Cedric Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cedric Alexander |
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Alexander in 2019
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| Birth name | Cedric Alexander Johnson |
| Born | August 16, 1989 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Aerial Hull
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Cedric Alexander Gary Garbutt |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Billed from | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Trained by | George South Pro Wrestling School |
| Debut | July 17, 2009 |
Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He also competes on the independent circuit, which means he wrestles for different wrestling companies.
Cedric Alexander is well-known for his time in WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). He started in ROH in 2010 as part of a tag team. Later, he joined WWE after a great performance in a special tournament. In WWE, he became the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. He also won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship with Shelton Benjamin as part of a group called The Hurt Business. After leaving WWE in February 2025, he joined TNA in June 2025.
Contents
Cedric Alexander's Wrestling Journey
Starting in Ring of Honor (2010–2016)
Teamwork with C&C Wrestle Factory (2010–2013)
Cedric Alexander began his career wrestling for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2010. He often had matches that were not shown on TV. In 2011, he started wrestling regularly for ROH. He formed a tag team called C&C Wrestle Factory with Caprice Coleman.
In December 2011, C&C Wrestle Factory competed in a special tag team match. They won against the Bravado Brothers. They later challenged for the ROH World Tag Team Championship but did not win. They faced many other teams, including Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team and S.C.U.M.
Wrestling on His Own (2014–2016)
In 2014, Cedric Alexander started wrestling by himself. He had matches against wrestlers like Jimmy Jacobs and Kevin Steen. He also faced Roderick Strong in a big rivalry.
At an event called Global Wars in May 2014, Alexander defeated Roderick Strong. After the match, Strong and his group attacked Alexander. This led to another match where Alexander won. He also challenged for the ROH World Championship but was not successful.
In May 2015, Alexander changed his wrestling style. He started using a wrench to win matches, which made him a "heel" (a bad guy). He also teamed up with Veda Scott. On May 14, 2016, Cedric Alexander announced he was leaving ROH.
Time in WWE (2016–2025)
Joining the Cruiserweight Division (2016–2018)
In June 2016, Cedric Alexander joined WWE's Cruiserweight Classic tournament. This tournament featured wrestlers who weighed less than 205 pounds. Alexander won his first match. He was later eliminated by Kota Ibushi in a match that fans loved. Many fans chanted "please sign Cedric" because of his amazing performance.
After the tournament, Alexander signed with WWE. He became part of their new cruiserweight division. He made his debut on Raw in September 2016. He had a storyline with Alicia Fox and feuded with Noam Dar.
In December 2017, Alexander won a match to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. He was supposed to face Enzo Amore for the title, but the match was canceled. WWE then held a tournament to find a new champion. Alexander won the tournament, defeating Mustafa Ali in the finals at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018. This made him the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
He successfully defended his title against wrestlers like Kalisto and Drew Gulak. Alexander held the title for 181 days. He lost the championship to Buddy Murphy at Super Show-Down in October 2018.
Moving to Raw and New Rivalries (2019–2020)
In early 2019, Alexander competed in another tournament for a title match at WrestleMania 35. He made it to the finals but lost. In April 2019, Alexander moved to the Raw brand. He had his first match on Raw against Cesaro.
On June 24, Alexander briefly won the WWE 24/7 Championship. This title can be won and lost anywhere, anytime. He won it from R-Truth but lost it quickly to EC3. He even wrestled disguised as "Gary Garbutt" in a tag team match with Roman Reigns. Later, he got a big win against Drew McIntyre.
In August, Alexander entered the King of the Ring tournament. He defeated Sami Zayn but lost in the next round. He then had matches for the WWE United States Championship against AJ Styles but was unable to win the title.
Joining The Hurt Business (2020–2023)
In April 2020, Alexander formed a tag team with Ricochet. They started a rivalry with a group called The Hurt Business. This group included MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin.
On September 7, 2020, Alexander attacked Ricochet and Apollo Crews during a match. This showed he was joining The Hurt Business, becoming a "heel" again. Alexander teamed up with Shelton Benjamin. They began a rivalry with The New Day for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. At TLC, Alexander and Benjamin defeated The New Day to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles back to The New Day in March 2021.
In March 2021, Bobby Lashley, the leader of The Hurt Business, was upset with Alexander and Benjamin. He attacked them, kicking them out of the group. Alexander and Benjamin continued to team up for a while. In September 2021, Alexander and Benjamin helped Lashley, and The Hurt Business reunited. Alexander also won the 24/7 title two more times.
In January 2022, The Hurt Business broke up again. Alexander then tried to get on MVP and Omos' side. However, at Hell in a Cell, Alexander accidentally helped Bobby Lashley win a match. Alexander later explained he was tired of being overlooked. He shook hands with Lashley, becoming a "face" (a good guy) again. In August 2022, Alexander defeated Benjamin, which marked the end of The Hurt Business.
In January 2023, Alexander and Benjamin reunited briefly for a tag team match. They continued to team up until Benjamin left WWE in September 2023.
New Alliances and Leaving WWE (2023–2025)
After Shelton Benjamin left, Cedric Alexander started wrestling by himself again. In November 2023, he moved to the SmackDown brand. He formed a new tag team with Ashante "Thee" Adonis in early 2024.
In July 2024, Alexander and Adonis joined the NXT brand. Alexander had his first NXT match against Trick Williams. He got his first singles win in NXT against Brooks Jensen at NXT: The Great American Bash. Around September, Alexander started working with Je'Von Evans, acting as a mentor. They challenged for the NXT Tag Team Championship but did not win.
In December 2024, Alexander faced Ethan Page, who had injured Je'Von Evans. Alexander lost the match, and Page injured Alexander's hand. Alexander had his final WWE match against Ethan Page in January 2025. On February 7, 2025, Alexander was released from WWE after nine years.
Independent Wrestling (2025–Present)
After leaving WWE, Cedric Alexander started wrestling for other companies. On May 9, 2025, he wrestled for House of Glory (HOG). He challenged for the HOG Heavyweight Championship but did not win. He also wrestled for Deadlock Pro-Wrestling (DPW) and DEFY Wrestling, winning matches there. In July 2025, he challenged for the DPW National Title but was unsuccessful.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2025–Present)
Cedric Alexander made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on June 20, 2025. He saved a group called Order 4 from an attack. On July 10, Alexander had his first TNA match, teaming with Jason Hotch and John Skyler to win. At Slammiversary on July 20, Alexander was defeated by Mustafa Ali.
Other Appearances
Cedric Alexander has appeared in several WWE video games. These include WWE 2K18, WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, WWE 2K24, and WWE 2K25.
Personal Life
In June 2018, Cedric Johnson married fellow professional wrestler Aerial Hull. She was known as "Big Swole" in All Elite Wrestling. They have one daughter together.
Achievements and Awards
Cedric Alexander has won many championships and awards throughout his wrestling career:
- America's Most Liked Wrestling
- AML Prestige Championship (1 time)
- CWF Mid-Atlantic
- CWF Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (1 time)
- PWI Ultra J Championship (1 time)
- Exodus Wrestling Alliance
- EWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Premiere Wrestling Federation
- PWF WORLD-1 Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Premiere Wrestling Xperience
- PWX Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- PWX Innovative Television Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling EVO
- EVO Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 28 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2018
- WrestleForce
- WrestleForce Championship (2 times)
- WWE
- WWE 24/7 Championship (3 times)
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shelton Benjamin
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (2018)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Trash Talker of the Year (2020) as The Hurt Business
See also
In Spanish: Cedric Alexander para niños
