigns challenged him for the United States Championship, at which Rusev initially declined, but Raw General Manager Mick Foley scheduled Rusev to defend the United States Championship against Reigns at SummerSlam.[148] At the event on August 21, Reigns and Rusev brawled before the match began, leading to the match being declared a no contest.[149] After Rusev cost Reigns the opportunity of becoming the number one contender for the WWE Universal Championship,[150] Reigns would defeat Rusev at Clash of Champions on September 25 to win the United States Championship,[151] and after weeks of brawling he successfully retained the title against Rusev in a Hell in a Cell match at the titular event on October 30 to end their feud.[152] Reigns was later announced as a member for Team Raw in the traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match on November 20 alongside Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, former Shield brother Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman which Team Raw lost after Reigns was the last man to be eliminated by Bray Wyatt.[153] On the November 28 episode of Raw, Reigns challenged WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens to a non-title match which Reigns won[154] and per the pre-match stipulation was awarded a rematch for the title at Roadblock: End of the Line on December 18, but lost via disqualification when Chris Jericho attacked Owens to prevent Reigns from winning the title.[155] On the January 9, 2017 episode of Raw, Reigns lost the United States Championship to Jericho in a handicap match also involving Owens ending his reign at 106 days.[156]
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This led to a no disqualification rematch with Owens at the Royal Rumble on January 29 that saw Jericho being suspended above the ring in a shark cage,[157] where Reigns lost after Braun Strowman interfered.[158] Later on the event, Reigns entered at number 30 in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Bray Wyatt, Chris Jericho and The Undertaker before being last eliminated by Randy Orton.[159] At Fastlane on March 5, Reigns defeated Strowman, becoming the first person to pin Strowman since joining the main roster.[160][161] The following night on Raw, Reigns was called out to the ring by Strowman, but instead was answered by The Undertaker, who attacked Reigns (who came out to confront Undertaker after Strowman left the ring) with a chokeslam.[162] This led to a No Holds Barred match between Reigns and Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 on April 2,[163] which Reigns won in his third consecutive WrestleMania main event and Undertaker's final match.[164] This win also made Reigns only one of two wrestlers to defeat Undertaker at WrestleMania, the other being Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX.[165] The next night on Raw, Reigns opened the show to ten minutes of severe boos and chants from the crowd, attempting to stop him from speaking, before simply stating "This is my yard now" and leaving the ring.[166][167] Reigns then resumed his feud with Strowman, who attacked him in front of Michael Cole and—after medical personnel put him inside an ambulance—Strowman pushed it over.[168] An "injured" Reigns returned to face Strowman at Payback on April 30,[169] but was defeated and afterwards further assaulted with steel steps by Strowman.[170][171][172]
Following a legitimate Strowman's injury,[173][174] which was justified in kayfabe by a Reigns' assault with a steel chair during a confrontation in the ring,[175] Reigns set his sights back on newly WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, which led Raw General Manager Kurt Angle to schedule a WWE Universal Championship number one contender's Extreme Rules fatal five-way match for Extreme Rules on June 4 between Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins[176] that Reigns failed to win.[177] On the June 19 episode of Raw, Reigns challenged whoever would be the WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam, but later that night Strowman returned in an ambulance and cost Reigns his match with Joe, before attacking and challenged him to an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire on July 9.[178] Reigns lost the match at the event, but subsequently attacked and locked Strowman inside the ambulance before driving it backwards into a production truck.[179][180][181] At SummerSlam on August 20, Reigns was pinned by Brock Lesnar in a WWE Universal Championship match also involving Strowman and Joe.[182][183] After a brief feud with John Cena,[184] Reigns defeated him at No Mercy on September 24[185] and the next night on Raw described it as the biggest win in his career.[186]
In October, due to issues with The Miz, The Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) and Cesaro and Sheamus, all three members of The Shield eventually decided to reform, with Reigns being the last member to consider doing so.[187] Reigns was due to team with Rollins and Ambrose at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22,[188] but over an illness concern Kurt Angle would take his place.[189] At Survivor Series on November 20, The Shield defeated The New Day in a six-man tag team match.[190] The following night on Raw, Reigns defeated The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship,[191] thus becoming the twenty-eighth Triple Crown and seventeenth Grand Slam champion, the second member of The Shield after Ambrose to achieve the Grand Slam.[192] Following his title win, Reigns planned to issue open challenges on a regular basis on Raw[193] and would successfully defend the title against Elias,[194] Jason Jordan,[195] Cesaro[196] and Samoa Joe[197][198] before losing to The Miz on the 25th Anniversary of Raw on January 22, 2018, ending his reign at 63 days.[199]
Universal Championship pursuit (2018–present)
Reigns then participated in the annual Royal Rumble match at the namesake pay-per-view on January 28, but failed to win the match after being last eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura.[200] After failing to regain the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz in a rematch,[201] Reigns defeated Bray Wyatt to qualify for the 2018 Elimination Chambermatch on February 25 to determine the number one contender for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship,[202] which Reigns won.[203] On March 12, Reigns was kayfabe suspended for the comments he made on Raw.[204] The following week on Raw, Reigns was kayfabe arrested by United States Marshalls for trespassing and then attacked by Lesnar twice.[205]At WrestleMania 34 on April 8, Reigns failed to win the Universal Championship from Lesnar after suffering six F-5 and bleeding during the course of the match.[206]
Other media
Reigns made his video game debut in WWE 2K14[207] and has since appeared as a playable character in WWE 2K15,[208] WWE 2K16,[209] WWE 2K17[210] and WWE 2K18.[211]
Reigns has frequently appeared on Xavier Woods' YouTube channel UpUpDownDown as "The Merchandise".[212][213]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Countdown | Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 2017 | The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! | Himself | Voice over |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Total Divas | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Conan | Himself | |
| 2015 | WWE 24 | Himself | Documentary about Reigns, his family and his experience at WrestleMania 31 |
| 2016 | Unfiltered | Himself | Interview show with Renee Young |
| 2016 | WWE 24 | Himself | Documentary about the experiences of various performers at WrestleMania 32 |
| 2016 | Good Morning America | Himself | January 7 |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–present | UpUpDownDown | Himself/The Merchandise | Regular appearances |
Persona and reception
Reigns debuted on the company's main roster in November 2012 (having performed in its developmental system from 2010) as part of stable The Shield and during this time his character was well received by critics.[214][215][216] During 2014 Royal Rumble match, the live crowd cheered for Reigns over eventual winner Batista, despite Reigns being a villain character.[217][218]
Following The Shield's break-up in 2014, Reigns (unlike the other former Shield members) retained much of The Shield's aesthetic and his popularity amongst fans and critics declined.[219][220][221][222] Various critics raised concerns that Reigns, despite being "not fully ready", was "being pushed too hard, too soon" while WWE tried to make him their next "flagship star", "no matter how fans reacted" negatively.[223][224][225][226] In a reversal from the previous year's Royal Rumble, Reigns was booed heavily after his victory despite portraying a heroic character at the 2015 Royal Rumble.[227][228] After chasing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship unsuccessfully throughout 2015, critics described WWE presenting Reigns' character as a "hard-luck underdog" chasing the world title,[229] with WWE having "spent an overwhelming amount of time" on Reigns, "bending over backwards to create new obstacles for him to overcome", "at the expense of almost everyone else on the roster".[230]
With WWE unrelenting in their multi-year effort trying to establish Reigns as a mega-star,[231] Reigns was booed at various WWE events, most notably at major pay-per-view events (where he wrestled in the main event in) such as 2015's WrestleMania 31,[232] 2016's Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 32,[233][234] as well as the 2017's Royal Rumble.[235] As a result, critics observed WWE's repeated attempts to edit out and conceal hostile fan responses in 2015–2017,[236][237][238][239][240] while Reigns was named as 2016's "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, becoming the first babyface wrestler to have been recognized as such.[11] In 2016, WWE Hall of Famers Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rikishi and Hulk Hogan encouraged WWE to turn the Reigns character into a villain[241][242][243] and after his suspension Yahoo! TV also urged WWE to "quit pretending he's some kind of lovable underdog" with a villainous turn.[244]
In February 2017, Dave Meltzer wrote that WWE's push of Reigns "will never end. Isn't that obvious by now".[245] A month later, Meltzer reported that WWE's long term plans ("which obviously could change") for 2018's WrestleMania 34 was to "once again build for a year and have the big coronation" for Reigns, who would be a babyface (the heroic character) "between now and then" and beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal title "to fully replace John Cena as the lead babyface of the company".[246] In a 2017 ESPN interview, Anoa'i said he did not view his boos "as a negative", but as "motivation". Anoa'i elaborated, "[...] thousands of people are screaming, booing at the top of their lungs, and I'm the center of attention, so I must be doing something right".[247] In September 2017 on Raw, both (storyline) general manager Kurt Angle and commentator Corey Graves described Reigns as a wrestling "icon".[248][249]
In March 2018, Reigns said regarding his reception that "everyone wants to see you do good, but not too good"; and that there is "possible jealousy" from fans regarding his "major success".[250]
Personal life
Anoaʻi is half Samoan and half Italian.[251] Both his father Sika Anoaʻi and his brother Rosey, who died on April 17, 2017, were professional wrestlers.[17] As a member of the Anoaʻi family, he is a cousin to former professional wrestlers Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga, The Tonga Kid and first cousin once-removed to The Usos and The Rock (non-biological).[17][252]
Anoaʻi married Galina Joelle Becker in early December 2014.[citation needed] He has a daughter named Joelle, with whom he appeared in a public service announcement in June 2014.[253][254] His wife, Galina, gave birth to twin boys in 2016.[255]
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Anoaʻi majored in management.[6] He is a Catholic and uses the sign of the cross every time he enters the ring.[6]
In January 2018, Richard Rodriguez, who was arrested for distributing steroids internationally, gave an interview where he identified Anoaʻi as being involved in a steroid ring under Rodriguez's company Wellness Fitness Nutrition.[257] Anoaʻi released a statement denying hearing of Rodriguez or Wellness Fitness Nutrition.[258][259][260]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
- Drive By[272] (Running front dropkick from the floor to the head of an opponent draped over the bottom rope)[268][269][270]
- Leaping clothesline[269]
- Multiple corner clotheslines[273][274][275]
- Niagara Bomb[276][277][278] (Sitout crucifix powerbomb)[279][280][281][282]
- Samoan drop[269]
- Schoolboy lifted into a deadlift sitout powerbomb[283][284]
- Superman punch, with theatrics[268][269][285][286]
- Tilt-a-whirl slam[287][288][289][290]
- Nicknames
- Entrance themes
- "Special Op" by Jim Johnston (November 18, 2012 – June 2, 2014; October 16, 2017 – present; used while a part of The Shield)[298]
- "The Truth Reigns" by Jim Johnston (June 16, 2014–present)[299]
Championships and accomplishments
Collegiate football
Professional wrestling
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2016)[11]
- Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2015)[300]
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Seth Rollins[301]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016[302]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Improved (2013)[214]
- Most Overrated (2016)[12]
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Seth Rollins[214]
- WWE
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[303]
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seth Rollins[304]
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)[305]
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[306]
- Twenty-eighth Triple Crown Champion[192]
- Ninth Grand Slam Champion (under current format; seventeenth overall)[192]
- Royal Rumble (2015)[307]
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015)[120]
- Slammy Awards (7 times)[308]
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013) with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield[309]
- Extreme Moment of the Year (2015) – Post-TLC rampage[310]
- Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield[311]
- Superstar of the Year (2014)[89]
- Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield[309]
- "What a Maneuver" of the Year (2013) – Spear[309]
THE BIG DOG ROMAN REIGNS
| Seth Rollins | |
|---|---|
Rollins in May 2017
| |
| Birth name | Colby Daniel Lopez |
| Born | May 28, 1986 Buffalo, Iowa, U.S. |
| Residence | Davenport, Iowa, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gixx[1] Seth Rollins[2] Taj the Destroyer[1] Tyler Black[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 217 lb (98 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Davenport, Iowa[3] |
| Trained by | Danny Daniels[1] |
| Debut | 2005[4] |
Colby Daniel Lopez[1] (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to WWE under the ring name Seth Rollins. He is performing on the Raw brand and is the current Intercontinental Champion in his first reign.[3]
Prior to signing with WWE, Lopez wrestled as Tyler Black for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he held the ROH World Championship once and the ROH World Tag Team Championship twice (with Jimmy Jacobs), as well as the winner of the 2009 Survival of the Fittesttournament. He also wrestled for various independent promotions including Full Impact Pro (FIP), where he was a one-time FIP World Heavyweight Champion, as well as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he was a one-time PWG World Tag Team Champion (also with Jacobs).
