Alex Riley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Riley |
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Riley in 2012
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| Birth name | Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. |
| Born | April 28, 1981 Fairfax Station, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Family | Kevin Kiley (father) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Alex Riley Carson Oakley Kevin Kiley Jr. |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 236 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | Washington, D.C. |
| Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling |
| Debut | October 30, 2007 |
| Retired | 2023 |
Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American former professional wrestler and commentator. He is most famous for his time in WWE, where he was known as Alex Riley. He was also a participant in the second season of NXT.
Contents
Professional Wrestling Career
World Wrestling Entertainment
Starting in Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2010)
In 2007, Kevin Kiley joined World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was sent to their training area, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). On October 30, 2007, he had his first match, losing to Shawn Osbourne. He wrestled under his real name, Kevin Kiley, at first.
In September 2008, he changed his ring name to Carson Oakley. He teamed up with Scotty Goldman. They tried to win the Florida Tag Team Championship but did not succeed. In December, he changed his name again to Alex Riley. He created a character (called a gimmick) of a university athlete. He even wore a special jacket. Beverly Mullins became his manager, acting like a prom queen to match his character.
In 2009, he joined the FCW General Manager's team. He was seen as a top wrestler. He became the number one challenger for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. In August, he lost in a three-person match. He also wrestled in matches before Raw and SmackDown shows. On August 30, Riley stopped working with Beverly Mullins.
On March 18, 2010, Riley won the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. He won a three-person match against Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett. On July 22, Riley lost his title to Mason Ryan in another three-person match. He lost to Ryan again in a rematch on September 22.
Joining NXT and Teaming with The Miz (2010–2011)
On June 1, 2010, The Miz announced he would guide Riley for the second season of NXT. Riley first appeared on NXT on June 8. He had his first match on the next show, beating Kaval. Two weeks later, Kaval pinned Riley in a six-person tag team match. Riley was ranked fourth in the first fan poll.
In the second poll on July 27, Riley moved up to third place. On August 9, Riley's team won a six-person tag team match on Raw. The next night, Riley's team lost a rematch. He then dropped to fifth place in the poll. Riley was eliminated from NXT on August 31, finishing in third place. After Kaval won, Riley and the other eliminated wrestlers attacked him.
On September 6, Riley tried to help his mentor, The Miz, on Raw. The Miz was caught in a special hold by Daniel Bryan. Riley ended up in the hold himself. The next week, Riley wrestled Bryan in a submission match, losing the match. On September 20, The Miz announced he had hired Riley. This meant Riley could go with The Miz to his matches on Raw.
As The Miz's helper, Riley often interfered in his matches. This included a big event called Bragging Rights. Riley tried to help The Miz's team win, but they lost. The Miz also made Riley wrestle in his place sometimes. Riley lost to John Cena on November 15. He also lost a qualifying match for the King of the Ring tournament.
The next week, Riley interfered in a championship match. It was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Championship. Riley stopped Jerry Lawler from winning twice. Lawler then put Riley through a table. Riley helped The Miz keep his championship again at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. During that match, Randy Orton put Riley through a table.
On February 28, John Cena challenged Riley to a match. If Cena won, Riley would no longer work for The Miz. The Miz accepted for Riley. Riley lost the match, even with The Miz's help. This was a way to send Riley off TV for a while. He was supposed to get a new character. But Riley still appeared on Raw on March 14. He interfered in The Miz's match.
The next week, Riley said The Miz had hired him again. This time, he was The Miz's Vice President of Corporate Communications. He went with The Miz to his match at WrestleMania XXVII. He interfered many times, helping The Miz against John Cena.
Competing on His Own (2011–2013)
On April 26, Riley was moved to the SmackDown show. This separated him from The Miz. Riley first appeared on SmackDown on April 29. He tried to talk to Randy Orton but was quickly stopped. Even though he was drafted, Riley still appeared on Raw with The Miz.
On May 2, The Miz was upset that Riley wasn't there when he lost his WWE Championship. Riley was with The Miz at a big event called Over the Limit. He tried to help The Miz win back the championship, but they failed. The next night, The Miz was denied another championship match. He blamed Riley. Riley then attacked The Miz, becoming a fan favorite.
The next week, Riley was rehired by the Raw General Manager. He returned to Raw. Riley then attacked Michael Cole. He also chased away The Miz, who tried to attack him.
On June 6, Riley teamed with John Cena on Raw. They faced R-Truth and The Miz. Steve Austin was the special referee. Riley's team lost because Cena didn't trust him. It was announced that Riley would face The Miz at Capitol Punishment. At that event, Riley defeated The Miz.
