Byron Saxton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Byron Saxton |
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Saxton in 2024
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| Birth name | Bryan Jesús Kelly |
| Born | August 20, 1981 Burke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bryan Kelly Byron Saxton Michael Cade |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Billed from | Burke, Virginia |
| Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling |
| Debut | 2003 |
| Retired | 2012 (in-ring competition) |
Bryan Jesús Kelly (born August 20, 1981) is an American professional wrestling commentator and former wrestler. He is best known by his ring name Byron Saxton. He works for WWE, where he is a backstage interviewer on SmackDown. He is also a color commentator on NXT Level Up.
Byron Saxton joined WWE in 2007 as a wrestler. He was part of the fourth and fifth seasons of NXT. After his time as a wrestler, he became a commentator. He has worked on major WWE shows like Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown. He even held the WWE 24/7 Championship once!
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Early Life
Bryan Kelly was born in Burke, Virginia. He grew up there and in Orlando, Florida. He went to the University of Florida. While studying, he worked as a reporter for local radio and TV stations. He finished college in 2003.
After college, Kelly worked for a news channel in Jacksonville, Florida. He started as a producer and later became a traffic reporter on camera. He now lives in Tampa, Florida.
Becoming a Professional Wrestler
Starting in Independent Wrestling
Bryan Kelly began his wrestling career in 2003. He wrestled for smaller wrestling companies in Florida and Georgia. In 2004, he tried out for WWE Tough Enough. This was a TV show where people competed to win a WWE contract. He didn't make it onto the show, but he kept wrestling. In 2007, WWE offered him another tryout.
Joining WWE's Developmental Teams
In 2007, Kelly signed a contract with WWE. He was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). This was WWE's training ground for new wrestlers. He wrestled under his real name at first. His first match in FCW was on October 13, 2007.
In 2008, Kelly started teaming up with other wrestlers. He also began working as a manager. As a manager, he would speak for other wrestlers. On September 30, he changed his wrestling name to Byron Saxton. He formed a group called the "Saxton Conglomerate."
Later, Saxton started working as a commentator in FCW. He would describe the wrestling matches for the audience. He even had a storyline where he pretended to be injured. He would wear an arm sling, but then surprise people by using his arm. He continued to be an announcer for FCW until it closed in 2012.
In October 2009, Saxton got a chance to commentate on ECW. This was another WWE show. He worked there until February 2010, when ECW was replaced by NXT. Saxton then went back to FCW.
On November 30, 2010, it was announced that Saxton would be a contestant on NXT Season 4. He had a WWE Superstar, Chris Masters, as his mentor. On the show, he competed in wrestling matches and challenges. He even won a karaoke challenge! Later, Dolph Ziggler became his new mentor. Saxton was eliminated from the show in February 2011.
Saxton returned for NXT Redemption, which was Season 5. This time, Yoshi Tatsu was his mentor. Saxton started calling himself "Big League" Byron Saxton. He believed he was better than the other wrestlers. He even attacked his mentor, Yoshi Tatsu, after a match. Saxton was voted off NXT Redemption in May 2011. After this, he went back to FCW. He wrestled his last match in August 2012 and then became a full-time commentator.
From Wrestler to Commentator
Commentating on NXT and ECW
Byron Saxton returned as a commentator for the relaunched NXT show in May 2012. He later also became the ring announcer for NXT. This meant he would introduce the wrestlers before their matches. He continued to commentate for NXT until December 2015.
On January 27, 2014, Saxton made his debut on Raw. This is WWE's main show. A few days later, he also started commentating on WWE Superstars. On February 10, 2014, he was officially announced as a new member of the WWE announce team. He continued to work on NXT as a "heel" (bad guy) commentator. But on the main shows, he acted neutral.
Becoming a Main Roster Announcer
In January 2015, Saxton joined the announce team for WWE SmackDown. By March 2015, he was called "the voice" of the show. After WrestleMania 31, Saxton filled in on Raw commentary. This was because the regular commentators were attacked in a storyline.
Saxton also hosted a WWE Network show called Tough Talk. This show discussed the reality competition Tough Enough. After Tough Enough ended, Saxton became a permanent announcer on Raw. Later, he moved back to SmackDown as a commentator.
In July 2016, Saxton became exclusive to the Raw announce team. He was a "face" (good guy) commentator. He often faced teasing from "heel" (bad guy) commentators like Corey Graves and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. In April 2017, Saxton was traded to the SmackDown brand.
On January 27, 2020, Saxton returned to the Raw announce team. He also became the play-by-play commentator on 205 Live. A play-by-play commentator describes the action as it happens. On November 8, 2021, Saxton briefly won the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinning Corey Graves. But he lost it seconds later!
At WrestleMania 38 in April 2022, after the main event, Stone Cold Steve Austin invited Saxton to celebrate. Austin then surprised Saxton with his famous move, the Stone Cold Stunner. In November 2023, Saxton was the ring announcer for Crown Jewel, a big WWE event. In early 2024, he filled in as a color commentator for NXT while Booker T was recovering from a medical procedure.
Championships and Achievements
- Southern Championship Wrestling
- SCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Nelson
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked him No. 223 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- United States Championship Wrestling
- USCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE
- WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time)
See also
In Spanish: Byron Saxton para niños