After signing with WWE in 2010, he was sent to its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) where he was the first FCW Grand Slam Champion. After WWE rebranded FCW into NXT, he became the inaugural NXT Champion. Rollins debuted on WWE's main roster in 2012 alongside Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield. Rollins won his first main roster championshipwhile with the group, the previously-named WWE Tag Team Championship, with Reigns. Following The Shield's first breakup in June 2014, Rollins has gone on to become a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-timeUnited States Champion, a three-time WWE/Raw Tag Team Champion (with Reigns, Ambrose and Jason Jordan, respectively), the 2014 Money in the Bank winner and the 2015 Superstar of the Year. Upon winning the Intercontinental Championship, Rollins became the twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion and the eighteenth Grand Slam Champion.
Rollins has headlined numerous major pay-per-view events for WWE, including WrestleMania 31. Industry veteran Sting, who wrestled his final match against Rollins at Night of Champions on September 20, 2015, described him as the most talented professional wrestler he has ever seen or worked with.[5]
Contents
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Early life
Lopez was born in Buffalo, Iowa.[1] He is of Armenian, German and Irish descent.[6][7][8] His surname, Lopez, comes from his Mexican-American stepfather.[6] As a teenager, Lopez used to be an introvert and was a big fan of rock music, living a straight edge lifestyle.[9] His ring name Rollins is a tribute to former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins.[10]
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2005–2009)
Lopez debuted in 2005 for Scott County Wrestling (SCW). He also worked for Ian Rotten's Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA) and entered the Ted Petty Invitational Tournament, defeating Sal Thomaselli before being eliminated by Matt Sydal in the quarterfinals in Hammond, Indiana on September 23, 2005.[11] He later won the SCW Heavyweight Championship and spray-painted the championship belt black to mark "The Black Era" in SCW.
He soon joined NWA Midwest and won the promotion's tag team championship with Marek Brave. The two successfully defended the NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship against Ryan Boz and Danny Daniels, Brett Wayne and Hype Gotti and Jayson Reign and Marco Cordova several times in early 2006.[12] He also faced Eric Priest and A.J. Styles in singles matches.
He briefly appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and teamed with Jeff Luxon in a loss to The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) on Impact! in October 2006.[13]
On May 25, 2007, while in a match with then Full Impact Pro (FIP) Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe) in Melbourne, Florida, Black's tag team partner Marek Brave suffered a legitimate back injury that sidelined him for several weeks before ultimately causing him to retire[14] (Brave eventually returned to competition in 2012). During this time, Black pursued a singles career by competing in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla(PWG), where he defeated Joey Ryan on June 10[15] and former mentor Danny Daniels at the supercard Point of No Return on June 16.[16]
At PWG's Life During Wartime on July 6, 2008, Black teamed with Jimmy Jacobs to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship by defeating Roderick Strong and El Generico, who was a replacement for Jack Evans.[17][18] At FIP's event on December 20, Black defeated Go Shiozaki to win the FIP World Heavyweight Championship.[19] At FIP's event on May 2, 2009, Davey Richards was awarded the FIP World Heavyweight Championship by forfeit when Black was unable to compete.[19]
Ring of Honor
The Age of the Fall (2007–2009)
At the Ring of Honor (ROH) pay-per-view taping of Man Up in September 2007, Black made his debut, alongside Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher, with the three attacking The Briscoe Brothers, hanging Jay Briscoe from the rigging that had been used during the ladder match earlier that night. Jacobs announced that the three had formed a stable called The Age of the Fall. The angle was so controversial that ROH decided to remove the footage from the pay-per-view that was being taped at the event.
However, the footage was heavily requested by ROH fans, so it was shown on the ROH Videowire for the week of September 15.[20] Later on in the event, Black faced Jack Evans in a dark match, which ended when Jacobs and Necro Butcher interfered leading The Irish Airborne to help Evans. A six-man tag team match between The Age of the Fall and Jack Evans and The Irish Airborne ended in a no contest when Necro Butcher attacked the referee.
Along with Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher, Black wrestled against The Vulture Squad (Jack Evans and Ruckus) in several handicap matchesduring early October,[21] Black then teamed with The Age of the Fall against Jack Evans, Ruckus and Jigsaw in a six-man tag team match the following month at Glory by Honor VI: Night One on November 1. The following night, Black defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne, but was attacked by The Briscoe Brothers following the match.[22] He appeared with The Age of the Fall in their match against The Briscoe Brothers during the main event.[23] At Final Battle 2007, Black and Jacobs defeated The Briscoe Brothers to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[24]
They lost the championship one month later on January 26 to the No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards and Rocky Romero) when competing in an Ultimate Endurance match also involving The Hangmen 3 (Brent Albright and BJ Whitmer), and the team of Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson.[24]
At Take No Prisoners, ROH's sixth pay-per-view, Black challenged Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Championship in a losing effort. At Up For Grabs, Black and Jacobs won an eight-team tournament to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a second time.[24] The two lost the championship at Driven to the team of Kevin Steen and El Generico.[24]Black had a second chance at the ROH World Championship at Death Before Dishonor VI in New York City, when he faced McGuinness, Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli in a four-way elimination match, but McGuinness retained the title.
At Final Battle 2008, after Black lost a number one contender match to Austin Aries, Jacobs turned on him, and Black was then attacked by Aries. At Full Circle, Black was given a non-title match against then ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness on January 16, and defeated McGuinness. The following night, number one contender Aries refused to face McGuinness, so Black faced McGuinness instead, but was unsuccessful as the match ended in a time limit draw. On June 26 at Violent Tendencies, Black defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a steel cage match to end their feud.
ROH World Champion (2009–2010)
In September 2009, Black had surgery on a bulging disc in his neck.[25] On October 10, Black defeated Kenny King in a first round match and then Claudio Castagnoli, Colt Cabana, Delirious, Chris Hero and Roderick Strong in the finals to win the 2009 Survival of the Fittest tournament, which earned him a match for the ROH World Championship.[26] On December 19 at Final Battle 2009, ROH's first live pay-per-view, Black wrestled then ROH World Champion Austin Aries to a 60-minute time limit draw.[27] Because of this draw, then ROH commissioner Jim Cornette booked the two in a rematch between February 13, 2010 for the company's Eighth Anniversary Show. The booking saw Cornette set up a judging panel with himself on and one person picked by each competitor, in order for there to be a decisive winner in case of another draw. Aries picked Kenny King while Black picked Roderick Strong,[28] whom he guaranteed an ROH World Championship title shot should he win. At the event, Black pinned Aries to win the ROH World Championship.[29][30]
On April 3, Black retained the title in a three-way elimination match against Austin Aries and Roderick Strong at The Big Bang! pay-per-view, thereby depriving Strong of his championship chance in a singles match.[31] He also retained the title on June 19 at the following pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor VIII, in a match against Davey Richards.[32]Black turned into a villain at the August 20 tapings of Ring of Honor Wrestling after news broke that he had signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE).[33] His new villainous character involved him criticizing the fans who were labeling him a sell-out for signing with WWE, a feeling Lopez has stated was based on true feelings.[34] He also threatened to take the ROH World Championship with him to WWE and refused to put the championship at stake in a match with Davey Richards on August 28 which he then lost by submission.[33][35] On September 11 at Glory By Honor IX, in what would have been his final ROH appearance, Black lost the ROH World Championship to Roderick Strong in a no disqualification match with Terry Funk as a guest enforcer, ending his reign at 210 days after seven successful title defenses.[36]
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Developmental territories (2010–2012)
On August 8, Lopez had signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in September.[37][38][39] Lopez was offered contracts from TNA and ROH, but Evan Bourne convinced him to join WWE.[34] On September 14, Lopez (as Tyler Black) made his WWE debut in a dark match prior to the SmackDown taping by defeating Trent Barreta.[40]
Lopez debuted for FCW on September 30 as Seth Rollins in a loss to Michael McGillicutty.[2][41] Rollins then faced Hunico on November 4 in the first ever FCW 15 match under 15-minute Iron Man rules[42] where they fought to a 1-1 draw.[43] Following this, Rollins, along with Hunico, Richie Steamboat and Jinder Mahal, participated in the FCW 15 Jack Brisco Classic tournament.[42] On January 13, 2011, Rollins defeated Hunico in the finals to win the tournament and became the inaugural FCW 15 Champion.[42][44]
On March 25 at a live event, Rollins and Richie Steamboat defeated Damien Sandow and Titus O'Neill to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[45] Rollins and Steamboat eventually lost the championship to Big E Langston and Calvin Raines.[46]
In July 2011, Rollins began a feud with Dean Ambrose.[47] Ambrose and Rollins had their first match for the FCW 15 Championship in a 15-minute Iron Man match on the August 14 episode of FCW, which ended in a draw with neither men scoring a fall and, as a result, Rollins retained his title.[48] A subsequent 20-minute rematch for the title two weeks later resulted in a similar 0-0 draw.[48] A second 30-minute rematch for the title on the September 18 episode of FCW went to a time limit 2-2 draw and the match was sent into sudden death rules, where Rollins scored a pinfall to win the match 3-2.[48] On September 22, Rollins lost the FCW 15 Championship to Damien Sandow by disqualification after Ambrose attacked Sandow late in the match.[49][50]
Rollins made a cameo in a video package that aired during the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in February 2012, where he was shown working out with John Cena in Cena's gym, as well as being featured in a speaking role.[51] On February 23, Rollins defeated Leo Kruger to become the new FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.[52]
When WWE rebranded FCW into NXT,[53] Rollins' NXT TV debut took place on the second episode of the rebooted NXT at Full Sail University on June 27, when he defeated Jiro.[54][55] Rollins entered the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the inaugural NXT Champion where he defeated Jinder Mahal in the tournament finals on the August 29 episode of NXT.[56][57] Rollins earlier defeated Drew McIntyre in the quarter-finals[58] and Michael McGillicutty in the semi-finals.[59] On the October 10 episode of NXT, Rollins had his first successful defense of his title after he beat McGillicutty.[60] During the November 15 tapings of NXT, Rollins pinned Mahal again in his second successful title defense;[61] the episode of the match aired on December 12 due to tape delay.[62]
On the January 2, 2013 episode of NXT,[63] Rollins successfully defended the NXT Championship against Corey Graves, before losing it the next week on NXT to Langston in a no disqualification match.[64] After losing the title, Rollins continued to feud with Graves and attacked him during his number one contender's match for the NXT Championship with Conor O'Brian.[65] Rollins then accepted Graves' challenge[66] and defeated him in a lumberjack match to end the feud.[67]
The Shield (2012–2014)