The next night on Raw, Riley teamed with John Cena and Randy Orton. They faced The Miz, R-Truth, and Christian. Riley was the first person eliminated from his team. But his team still won the match. At Money in the Bank, Riley competed in a ladder match. Alberto Del Rio won that match. The next night, Riley was in a tournament for the WWE Championship. He lost to The Miz in the first round, ending their rivalry.
On August 1, Riley started a rivalry with the United States Champion Dolph Ziggler. Riley and Ziggler wrestled the next week. Riley won by disqualification after Ziggler's manager, Vickie Guerrero, slapped him. On August 15, Riley lost to Jack Swagger because Guerrero interfered. Riley beat Swagger in a rematch the next week. At Night of Champions, Riley was in a four-person match for the United States Championship. Ziggler kept his title.
In October, Riley got a hip injury. He was out of action for several weeks. After he returned, Riley mostly wrestled on Superstars. He won matches against wrestlers like Drew McIntyre.
In 2012, Riley had a long losing streak. He lost 14 matches in a row. Riley entered the 2012 Royal Rumble match. He was the second person to enter but was the first to be eliminated by The Miz. Riley won a rare match on May 2 on NXT. He teamed with Tyson Kidd to beat JTG and Johnny Curtis.
After being off TV for months, he returned on July 3 on SmackDown. He was in a match to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. He lost to Dolph Ziggler. Riley ended his losing streak on August 6 on Raw. He defeated Ziggler after a distraction from Chris Jericho. On September 21, Riley said he was having surgery on his elbow and knee.
In January 2013, Riley teamed with Derrick Bateman. They were in a tournament for the NXT Tag Team Championship. They lost in the first round. On January 21, 2013, Riley appeared on Raw in a big fight. Riley next appeared on April 17 on Main Event. He was in a battle royal to find a challenger for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He was one of the last four wrestlers left.
Returning to the Ring and Leaving WWE (2015–2016)
In late 2014 and early 2015, Riley started a social media campaign. He used the hashtag #FreeRiley. He wanted WWE to let him wrestle again. His last TV match was in 2013. After a story where NXT Champion Kevin Owens bothered him, Riley returned to NXT on March 11. He defeated CJ Parker. After the match, Owens attacked Riley. Owens said Riley was "the dumbest man in NXT" for wrestling again.
On March 29 at WrestleMania 31, Riley was in the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He was eliminated by Damien Mizdow. Kevin Owens attacked Riley during an NXT show on April 22. Owens pretended to injure Riley's knee. On May 1, it was announced that Riley would have surgery. This was to fix a real knee problem.
Riley returned from his injury on January 27, 2016, on NXT. He had longer hair and a beard. He won a match against Bull Dempsey. He became a bad guy (called a heel) for the first time since 2011. In the next three weeks, he lost to Tye Dillinger twice. On March 31, he lost to Apollo Crews on NXT. On May 11, Riley had his last WWE match. He lost to Shinsuke Nakamura.
WWE released Riley from his contract on May 6, 2016.
Independent Circuit (2022–2023)
After six years away, Kevin Kiley returned to wrestling. He used his Alex Riley name. This was at a Create A Pro Wrestling event on December 8, 2022. He teamed with Tyrus. He also appeared for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This was at their Nuff Said event on February 11, 2023. He wrestled as "The Rare Breed" Kevin Kiley but lost to EC3.
Other Media
Riley is a character you can play in the video game WWE '12. He also appears in the WWE SuperCard mobile game.
Personal Life
Riley's father, Kevin Kiley Sr., is a sports reporter. His mother, Lauren, was a former Miss Virginia.
Riley went to Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. He played both football and basketball there. He then went to Boston College. He studied communications. He played for the Boston College Eagles football team. He started as a quarterback and later became a linebacker. He also tried out for a Canadian football team.
Riley is Catholic. He has a tattoo of a Celtic cross on his back.
Riley has said that his WWE career changed after he had a disagreement with John Cena backstage. He believes Cena used his influence to negatively affect his career.
In March 2021, Riley shared that he has bipolar disorder.
Film and TV Appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Glass Jaw | Mike Mathews | |
| 2019 | Bennett's War | Dixon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | GLOW | Steel Horse | 1 Episode |
Championships and Accomplishments
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 106 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
Images for kids
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Riley in 2012
See Also
In Spanish: Alex Riley para niños