Rollins made his main roster debut on at Survivor Series alongside Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, attacking Ryback during the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to pin John Cena and retain the title.[68] The trio declared themselves The Shield, vowed to rally against "injustice" and would deny working for Punk, but they routinely emerged from the crowd to attack Punk's adversaries.[69][70][71][72] This led to a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match being set up for the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event, where Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) and Ryback in their debut match.[73] The Shield continued to aid Punk after TLC, attacking both Ryback and The Rock in January 2013.[74][75] It was revealed on the January 28 episode of Raw that Punk and his manager Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield and Brad Maddox to work for them all along.[76]
The Shield then quietly ended their association with Punk while beginning a feud with John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus that led to a six-man tag match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won.[77][78][79] The Shield had their first Raw match the following night, where they defeated Ryback, Sheamus and Chris Jericho.[80] Sheamus then formed an alliance with Randy Orton and Big Show to face The Shield at WrestleMania 29, where The Shield emerged victorious in their first WrestleMania match.[81][82] The following night on Raw, The Shield attempted to attack The Undertaker, but were stopped by Team Hell No.[83] This set up a six-man tag team match on the April 22 episode of Raw, which The Shield won.[84] On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Shield's undefeated streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended in a disqualification loss in a six-man elimination tag team match against John Cena, Kane and Daniel Bryan.[85]
On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Rollins and Reigns defeated Team Hell No in a tornado tag team match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[86] Rollins and Reigns made their first televised title defense on the May 27 episode of Raw by defeating Team Hell No in a rematch.[87] On the June 14 episode of SmackDown, The Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended at the hands of Team Hell No and Randy Orton when Bryan submitted Rollins.[88][89] Bryan and Orton then faced Rollins and Reigns for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Payback on June 13, but Rollins and Reigns successfully retained the championship.[90] Further successful title defenses followed against The Usos on July 14 during the Money in the Bank pre-show and The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) at Night of Champions on September 15.[91][92]
In August, The Shield began working for chief operating officer (COO) Triple H and The Authority.[93][94] At Battleground on October 6, a kayfabefired Cody Rhodes and Goldust earned their jobs back by beating Rollins and Reigns in a non-title match.[95] On the October 14 episode of Raw, Rollins and Reigns lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a no disqualification match following interference from Big Show.[96] At Hell in a Cell on October 27, Rollins and Reigns failed to regain the tag team title in a triple threat match.[97] Tension was then sown in The Shield while their recent lack of success continued with a loss to CM Punk in a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15.[98] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Rollins entered the Rumble match at number 2, had three eliminations and spent the second longest time in the match at 48 minutes before being eliminated by teammate Reigns.[99][100] The next night on Raw, The Shield competed in a six-man tag team match against Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and John Cena with all three members of the winning team qualifying to enter in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but The Shield lost the match via disqualification after The Wyatt Family interfered and attacked Cena, Bryan, and Sheamus.[101] The Shield wanted revenge and a six-man tag for The Shield against The Wyatt Family at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event on February 23 was arranged,[102] in which The Shield was defeated.[103] On the March 3 episode of Raw, The Shield lost a rematch against The Wyatt Family when The Shield's poor teamwork led to Rollins walking out during the match, with Rollins claiming that he had enough of being the glue holding the group together.[104] On the March 7 episode of SmackDown, Rollins stated The Shield reconciled despite their long-running tension after venting their frustrations on each other.[105]
Later in March, The Shield began a feud with Kane turning all of the members of The Shield into fan favorites in the process.[106][107] At WrestleMania XXX on April 6, The Shield defeated Kane and The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg), thus winning their second WrestleMania match as a group.[108] The Shield then feuded with Triple H, the COO of WWE and leader of The Authority,[109] who then reformed Evolution with Batista and Randy Orton to take on The Shield.[110] The Shield defeated Evolution at the next two pay-per-view events, Extreme Rules and Payback, in what turned out to be their last matches as factions for both Evolution and The Shield.[111][112]
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2014–2015)
On the June 2 episode of Raw, after Batista left Evolution and WWE,[112] Triple H revealed his "plan B", which turned out to be Rollins attacking Ambrose and Reigns to rejoin The Authority and turn back into a villain.[113] Rollins later explained his actions by stating that The Shield would not be a success without him and Ambrose and Reigns were not his brothers, like they claimed, but business partners to help him move up in WWE.[114][115]
On the June 17 episode of Main Event, Rollins, acting on behalf of The Authority, entered himself into the traditional Money in the Bank ladder matchfor a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract at Money in the Bank,[116] which he won after Kane interfered, attacked Ambrose and held the ladder in place for Rollins to climb.[117] Rollins defeated Ambrose twice, the first being at Battleground in July via forfeit (after their match was called off by Triple H since Ambrose attacked Rollins backstage prior to their match)[118] and the second in August at SummerSlam in a lumberjack matchafter hitting him with his Money in the Bank briefcase.[119] The following night on Raw, Rollins defeated again Ambrose in a Falls Count Anywhere match by referee stoppage after Kane interfered and helped Rollins execute a Curb Stomp on Ambrose through cinder blocks.[120] In September, a match between Rollins and Roman Reigns was set up for Night of Champions, but six days before the pay-per-view event, Reigns cleanly defeated Rollins in a singles match on Raw.[121] However, Reigns developed a legitimate incarcerated hernia which required surgery a day or two prior to Night of Champions and therefore Rollins was declared the winner via forfeit, but he was then attacked by a returning Ambrose.[122] On the September 29 episode of Raw, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury aligned themselves with The Authority and started acting as bodyguards to Rollins.[123] At Hell in a Cell on October 26, Rollins defeated Ambrose in the Hell in a Cell main event match after Bray Wyatt interfered and attacked Ambrose.[124] At Survivor Series on November 23, Rollins captained Team Authority in a five-on-five elimination tag team match against Team Cena, in which Rollins was the sole survivor and was eliminated by Dolph Ziggler.[125] Rollins continued his feud with Cena in December at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, which led to a tables match won by Cena.[126][127]
On January 25, 2015 at the Royal Rumble, Rollins competed for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against Cena and Brock Lesnar, which Lesnar won.[128] In February, Rollins started a war-of-words feud with The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, claiming that he could host the show better than Stewart.[129] Rollins was attacked by the return Randy Orton following his match at Fastlane on February 22,[130]which led to a match between the two at WrestleMania 31 on March 29, where Rollins was defeated.[131] Later that night, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during Lesnar and Reigns' match, thus making it into a triple threat match, which Rollins won by pinning Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.[132] This made Rollins the first man to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania and during title match.[133] Rollins continued his feud with Orton after WrestleMania 31, which led to a steel cage match with Orton's RKO banned and Kane as the gatekeeper at Extreme Rules on April 26,[134] where Rollins retained his championship by escaping the cage, after Kane attacking both men and Rollins performed an RKO on Orton.[135] In May, tension rose between Rollins and Kane after the latter announced Rollins' title defense against Orton and Reigns at Payback.[136] When Ambrose defeated Rollins in a non-title match on the May 5 episode of Raw, he was added to the match, thus making it a fatal-four way match[137] which saw Kane side with Rollins and him winning the match after performing a Pedigree (Triple H's finishing move) on Orton.[138] Rollins then retained the championship against Ambrose on May 31 at Elimination Chamber after he got himself disqualified for shoving the referee[139] and on June 14 at Money in the Bank in a ladder match.[140]
At Battleground on July 19, Rollins retained the championship by disqualification against Lesnar after The Undertaker attacked Lesnar.[141][142]Rollins then re-ignited his feud with John Cena[143] and defeated him in a Winner Takes All match at SummerSlam on August 23 for both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship after Jon Stewart attacked Cena.[144] With the win, Rollins became the first and only wrestler to hold both championships simultaneously until he went on to lose the United States Championship back to Cena at Night of Champions on September 20,[145] but was able to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a clean finish against Sting.[146] On October 25 at Hell in a Cell, Rollins successfully defended the championship against "Demon" Kane and as a pre-match stipulation "Corporate" Kane was fired as Director of Operations.[147]
On November 4 during a match against Kane at a WWE live event in Dublin, Ireland, Rollins tore the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus in his knee while attempting to execute a sunset flip powerbomb.[148] The injury required surgery and it was estimated it would take Rollins out of action for approximately six to nine months, therefore he was forced to vacatethe WWE World Heavyweight Championship the next day and thus ending his reign at 221 days,[149] though WWE recognizes his reign as lasting 220 days and ending the day he got injured.[150] On the December 21 episode of Raw, Rollins (on crutches) made a special appearance to accept his Slammy Award for 2015 Superstar of the Year and during his acceptance speech claimed he would redesign and rebuild himself, as well as winning back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship which he never lost.[151]
Feud with Triple H (2016–2017)
At Extreme Rules on May 22, Rollins returned from injury by attacking Roman Reigns with a Pedigree after his WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense against AJ Styles.[152] The following night on Raw, Rollins addressed the fans and said that he did not need anyone on his side, with Shane McMahon announcing a match between Reigns and Rollins for the title at Money in the Bank.[153] Meanwhile, critics wondered if WWE was "leaving money on the table" by not slotting Rollins as a fan favorite and Reigns as a villain,[154][155] as this was the opposite of what fans wanted (fans were cheering Rollins and booing Reigns).[156][157] At Money in the Bank on June 19, Rollins defeated Reigns to win his second WWE World Heavyweight Championship, thus also giving Reigns his first clean loss in singles competition on main roster, only to lose the championship minutes later to Dean Ambrose, who would cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase he won earlier that night and immediately defeat Rollins for the title.[158] In July, Rollins failed to regain the renamed WWE Championship[159] in matches against Ambrose on both Raw and SmackDown before Battleground.[160][161][162] In the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, Rollins was drafted to Raw as the brand's first draft pick.[163] At Battleground on July 24, Rollins lost the triple threat match against Ambrose and Reigns for the newly renamed WWE World Championship,[164] which became exclusive of SmackDown.[165][166] Because of this, the WWE Universal Championship was introduced the following night on Raw[167] and Rollins was scheduled for the inaugural title match against Finn Bálor, who won two qualifying matches on Raw to face Rollins for the title at SummerSlam on August 21,[168] which he failed to win.[169]
After Bálor relinquished the title on the August 22 episode of Raw due to a legit shoulder injury suffered in the match at SummerSlam,[170] Rollins defeated Sami Zayn to qualify for a fatal four-way match to determine the new WWE Universal Champion.[171] On the August 29 episode of Raw, Rollins faced Big Cass, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns in a four-way elimination match for the title, in which a returning Triple H helped Rollins to eliminate Reigns, but then turned on Rollins by giving him a Pedigree, allowing Owens to win the championship and turning Rollins into a fan favorite in the process for the first time since 2014.[172] On the September 5 episode of Raw, Rollins interrupted Owens' celebration by confronting Stephanie McMahon, who denied any knowledge of her husband's attack, while Owens began to berate Rollins, which caused Rollins to attack him.[173] McMahon initially suspended Rollins for the attack, but Mick Foley overruled it and granted him a rematch against Owens for the WWE Universal Championship at Clash of Champions,[174] which he lost after interference from Chris Jericho.[175] Rollins also suffered a legitimate rib injury.[176] At Hell in a Cell on October 30, Rollins failed to capture the WWE Universal Championship in a Hell in a Cell match after Jericho was able to enter the cell and assist Owens.[177] Rollins teamed with Jericho, Owens, Reigns and Braun Strowman as part of Team Raw at Survivor Series on November 20 in a losing effort.[178] On the post-Survivor Series' Raw episode, Rollins failed again to win the WWE Universal Championship from Owens in a no disqualification match after interference from Jericho.[179] The following week on Raw, Rollins attacked Jericho in the parking area while Jericho was attempting to leave the arena.[180] At Roadblock: End of the Line on December 4, Rollins defeated Jericho.[181]
Rollins then announced his participation in the 2017 Royal Rumble match via Twitter on January 9,[182] but on the January 23 episode of Raw was defeated by Sami Zayn after a distraction by Triple H's music and thus replaced by him in the match.[183] On January 28, Rollins appeared at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, interrupting the show and calling out Triple H, who came out only to order security to remove Rollins from the ring, which was successful despite Rollins fighting off the first batch of security guards.[184] On the January 30 episode of Raw, Rollins (who had been banned from the Royal Rumble the night before)[185] confronted Stephanie McMahon and once again called out Triple H, demanding answers.[186] Later that night, Triple H came out explaining that he betrayed Rollins because he felt that he was "a failure on his own" and before Rollins could confront Triple H he was ambushed from behind by the debuting Samoa Joe, who trapped Rollins in the Coquina Clutch and choked him out.[187] During the attack, WWE announced on their website that Rollins re-injured his knee.[188] On the February 27 episode of Raw, Rollins explained his knee injury to Corey Graves inside the ring and confronted Triple H by telling him that he would be at WrestleMania 33.[189] An injured Rollins returned on the March 13 episode of Raw to save Mick Foley from an attack by Triple H, signifying he was cleared by doctors, but was attacked by Triple H once more.[190] In their non-sanctioned match at WrestleMania 33, Rollins defeated Triple H after executing a Pedigree.[191]
After WrestleMania 33, Rollins began a feud with Samoa Joe, whom he defeated at Payback on April 30 to give Joe his first singles loss on the main roster.[192] At Extreme Rules on June 4, Rollins competed in a fatal five-way Extreme Rules match to determine the number one contender to the WWE Universal Championship also involving Bálor, Joe, Reigns and Wyatt, which was won by Joe.[193]
The Shield reunion (2017–2018)
On the July 10 episode of Raw, Rollins saved former stablemate and long-time rival Dean Ambrose from an attack by The Miz and the Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas).[194]After failing to gain Ambrose's trust, Rollins offered Ambrose to attack him with a steel chair as retribution for Rollins' betrayal, but Ambrose refused and the two were then ambushed by Miz and the Miztourage, which resulted in Raw General Manager Kurt Angle scheduling a handicap match for the following week on Raw,[195] which they won despite Ambrose refusing to fist bump Rollins after the match.[196] In the following weeks, Ambrose and Rollins started a feud with Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus[197] and eventually getting a title match at SummerSlam,[198] but the two kept distrusting each other.[199] This led the two to argue in the ring on the August 14 episode of Raw, which culminated in Ambrose and Rollins brawling with each other only to fight off Cesaro and Sheamus and performing a fist bump to a loud ovation.[200] At SummerSlam on August 20, Ambrose and Rollins defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to win the Raw Tag Team Championship.[201][202]
After weeks of feuding with The Miztourage and Cesaro and Sheamus (against whom they successfully defended their championship on September 24 at No Mercy[203] and on the October 16 episode of Raw),[204] both common enemies of Ambrose and Rollins as well as of former Shield teammate Roman Reigns, they officially reunited with Reigns on the October 9 episode of Raw, reforming The Shield.[205] The Shield was due to face the team of Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Kane, The Miz and Sheamus on October 22 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders and Chairs match,[206] but over an illness concern Kurt Angle would take Reigns' place.[207] Ambrose, Rollins and Angle would go on to win the match.[208] Ambrose and Rollins were due to face SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos in a non-title interbrand match at Survivor Series,[209] but they lost the title back to Cesaro and Sheamus after SmackDown's New Day appearance on the November 6 episode of Raw,[210] ending their reign at 78 days.[211] This led to a match between The Shield and The New Day at Survivor Series on November 20,[212] which The Shield won.[213]
On the December 25 episode of Raw, Rollins teamed with Jason Jordan and defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.[214] Rollins would help Jordan defeat Cesaro on the January 1, 2018 episode of Raw.[215] On the January 8 episoide of Raw, Rollins and Jordan would team up with Roman Reigns to take on Bálor Club (Finn Bálor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) in a losing effort.[216] The following week on Raw, Rollins faced Bálor in a rematch from SummerSlam and defeated him after interference from Jordan by performing a Blackout (previously known as the Curb Stomp), the first time the move had been used in nearly three years prior.[217] At the Royal Rumbleon January 28, Rollins entered at No. 18 in the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by Reigns.[218] Right after the Royal Rumble match, Rollins and Jordan lost the tag team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus, endning their reign at 34 days.[219][220][221] Rollins and Jordan's tag team was dissolved on February 6 after Jordan had neck surgery.[222]
Intercontinental Champion (2018–present)
On the February 12 episode of Raw, Rollins competed in a fatal five-way match against Apollo Crews, Bray Wyatt, Bálor and Matt Hardy to determine the final entrant in the Elimination Chamber match to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber, but it ended with Rollins and Bálor simultaneously pinning Wyatt, resulting in both being added to the match.[223] On the February 19 episode of Raw, Rollins participated in a seven-man gauntlet match against Roman Reigns, John Cena, Finn Bálor, Elias, The Miz and Braun Strowman (Rollins defeated Reigns in the first fall and then Cena, before being eliminated by Elias), wrestling for one hour and five minutes, the longest performance in a match by any wrestler in Raw history.[224][225] At Elimination Chamber on February 25, Rollins was the fifth man eliminated by Strowman.[226][227]At WrestleMania 34 on April, Rollins became the first man to pin The Miz at WrestleMania in a triple threat match also involving defeated Bálor to win the Intercontinental Championship[228][229] and become twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion and the eighteenth Grand Slam Champion in WWE history, respectively.[230]
Personal life
Lopez resides in Davenport, Iowa[1] and is a fan of the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Cardinals.[6] Lopez is an atheist.[231][232]
In 2014, Lopez and his former tag team partner Marek Brave started The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academy, a professional wrestling school located in Moline, Illinois.[233]
On February 9, 2015, a nude photo of former NXT wrestler Zahra Schreiber, reportedly Lopez's girlfriend,[234] was posted to his social media accounts, the contents of which are automatically republished by WWE.com.[235] Soon after, nude photos of Lopez were posted on the Twitter page of his then-fiancée,[236] Leighla Schultz.[237] In response, Lopez apologized for "private photographs that were distributed without [his] consent".[238][239] On February 25, 2016, Lopez revealed that he had broken up with Schreiber, but he did not say what caused the split.[240]
Other media
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | AstroTech Lopez | Film debut |
| 2017 | The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! | Seth Rollins/Reactor Rollins | Voice |
| Armed Response | Brett |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Good Morning America | Himself | [246] |
| The Daily Show | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition | Himself | "Pearls" (season 5, episode 7) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Smosh Games | Himself | Game Bang where the game was Gang Beasts[247] |
| 2016 | Superstar Ink | Himself | |
| 2015–present | UpUpDownDown | Himself/The Champ | Regular appearances |
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Seth Rollins
- Avada Kedavra[248] (FCW/NXT) Superkick to a kneeling or seated opponent (WWE)[249]
- Blackout/Curb Stomp/Peace of Mind/The Stomp[250][54][251][252][253] – 2012–2015, 2018–present
- Diving high knee,[254][255] sometimes while springboarding[256] – 2012–2016
- King's Landing/Knee/Revolution Knee[257][258][259] (Wrist lock transitioned into a short-arm high knee) – 2017–2018, used as a signature move afterwards
- Pedigree (Double underhook facebuster)[138][260] – 2015–2017, adopted from Triple H[261]
- Skywalker (Standing shiranui) (NXT)[254][262]
- Snap single underhook front facelock drop – early 2015[263][264]
- As Tyler Black
- God's Last Gift[4] (Small package driver,[4] sometimes from the top rope[265] or while applying a wrist-clutch)[266]
- Paroxysm (Swinging lifting inverted DDT)[267][268]
- Phoenix splash[1][4]
- Turnbuckle powerbomb followed by a superkick[4]
- Signature moves
- As Seth Rollins
- Blockbuster[269][270]
- Buckle Bomb (Turnbuckle powerbomb)[255][271]
- Corner forearm smash[255][271][272][273]
- Diving double foot stomp to an opponent held in the tree of woe position[269][270]
- Falcon Arrow (Sitout suplex slam), usually preceded by a superplex[274][275]
- Frog splash[269][270]
- Multiple kick variations
- Phoenix splash[1]
- Reverse STO into the turnbuckle,[255] often as a counter to a running opponent[271][272][273]
- Running shooting star press[277]
- Springboard clothesline[267]
- Sling Blade[278]
- Suicide dive[254][273]
- Suicide somersault senton[276]
- As Tyler Black
- Managers
- Allison Wonderland[1]
- J&J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury)[123]
- Lacey[1]
- Mr. Milo Beasley[1]
- Rain[1]
- Nicknames
- Entrance themes
- "American Love" by Haste the Day (IWA Mid-South)[287]
- "Battle On" by War of Ages (ROH)[288]
- "The Haunted" by Walls of Jericho (ROH)[289]
- "Flesh It Out" by Blues Saraceno (NXT)[290]
- "Special Op" by Jim Johnston (WWE; used while a part of The Shield)[291]
- "King of Kings" by Motörhead (WWE; used while part of The Authority)[292]
- "The Second Coming" with "Burn It Down" as intro by CFO$ (WWE)[293]
- As Seth Rollins
- Avada Kedavra[248] (FCW/NXT) Superkick to a kneeling or seated opponent (WWE)[249]
- Blackout/Curb Stomp/Peace of Mind/The Stomp[250][54][251][252][253] – 2012–2015, 2018–present
- Diving high knee,[254][255] sometimes while springboarding[256] – 2012–2016
- King's Landing/Knee/Revolution Knee[257][258][259] (Wrist lock transitioned into a short-arm high knee) – 2017–2018, used as a signature move afterwards
- Pedigree (Double underhook facebuster)[138][260] – 2015–2017, adopted from Triple H[261]
- Skywalker (Standing shiranui) (NXT)[254][262]
- Snap single underhook front facelock drop – early 2015[263][264]
- As Tyler Black
- God's Last Gift[4] (Small package driver,[4] sometimes from the top rope[265] or while applying a wrist-clutch)[266]
- Paroxysm (Swinging lifting inverted DDT)[267][268]
- Phoenix splash[1][4]
- Turnbuckle powerbomb followed by a superkick[4]
- As Seth Rollins
- Blockbuster[269][270]
- Buckle Bomb (Turnbuckle powerbomb)[255][271]
- Corner forearm smash[255][271][272][273]
- Diving double foot stomp to an opponent held in the tree of woe position[269][270]
- Falcon Arrow (Sitout suplex slam), usually preceded by a superplex[274][275]
- Frog splash[269][270]
- Multiple kick variations
- Phoenix splash[1]
- Reverse STO into the turnbuckle,[255] often as a counter to a running opponent[271][272][273]
- Running shooting star press[277]
- Springboard clothesline[267]
- Sling Blade[278]
- Suicide dive[254][273]
- Suicide somersault senton[276]
- As Tyler Black
- Allison Wonderland[1]
- J&J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury)[123]
- Lacey[1]
- Mr. Milo Beasley[1]
- Rain[1]
- "American Love" by Haste the Day (IWA Mid-South)[287]
- "Battle On" by War of Ages (ROH)[288]
- "The Haunted" by Walls of Jericho (ROH)[289]
- "Flesh It Out" by Blues Saraceno (NXT)[290]
- "Special Op" by Jim Johnston (WWE; used while a part of The Shield)[291]
- "King of Kings" by Motörhead (WWE; used while part of The Authority)[292]
- "The Second Coming" with "Burn It Down" as intro by CFO$ (WWE)[293]
Championships and accomplishments
- Absolute Intense Wrestling
- AIW Intense Championship (1 time)[294]
- All American Wrestling
- AAW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[295]
- AAW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Marek Brave (1) and Jimmy Jacobs (1)[295]
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[296]
- FCW 15 Championship (1 time)[297]
- FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Richie Steamboat[45]
- Jack Brisco Classic (2011)[298]
- First FCW Grand Slam Champion[248]
- Full Impact Pro
- Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
- Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling
- MCPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[299]
- NWA Midwest
- NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marek Brave[294]
- Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
- PWG World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jimmy Jacobs[1]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2014) vs. Dean Ambrose[300]
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2015)[301]
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Roman Reigns[302]
- Wrestler of the Year (2015)[301]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015[303]
- Ring of Honor
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Roman Reigns[306]
- WWE
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)[307][308]
- WWE/Raw Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Roman Reigns (1), Dean Ambrose (1) and Jason Jordan (1)[309][310]
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)[311][312]
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[313][314]
- Money in the Bank (2014)[315]
- Twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion[230]
- Eleventh Grand Slam Champion (under current format; nineteenth overall)[230]
- Slammy Awards (9 times)[316]
- Anti-Gravity Moment of the Year (2014) Diving off the balcony at Payback[317]
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[318]
- Double-Cross of the Year (2014) Betraying The Shield and joining The Authority[317]
- Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[317][318]
- Fan Participation (2014) "You Sold Out"[317]
- Match of the Year (2014) Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series[317]
- Superstar of the Year (2015)[319]
- Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[318]
- WWE NXT
- AIW Intense Championship (1 time)[294]
- AAW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[295]
- AAW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Marek Brave (1) and Jimmy Jacobs (1)[295]
- FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[296]
- FCW 15 Championship (1 time)[297]
- FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Richie Steamboat[45]
- Jack Brisco Classic (2011)[298]
- First FCW Grand Slam Champion[248]
- MCPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[299]
- NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marek Brave[294]
- PWG World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jimmy Jacobs[1]
- Feud of the Year (2014) vs. Dean Ambrose[300]
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2015)[301]
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Roman Reigns[302]
- Wrestler of the Year (2015)[301]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015[303]
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Roman Reigns[306]
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)[307][308]
- WWE/Raw Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Roman Reigns (1), Dean Ambrose (1) and Jason Jordan (1)[309][310]
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)[311][312]
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[313][314]
- Money in the Bank (2014)[315]
- Twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion[230]
- Eleventh Grand Slam Champion (under current format; nineteenth overall)[230]
- Slammy Awards (9 times)[316]
- Anti-Gravity Moment of the Year (2014) Diving off the balcony at Payback[317]
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[318]
- Double-Cross of the Year (2014) Betraying The Shield and joining The Authority[317]
- Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[317][318]
- Fan Participation (2014) "You Sold Out"[317]
- Match of the Year (2014) Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series[317]
- Superstar of the Year (2015)[319]
- Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield[318]
Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Dean Ambrose and is currently inactive due to a triceps injury.
Good is also known for his work on the independent circuit under the ring name Jon Moxley between 2004 and 2011. He worked for various promotions including Full Impact Pro (FIP), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Ring of Honor (ROH), Evolve Wrestling (EVOLVE) and Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), winning the FIP World Heavyweight Championship once and the CZW World Heavyweight Championship twice.
After signing with WWE under his current ring name, Ambrose competed in their former developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), along with their current territory NXT through 2011, before joining the main roster in 2012 as a member of The Shieldwith Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Ambrose won his first championship while in the group, the United States Championship, with his 351-day reign being the third-longest in history and a company record within WWE (who acquired the title upon purchasing World Championship Wrestling in 2001).
Following The Shield's breakup, Ambrose has gone on to become a one-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a two-timeIntercontinental Champion and a one-time Raw Tag Team Champion (with Rollins). He was also the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match winner and successfully cashed in his contract to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Upon winning the Raw Tag Team Championship, Ambrose became the twenty-seventh Triple Crown Champion and the sixteenth and youngest Grand Slam Champion, the first Shield member to have completed it. Ambrose has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WWE.
Contents
[hide]- 1Early life
- 2Professional wrestling career
- 3Wrestling persona
- 4Other media
- 5Personal life
- 6In wrestling
- 7Championships and accomplishments
- 8Notes
- 9References
- 10External links
Early life
Jonathan David Good[1][6] was born in Cincinnati, Ohio[1] on December 7, 1985.[2][3] Much of his wrestling persona is based on his own real-life upbringing in Cincinnati's East End, where he spent most of his childhood in public housing.[5] His father, who worked in Indianapolis 70 miles away, was largely absent in Good's life[7] and Good has gone on to say that his biggest accomplishment since joining WWE was being able to buy a house for his mother away from the rough neighborhoods in Cincinnati.[7] An avid wrestling fan who idolized Bret Hart as a child, Good used wrestling as an escape from his rough upbringing by immersing himself in wrestling videotapes and reading stories about wrestling's earlier days.[5][8]A year after beginning to train as a wrestler, he dropped out of high school,[8] which he later compared to Peter Gibbons from the movie Office Space coming to work and "checking out".[7]
Professional wrestling career
Heartland Wrestling Association (2004–2010)
Good began working for Les Thatcher at the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) as a teenager by selling popcorn and setting up the ring before beginning to train at the age of 18 (Thatcher refused to train Good until he was 18 years old) as a professional wrestler under Thatcher and Cody Hawk.[5][8] Using the ring name Jon Moxley, he made his debut in June 2004. Less than a year into his career, Moxley teamed up with Jimmy Turner as Necessary Roughness and on May 11, 2005 they defeated the team of Extreme Desire (Mike Desire and Tack) to win the HWA Tag Team Championship.[5] After Ala Hussein and Quinten Lee, who made up the team Foreign Intelligence, defeated Necessary Roughness for the HWA Tag Team Championship, Moxley started teaming with Ric Byrne in a team known as Heartland Foundation. They defeated Foreign Intelligence for the title on August 19, but were stripped of the championship for unknown reasons the same day.
In 2006, Moxley started challenging for the HWA Heavyweight Championship and he assembled a stable called The Crew which over time had wrestlers like Sami Callihan, Dick Rick, Eric Darkside and Pepper Parks. On May 9, 2006, Moxley beat Pepper Parks to win the HWA Heavyweight Championship and held the title for more than four months until he dropped it to Chad Collyer on September 12. Moxley regained the HWA Heavyweight Championship on December 30 by defeating Parks, but lost it on January 2, 2007 to Brian Jennings.
Moxley returned to the tag team division when he teamed up with his former trainer Cody Hawk.[5] On June 12, Moxley and Hawk defeated Tack and Tarek the Legend to win the HWA Tag Team Championship. However, Moxley and Hawk's reign lasted four days as Andre Heart and Richard Phillips, collectively known as GP Code, defeated them for the title. Moxley continued to work in the tag team division for the rest of 2007 through early 2010.
In 2009, Moxley started teaming up with rival King Vu in a team known as Royal Violence. They captured the HWA Tag Team Championship twice while teaming together. The first time they captured the title was on October 14, when they defeated the Kosher Klub. They held the title until December 2, when they were defeated by The Irish Airborne (Dave and Jake Crist), but regained it on December 19.
While still one half of the HWA Tag Team Champions with King Vu, Moxley captured the HWA Heavyweight Championship for a third time. On January 6, 2010, he successfully cashed in his "Pick Your Poison" title shot against Aaron Williams. King Vu then turned on Moxley, costing them the HWA Tag Team Championship. On February 24, The Noble Bloods (Lord Matthew Taylor and Sir Chadwick Cruise) defeated Royal Violence for the championship. On July 14, Moxley lost the HWA Heavyweight Championship to Gerome Phillips.[9]
Insanity Pro Wrestling (2007–2011)
After Moxley's successful defense of the IPW World Heavyweight Championship against Aaron Williams at IPW Desperate Measures on June 5, 2010, Jimmy Jacobs attacked Moxley causing the locker room to come out and separate them both.[10] Moxley wondered why Jacobs attacked him, then both proceeded to have a war of words with each other in the back.[11] On August 21 at IPW 9th Anniversary: Reign of the Insane, Moxley defeated Jacobs to successfully retain the IPW World Heavyweight Championship.[10] On October 2 at Shocktoberfest, Moxley defeated Drake Younger in a Three Stages of Insanity match to successfully retain the IPW World Heavyweight Championship.[12] On January 1, 2011 at Showdown in Naptown, Moxley lost the IPW World Heavyweight Championship to Jimmy Jacobs in a dog collar match due to referee stoppage.[13]
Combat Zone Wrestling (2009–2011)
On June 6, 2009, Moxley was a participant in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW)'s Tournament of Death VIII. In the first round, Moxley defeated Brain Damage in a Dining Death match, but lost in the semifinals to Nick "F'N" Gage in a triple threat Fans Bring the Weapons match also including Scotty Vortekz. On October 25, Moxley participated in the CZW Tournament of Death: Rewind and in the first round he faced Thumbtack Jack in a Four Corners of Fun dog collar match, which he lost.
At the CZW 11th Anniversary Show on February 12, 2010, Moxley defeated B-Boy to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship.[5] On August 8, Moxley lost the CZW World Heavyweight Championship to Nick Gage in a Ultraviolent three-way dance also involving Drake Younger.[14] On August 14, Moxley regained the CZW World Heavyweight Championship from Gage in a three-way dance also involving Egotistico Fantastico.[15] At the CZW 12th Anniversary show on February 12, 2011, Moxley lost the CZW World Heavyweight Championship to Robert Anthony.[16]
Dragon Gate USA (2009–2011)
Moxley started working for Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) in 2009 and on November 28 he defeated B-Boy via submission in a dark match.[3] Moxley continued to work for Dragon Gate USA in 2010 and on January 23 he defeated Darin Corbin in a dark match. Later that night, he attacked Lacey until Tommy Dreamer made the save.[3] Moxley then teamed up with Brian Kendrick on March 26 in a match against Paul London and Jimmy Jacobs in which Moxley and Kendrick won. Following the match, Kendrick and London put Moxley through a table.[3] On March 27, Moxley made his pay-per-view debut with Dragon Gate USA in Phoenix, Arizona, facing Dreamer in a hardcore match taped for Mercury Rising, which Moxley won.[5][17] At the May 8 Uprising pay-per-view taping in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Moxley suffered an injury where his left nipple was nearly severed during a match with Jimmy Jacobs.[18]
At Freedom Fight (which aired on January 7, 2011), Moxley and Akira Tozawa were defeated by Homicide and Open the Freedom Gate Champion BxB Hulk in a tag team match.
Other promotions (2007–2011)
Moxley competed in two matches for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2007. On February 23, Moxley teamed with Alex Payne in a losing effort against Bobby Dempsey and Rhett Titus in a dark match.[3] On June 22, Moxley lost to Mitch Franklin in another dark match.[3]
At Full Impact Pro's (FIP) Southern Stampede event on April 17, 2010, Moxley defeated Roderick Strong to win the vacant FIP World Heavyweight Championship.[19] On August 7 at Cage Of Pain III, Moxley defeated Bruce Santee to retain the title.[5]
Moxley made his Evolve debut at Evolve 3: Rise or Fall on May 1, 2010 by losing to Drake Younger.[20] On July 23, Moxley fought Brodie Lee to a double disqualification at Evolve 4: Danielson vs Fish.[21] At Evolve 6: Aries vs. Taylor on November 10, Moxley defeated Homicide in a Relaxed Rules match after the referee called for the bell.[22] On April 19, 2011, Moxley wrestled his Evolve farewell match, facing Austin Aries in a losing effort.[23]
Moxley made his debut for Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) on October 23, 2010 at Halloween Hell in which he defeated Devon Moore.[24] On February 5, 2011, JAPW debuted in South River, New Jersey and Moxley became the newest member of the United States Death Machine.
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Florida Championship Wrestling (2011–2012)
On April 4, 2011 it was confirmed that Good had signed a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Dragon Gate USA granted his release from the promotion.[25] Good had previously appeared for the promotion as Jon Moxley on January 20, 2006, when he teamed with Brad Attitude in a loss to MNM in a match taped for Velocity.[3] On May 27, he joined WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the name Dean Ambrose.[26][27]
Ambrose made his televised debut on the July 3 episode of FCW where he challenged Seth Rollins, another prominent independent wrestler.[26][28] Ambrose and Rollins had their first match for the FCW 15 Championship in a 15-minute Iron Man match on the August 14 episode of FCW which ended in a draw with neither man scoring a fall, so Rollins retained the title.[29] A subsequent 20 minute rematch for the title two weeks later resulted in a similar 0–0 draw.[29] A second 30-minute rematch for the title on the September 18 episode of FCWwent to a time limit 2–2 draw and the match was sent into sudden death rules, where Rollins scored a pinfall to win the match 3–2.[26][29] Of note, an entire episode of FCW was dedicated to hyping and showing the third match in the series.[29] Ambrose finally beat Rollins in a non-title match in the first round of the Super Eight tournament to crown the new FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.[30] However, Ambrose was unsuccessful in the tournament final as Leo Kruger won the fatal four-way match.[30] Ambrose also cost Rollins his FCW 15 title by attacking Damien Sandow during his title match with Rollins, causing a disqualification in the deciding fall.[31] Ambrose then unsuccessfully challenged Sandow for the FCW 15 title,[32] before Leakee defeated both Ambrose and Rollins during a triple threat match to determine the number one contender to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.[33]
At an FCW house show on October 21, Ambrose challenged WWE wrestler CM Punk, who was making a guest appearance, to a match in which Ambrose was defeated in a 30-minute match, but was later paid tribute to by Punk.[26][34] Ambrose's behind-the-back attack on WWE wrestler and FCW commentator William Regal set up a match between the two on the November 6 episode of FCW, where Regal pinned Ambrose to win the match.[26][35] Following the loss to Regal, Ambrose became obsessed about wanting a rematch and regularly taunted Regal by using Regal's finishing moves to win matches.[36] Ambrose started appearing at WWE house shows in December 2011.[37] At WrestleMania XXVIII Axxess in April 2012, Ambrose had a confrontation with veteran hardcore wrestler Mick Foley, claiming that Foley needed to be held accountable for leading a generation astray.[38] Ambrose continued his verbal assault on Foley through Twitter[39] and WWE reacted by "sending Ambrose home" from the SmackDown taping.[40] Ambrose challenged old nemesis Seth Rollins for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship on the June 24 episode of FCW, but Rollins defeated him.[41] Ambrose finally received a rematch with Regal on the final episode of FCW on July 15, which ended in a no contest when Ambrose kneed Regal's head into an exposed turnbuckle, causing Regal to bleed from the ear, but after the match nonetheless applauded Ambrose and allowed him to deliver a running knee lift, which prompted the FCW locker room to get in the ring to separate Ambrose from a fallen Regal while commentators questioned whether Regal would ever be able to wrestle again.[42]
The Shield (2012–2014)
In November 2012, Ambrose made his main roster debut at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as they delivered a triple powerbomb through an announce table to Ryback during the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to pin John Cena and retain the title.[43] The trio declared themselves The Shield and vowed to rally against "injustice", while they denied working for Punk, even though The Shield would routinely emerge from the crowd to attack Punk's adversaries, including Ryback and the WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane).[44][45][46][47] This led to a six-man Tables, Ladders and Chairs match being set up for the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event on December 16, where Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in their debut match.[48] The Shield continued to aid Punk after TLC, both on Rawand at the Royal Rumble in January 2013.[49][50] The night after the Royal Rumble it was revealed through footage that Punk and his manager Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield and Brad Maddox to work for them all along.[51] The Shield then quietly ended their association with Punk while a feud with John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus led to a six-man tag match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which the Shield won.[52][52][53][54] The Shield had their first match on Raw the following night, where they defeated Chris Jericho, Ryback and Sheamus.[55] They continued to feud with Sheamus, who formed an alliance with Randy Orton and Big Show to face off The Shield at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, where The Shield defeated the trio in their first WrestleMania match.[56][57] The following night on Raw, The Shield attempted to attack The Undertaker, but were stopped by Team Hell No.[58] This set up a six-man tag team match on the April 22 episode of Raw, where The Shield emerged victorious.[59] Four days later on SmackDown, Ambrose made his singles debut against The Undertaker and lost by submission, but immediately after which The Shield attacked Undertaker and performed a triple-powerbomb on him through the announce table.[60][61] On the April 29 episode of Raw, The Shield defeated Team Hell No and WWE Champion John Cena in a six-man tag team match.[62] Later that week, Ambrose picked up his first singles victory by defeating Kane on SmackDown.[63]
While The Shield continued to feud with Team Hell No, Ambrose simultaneously entered a feud with the United States Champion Kofi Kingston, whom he to earn victory in a six-man tag team match,[64] which prompted Kingstong to attack Ambrose on SmackDown following a singles win over Daniel Bryan.[64][65] On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Shield's undefeated streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended in a disqualification loss in an elimination match against Cena, Kane and Bryan, when Ambrose was disqualified as Reigns and Rollins attacked Cena.[66] On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Ambrose defeated Kingston to win the United States Championship, his first singles title in WWE.[67] Ambrose made his first televised title defense on the following episode of SmackDown, retaining the title by disqualification as the rest of The Shield interfered and retained again against Kingston on Raw the next week.[68][69] On the June 14 episode of SmackDown, The Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended at the hands of Team Hell No and Randy Orton, when Daniel Bryan submitted Rollins.[70][71] At Payback on June 16, Ambrose defeated Kane via countout to retain the United States Championship and successfully defended the championship against Kane the following night on Raw, when he won by disqualification.[72][73] On July 14 at Money in the Bank, Ambrose competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but failed to win the match despite interference from Reigns and Rollins.[74][75]
During the SummerSlam kickoff show, Ambrose retained the United States Championship by disqualification against Rob Van Dam.[76] In August, The Shield began working for chief operating officer Triple H and The Authority[77] while Ambrose began a feud with Dolph Ziggler, against whom he successfully defended the title at Night of Champions and on both SmackDown and Main Event in September and October.[78] On October 27 at Hell in a Cell, Ambrose lost to Big E Langston by countout, but retained the title.[79] Tension began brewing among The Shield in October, especially between Ambrose and Reigns as Ambrose was the only member left with a championship.[80] At Survivor Series on November 24, The Shield participated in a traditional Survivor Series match and Ambrose was the first man eliminated while Reigns won the match as the sole survivor.[81] At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, CM Punk defeated The Shield in a handicap matchafter Ambrose received a Reigns spear aimed for Punk.[82] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, The Shield participated in the Royal Rumble match and Ambrose eliminated three wrestlers and tried to eliminate Reigns, who retaliated by eliminating both Ambrose and Rollins.[83][84] In February 2014, Ambrose retained the championship against Mark Henry with a disqualification loss.[85] A rematch in March yielded a pinfall victory for Ambrose.[86] The Shield would lose to The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber on February 23, with Ambrose absent during the finish of the match.[87]
Despite more tension, The Shield reconciled in March[88][89] and began a feud with Kane, turning them into fan favorite characters[90][91] and resulting in The Shield defeating Kane and The New Age Outlaws at WrestleMania XXX on April 6.[92] The Shield next turned on Triple H,[93]who reformed Evolution with Batista and Randy Orton to take on The Shield.[94] On April 28, Ambrose surpassed Montel Vontavious Porteras the longest reigning United States Champion under the WWE banner.[95] On the May 2 episode of SmackDown, Ambrose retained the title in a fatal four-way match against Alberto Del Rio, Curtis Axel and Ryback.[96] As part of their feud with Evolution, The Shield won a six-man tag team match at Extreme Rules on May 4.[97] The following night on Raw, Triple H forced Ambrose to defend the championship in a 20-man battle royal with Rollins and Reigns not part of the match, which saw Ambrose surviving until the final two, but ultimately losing to Sheamus, thus ending Ambrose's record title reign at 351 days.[98][99] After Ambrose failed to regain the championship in a singles match on SmackDown against Sheamus, The Shield once again defeated Evolution at Payback on June 1, prompting Triple H to initiate "Plan B".[100]This involved Rollins turning on Ambrose and Reigns, subsequently aligning himself with Triple H.[101]
Feud with Seth Rollins (2014–2015)
Ambrose promptly began feuding with Rollins, which included Rollins costing Ambrose a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank on June 29 and the duo attacking each other.[102] During this period, Ambrose and Reigns quietly separated as a team, with Ambrose debuting new ring attire and new entrance music.[103] After being added to the Money in the Bank ladder match at Rollins' request (as he threatened to hijack the match somehow if he was not), Ambrose lost the match when Kane attacked him and helped Rollins win.[104] Ambrose was scheduled to face Rollins at Battleground on July 20, but he was ejected from the arena by Triple H for fighting with Rollins backstage and Rollins subsequently announced that he had won their match by forfeit, prompting Ambrose to return to the arena and attack Rollins.[105]Ambrose and Rollins eventually wrestled at SummerSlam on August 17 in a lumberjack match, which Ambrose lost after interference from Kane.[106] Ambrose attacked Rollins again the following night on Raw, causing them to face off in a Falls Count Anywhere match which Rollins won by knockout when Ambrose was attacked by Kane and subsequently had his head driven through a pile of cinderblocks by Rollins.[107] Ambrose was stretchered out of the arena and the storyline was put to place to explain Ambrose's absence from television while filming Lockdown.[108] Ambrose returned at Night of Champions on September 21 by attacking Rollins.[109] Following weeks of Ambrose attacking Rollins, the duo faced off in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on October 26, where Ambrose lost when the returning Bray Wyatt interfered and attacked him.[110]
The next few weeks saw Ambrose and Wyatt taunting and attacking each other in both backstage and in-ring segments, with Wyatt claiming that he could "fix" Ambrose, leading to a match at Survivor Series on November 23.[111][112] Ambrose lost the match by disqualification after utilizing steel chairs, including a table.[113] This led to a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between the two at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, during which a television monitor blew up in Ambrose's face, allowing Wyatt to win the match.[114]The feud concluded when Wyatt beat Ambrose in the first ambulance match held on the January 5, 2015 episode of Raw.[115] Ambrose's booking during his feuds with Rollins and Wyatt was criticized by commentators, including James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch, who stated that although "he's a utility main eventer", his lack of victories indicated that he was not a guy WWE was positioning "for a 2-3 year sustained run on top".[116]
On the January 19 episode of Raw, Ambrose defeated Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett in a non-title match.[117] At the Royal Rumble on January 25, Ambrose participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Big Show and Kane.[118] The following weeks, Ambrose demanded a match for Barrett's title which Barrett declined, leading to Ambrose attacking him, tying his hands around the ring post and forcing him to sign a contract for a title match at Fastlane on February 22,[119] where Ambrose lost the subsequent match by disqualification, but stole the championship belt afterward.[120] At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, Ambrose participated in a seven-man ladder match for the championship, but lost after Luke Harper performed a powerbomb on him through a ladder and knocked him out of the match as result.[121] After further attacks between the two,[122][123][124] Ambrose defeated Harper at Extreme Rules on April 26, his first singles victory on a pay-per-view event since The Shield split up.[125]
Ambrose returned to feuding with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, defeating him on the May 4 episode of Raw and as per pre-stipulation by Kane was added to the title match at Payback (a fatal four-way match also including Randy Orton and Roman Reigns) on May 17 and Ambrose's first opportunity for a WWE's world title.[126] However, he failed to win the title.[127] At Elimination Chamber on May 31, Ambrose defeated Rollins by disqualification in a title match, but failed to win the title.[128] Despite the loss, Ambrose took the title belt with him and challenged Rollins in a ladder match at Money in the Bank on June 14, which he narrowly lost.[129]
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2015–2016)
"Crowd was more into Ambrose than (Roman) Reigns... Why does Ambrose continue to do more jobs when he's the most over babyface they have?".
Wrestling Observer writer Jeff Hamlin on Ambrose's recent losses in relation to his popularity with WWE audiences[130]
After Money in the Bank, Ambrose continued teaming with Reigns and eventually helped him in his feud with Bray Wyatt after Luke Harper reunited with Wyatt,[131] which culminated to a tag team match at SummerSlam on August 23, where Ambrose and Reigns defeated Wyatt and Harper.[132] The following night on Raw, Ambrose and Reigns fought Wyatt and Harper in a SummerSlam rematch, during which Braun Strowman made his WWE debut, joining The Wyatt Family and helping Harper and Wyatt attack Ambrose and Reigns.[133] At Night of Champions on September 20, Ambrose, Reigns and a returning Chris Jericho were defeated by Wyatt, Harper and Strowman in a six-man tag team match.[134] Following Rollins' injury, which forced him to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in November 2015, Ambrose entered a 16-man tournament to determine a new champion.[135] After defeating Tyler Breeze,[136] Dolph Ziggler[137] and Kevin Owens,[138] Ambrose ultimately made it to the finals at Survivor Series on November 22, but lost to Reigns.[139]
In December, Ambrose started a feud with Kevin Owens after Ambrose became the new number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, which was held by Owens.[140][141][142] Ambrose won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time after defeating Owens at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13.[143] On the December 22 episode of SmackDown, Ambrose defeated Owens and Ziggler in a triple threat match to retain the title.[144] On the January 7, 2016 episode of SmackDown, Ambrose and Owens faced off again, though the result was a double countout.[145] This led to a Last Man Standing match between the two at the Royal Rumble on January 24, where Ambrose retained the Intercontinental Championship[146] while also being the runner-up in the Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[147] The following night on Raw, Ambrose was announced as part of a triple threat match against Reigns and Brock Lesnar at Fastlane on February 21, with the winner going on to face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 32.[148] In the weeks preceding the match, Ambrose repeatedly taunted and goaded Lesnar.[149] On the February 15 episode of Raw, Ambrose was forced to defend the Intercontinental Championship in a fatal five-way match and lost the championship when Kevin Owens pinned Tyler Breeze.[150]
After losing the Fastlane match when pinned by Reigns,[151] Ambrose was attacked by Lesnar upon arriving at the arena.[152] This set up a confrontation on Raw, where Ambrose would return driving an ambulance only to be attacked again and then Ambrose challenged Lesnar to a No Holds Barred street fight match at WrestleMania 32, which Paul Heyman accepted on Lesnar's behalf.[153] On the February 29 episode of Raw, Ambrose interrupted Triple H by issuing a challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[154] at Roadblock.[155] During the main event on March 12, Ambrose executed a Dirty Deeds and pinned Triple H for a three count, but as Ambrose's foot was under the rope it was void and Ambrose later lost the match.[156] Ambrose then continued his feud with Lesnar cutting promos on him, continuously challenging him, resulting in hardcore legend Mick Foley giving Ambrose his signature barbed wire baseball bat on the March 14 episode of Raw.[157] The following week on Raw, another hardcore legend, Terry Funk, gave Ambrose a chainsaw.[158] Ambrose ended up losing the match between the two of them at WrestleMania 32 on April 3.[159][160]
In April, Ambrose began a rivalry with Chris Jericho after Shane McMahon cancelled The Highlight Reel and replaced it with The Ambrose Asylum.[161] This resulted in a match at Payback on May 1, where Ambrose defeated Jericho.[162] The following night on Raw, Ambrose invited Stephanie McMahon on The Ambrose Asylum, confronting her about being insincere with her recent nice demeanor and rather than give him an answer she cancelled Ambrose's show and reinstated Jericho's Highlight Reel, prompting the two to attacking each other and ending with Jericho smashing Ambrose's potted plant "Mitch" over his head to extend their feud.[163] After destroying Jericho's light-up jacket[164] and being put by Jericho in a straitjacket,[165] Ambrose challenged him to an Asylum match (a steel cage match with weapons hanging above the cage and a stipulation where escape from the cage was not allowed or would not allow for victory) at Extreme Rules on May 22,[166] where Ambrose won by pinfall when performing a Dirty Deeds on Jericho after slamming him onto a bed of thumb tacks.[167]
"To this point, Ambrose had lost almost every big match he has been in with Rollins, Wyatt, Reigns, Triple H and Lesnar all getting their hands raised at the end [...] We already knew that Dean Ambrose had the ability to be a biggest star of The Shield. Maybe now, especially in light of recent news, he will be".
Wrestling Observer writer Steve Khan on Ambrose's WWE World Heavyweight title cash-in at Money in the Bank[168]
On the May 23 episode of Raw, Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match on June 19,[169] which he won.[170] Later that same night, he would cash-in his briefcase and quickly defeated Rollins (who had in turn just defeated Reigns for the world title) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[171] After the number one contender's match between Rollins and Reigns ended in a double countout the next night on Raw,[172] on Ambrose's request Shane McMahon announced a triple threat match for the title, now reverted to being called the WWE Championship, between Ambrose, Reigns and Rollins at Battleground.[173] In July, Ambrose successfully defended the title in two singles match against Rollins on both Raw and SmackDown before Battleground.[174][175][176] On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown, being the brand's first draft pick and bringing the WWE Championship with him.[177] At Battleground on July 24, Ambrose successfully retained his title against Rollins and Reigns by pinning the latter.[178][179] Ambrose then successfully defended the renamed WWE World Championship, which was now exclusive to SmackDown, against Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam on August 21.[180][181] His next title defense was at Backlash on September 11, where he lost the title to AJ Stylesafter Styles hit Ambrose with a low blow while the referee was down before executing a Styles Clash.[182]
On the September 20 episode of SmackDown Live, Ambrose gave Cena his first clean loss in nearly seven years on television shows,[183] but was unsuccessful in regaining the championship at No Mercy on October 9 in a triple threat match also involving Cena, who was pinned by Styles.[184] On the November 1 episode of SmackDown Live, after defeating Styles in a non-title bout he became the number one contender for the WWE World Championship[185] and would face Styles in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 4.[186] On November 20, Ambrose teamed with Styles as part of Team SmackDown at Survivor Series alongside Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Shane McMahon in a winning effort.[187] During this time, Ambrose became working along with James Ellsworth, helping Ellsworth to secure two singles victories over Styles[188][189]before defeating Styles once more on the November 22 episode of SmackDown in a ladder match with a SmackDown contract for Ellsworth on the line.[190] However, Ambrose failed to defeat Styles after Ellsworth initially appeared to help him, only to push him off a ladder into multiple tables and allowing Styles to retain the title.[191] This prompted Ambrose to hit Ellsworth with the Dirty Deeds on the December 6 episode of SmackDown Live, but nonetheless later that night Ellsworth would try to make peace with Ambrose during his Intercontinental Championship match, which backfired as Ambrose eventually lost the match.[192]
Intercontinental Champion (2016–2017)
Ambrose would then fail to become once again the number one contender for the reverted WWE Championship[193] in a fatal four-way elimination match involving Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper and The Miz, who would later interfere to cost him the match.[194] Ambrose's feud with Intercontinental Champion The Miz got heated on the December 20 episode of SmackDown Live, when Renee Young interviewed The Miz following his successful title defense against Apollo Crews and asked Miz about his "obsession" with Ambrose, at which Miz sarcastically responded by revealing Ambrose and Young's real life relationship, prompting her to slap Miz.[195]
After Ambrose attacked The Miz during his interview with Young with his intention of challenging Miz for the Intercontinental Championship,[196] he won the title for a second time on the January 3, 2017 episode of SmackDown Live after the referee ejected Maryse(The Miz's real life wife) from the ringside due to an interference.[197] On the January 10 episode of SmackDown Live, Ambrose announced his participation in the Royal Rumble match set on January 29,[198] but would be eliminated by Brock Lesnar after lasting almost 27 minutes.[199][200] On February 12, Ambrose took part of the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the event of the same name, where he eliminated Baron Corbin with a roll-up pin only for Corbin to attack him afterwards, allowing Miz to eliminate Ambrose.[201] Ambrose called out Corbin over the next couple of weeks while Corbin attacked him backstage and indicated his desire to take the Intercontinental Championship from Ambrose.[202][203] This would set up a match between the two on the WrestleMania 33 kickoff show on April 2, where Ambrose successfully retained the title.[204] On the April 4 episode of SmackDown Live, Ambrose lost to Corbin in a non-title street fight rematch,[205] which would be his last match for the brand as he moved to the Raw brand as a result of the Superstar Shake-up.[206]
In May, Ambrose resumed his rivalry with The Miz, who was also drafted on the Raw brand along with Maryse as part of the Superstar Shake-Up,[206] after Miz defeated Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match on the May 1 episode of Raw to become the number one contender for Ambrose's title.[207] After Ambrose lost a title match by disqualification after he performed a low blow on The Miz,[208] he was then slated to defend the title in a rematch against Miz at Extreme Rules on June 4 in which Ambrose could lose the title if he were to be disqualified.[209] Ambrose would eventually lose the title match by pinfall, thus ending his reign at 152 days.[210]
The Shield reunion (2017–2018)
Ambrose continued to feud with The Miz, leading up to a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship at Great Balls of Fire on July 9, where he lost after an interference by the Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas).[211] The next night on Raw, Ambrose attacked The Miz and the Miztourage, but due to being outnumbered former stablemate and long-time rival Seth Rollins saved Ambrose, who later that night revealed his untrustworthiness towards Rollins only to save him after an attack by The Miz and the Miztourage due his rivarlry with The Miz.[212] After failing to gain Ambrose's trust, Rollins offered Ambrose to attack him with a steel chair as retribution for Rollins' betrayal, but Ambrose refused and the two were then ambushed by The Miz and the Miztourage, which resulted in Raw General Manager Kurt Angle scheduling a handicap match for the following week on Raw,[213] in which Ambrose pinned The Miz to end their prolonged feud while refusing to fist bump Rollins after the match.[214] In the following weeks, Ambrose and Rollins started a feud with Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus[215] and eventually getting a title match at SummerSlam,[216] but the two kept distrusting each other.[217] This led the two to argue in the ring on the August 14 episode of Raw, which culminated in Ambrose and Rollins brawling with each other only to fight off Cesaro and Sheamus and performing a fist bump to a loud ovation.[218]
At SummerSlam on August 20, Ambrose and Rollins defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship,[219][220] making Ambrose both a Triple Crown and Grand Slam champion in the process.[221] After weeks of feuding with The Miztourage and Cesaro and Sheamus (against whom they successfully defended their championship on September 24 at No Mercy[222] and on the October 16 episode of Raw),[223] both common enemies of Ambrose and Rollins as well as of former Shield teammate Roman Reigns, they officially re-united with Reigns on the October 9 episode of Raw, reforming The Shield.[224] The Shield was due to face the team of Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Kane, The Miz and Sheamus on October 22 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders and Chairs match,[225] but Kurt Angle would take Reigns' place over an illness concern.[226] Ambrose, Rollins and Angle would go on to win the match.[227]
Ambrose and Rollins were due to face SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos in a non-title interbrand match at Survivor Series,[228] but they lost the title back to Cesaro and Sheamus after SmackDown's New Day appearance on the November 6 episode of Raw,[229] thus ending their reign at 78 days.[230] This led to a match between The Shield and The New Day at Survivor Series on November 20,[231] which The Shield won.[232] On the December 4 episode of Raw, Ambrose and Rollins received their title rematch against Cesaro and Sheamus, initially winning by disqualification only for Raw General Manager Kurt Angle to the match under no disqualification rules and lose the match after interference from Samoa Joe, despite Reigns chasing Joe away.[233] In December 2017, Ambrose suffered a triceps injury, reportedly rendering him out of action for nine months.[234][235]
Wrestling persona
Ambrose's WWE career has seen him characterized as unstable and unpredictable. Referred to as "The Lunatic Fringe" since his time in The Shield (taking the nickname from Cincinnati radio station WEBN, which itself got the nickname from the 1981 song), his gimmick is portrayed as a wildcard. Ambrose's gimmick has been compared to that of WWE Hall of Famers Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin, drawing comparison to Brian Pillman and Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker.[236][237][238] Despite expectations that Ambrose would become one of WWE's next top villains even after The Shield turned into fan favorites,[239] Ambrose's post-Shield run as a heroic character gained popularity, with him being cheered over fellow babyface (heroic character) Roman Reigns when they faced off in three world title matches (Payback and Survivor Series in 2015 and Fastlane in 2016).[240][241][242] Ambrose's popularity over Reigns has been especially reflective on the live event circuit, where Ambrose was drawing better on WWE's "B" circuit (usually in smaller markets) than Reigns as champion on the "A" circuit.[243] Ambrose was voted as the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers in 2014 and 2015.[244]
Other media
Good made his video game debut in WWE 2K14[245] and has since appeared as a playable character in WWE 2K15,[246] WWE 2K16,[247]WWE 2K17[248] and WWE 2K18.[249]
In August 2014, Good began filming the Lionsgate-WWE Studios co-production Lockdown.[250][251] The film was released on September 11, 2015.[252]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown | John Shaw[251] | |
| 2016 | Countdown | Himself | Uncredited cameo |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014, 2016–2017 | Total Divas | Himself | Guest (season 2, 5 and 7) Recurring (season 6): 11 episodes |
Personal life
Good resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] He is an avid fan of his hometown Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds.[253] In 2013, he began dating WWE announcer Renee Paquette, better known as Renee Young.[254][255] They were married on April 9, 2017.[6][256][257][258]
Good is widely known to be a private person and does not use social media, stating in 2014: "I don't feel the need to open myself up to the opinion of everybody in the world with a phone or computer. I just don't get that; being connected to everybody on such a superficial level like that. It's not really for me".[259] His official Twitter account has no recorded activity and its biography reads: "They made me get a twitter.....Fine....Enjoy".[260]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Dean Ambrose
- Dirty Deeds[261][262] (Headlock driver – 2012–2014,[263][264][265] or a snap double underhook DDT[266] – 2014–present)[267][268]
- Knee Trembler (Running knee lift)[269] (FCW) – parodied from William Regal
- Midnight Special (Over the shoulder back-to-belly piledriver)[26][270] (FCW)
- Regal Stretch (Arm trap cross-legged STF) (FCW) – parodied from William Regal[269]
- As Jon Moxley
- Cutter[271]
- Hook and Ladder (Chickenwing facebuster)[272][273]
- Moxicity (Spinning side slam)[3][274]
- One Hitter (Vertical suplex DDT)[273]
- As Dean Ambrose
- Signature moves
- As Dean Ambrose
- Air Lunatic (Suicide dive)[275]
- Corner forearm smash[276] followed by a running bulldog, with theatrics[277]
- Diving elbow drop to a standing opponent and/or to the outside of the ring
- Double leg takedown followed by multiple punches[278][279]
- Double underhook superplex[280][281][282][283]
- Front missile dropkick[284]
- Knee strike to the midsection, as a counter to an oncoming opponent[285][286][287][288]
- Lunatic Lariat (Pendulum lariat[261][289][290][291] or a rebound clothesline to an opponent outside the ring, preceded by sweeping off from the apron)[284]
- Money Clip (Rolling release suplex)[292][293] – 2016–present
- Running crossbody followed by multiple punches[289][294]
- Running front dropkick to an opponent against the ropes[295]
- Snap DDT[261][289][296][297]
- Snap elbow drop[285][290][298][299]
- Swinging backbreaker[300]
- Tornado DDT[278][301][302]
- As Jon Moxley
- As Dean Ambrose
- Managers
- Christina Von Eerie[306]
- James Ellsworth[307]
- Trina Michaels[308]
- Nicknames
- "The Dude"[309]
- "The Lunatic Fringe"[310]
- "Mr. Money in the Bank"[170]
- "Street Dog"[311]
- Entrance themes
- As Jon Moxley
- As Dean Ambrose
- "Special Op" by Jim Johnston (November 18, 2012 – June 2, 2014; October 16, 2017 – present; used as part of The Shield)[314]
- "Retaliation" by CFO$ (June 16, 2014–present)[315]
Championships and accomplishments
- Combat Zone Wrestling
- Full Impact Pro
- Heartland Wrestling Association
- Mad-Pro Wrestling
- MPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- MPW Tag Team Championship (1 times) – with Vance Desmond
- Insanity Pro Wrestling
- International Wrestling Association
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2014) vs. Seth Rollins[317]
- Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2014, 2015)[244]
- Ranked No. 8 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017[318]
- Westside Xtreme Wrestling
- wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sami Callihan[273][319]
- wXw World Tag Team Title Tournament (2009) with Sami Callihan
- WWE
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[320]
- WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seth Rollins[321]
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)[322]
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship1 (1 time)[323]
- Twenty-seventh Triple Crown Champion[324][325]
- Eighth Grand Slam Champion (under current format; sixteenth overall)[324][325]
- Money in the Bank (2016)[170]
- Slammy Award (5 times)[326]
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013, 2014) 2013 award shared with The Shield[327][328]
- Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as The Shield[328]
- Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as The Shield[327]
Notes
1 ^ When Ambrose won the title, it was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It was then shortened to WWE Championship in the lead up to the 2016 WWE draft, where he was drafted to SmackDown with the championship. After the Raw brand created the WWE Universal Championship, the WWE Championship was again renamed to WWE World Championship.
