Cedric Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cedric Alexander |
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Alexander in 2016
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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 known by his ring name, Cedric Alexander. He currently works for WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand.
Cedric Alexander started his wrestling journey in 2009. He became well-known during his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010 to 2016. There, he was part of a tag team called C&C Factory. Later, he became a successful singles wrestler. In 2016, he joined WWE after being invited to their special Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He quickly became a top star in WWE's cruiserweight division. He even won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 34. Cedric also won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship with Shelton Benjamin as part of a group called The Hurt Business.
Contents
Professional wrestling career
Starting in Ring of Honor (2010–2016)
C&C Wrestle Factory (2010–2013)
Cedric Alexander began wrestling for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2010. In 2011, he formed a tag team with Caprice Coleman called the C&C Wrestle Factory. They quickly became a popular team.
They competed in many tag team matches. At Final Battle 2011, they did well in a special match to earn a chance at the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They faced tough teams like World's Greatest Tag Team and S.C.U.M.. In 2012, they challenged S.C.U.M. for the ROH World Tag Team Championship but did not win. They continued to team up until 2013, facing many different opponents.
Singles Competition (2014–2016)
In 2014, Cedric Alexander started wrestling more on his own. He had important matches against wrestlers like Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin. At Global Wars, he defeated Roderick Strong. After this win, Strong and his group, The Decade, attacked Cedric. This led to a big submission match at Best in the World 2014, where Cedric won.
In 2015, Cedric Alexander changed his wrestling style. He used a wrench to win a match against Moose, which meant he became a "heel" (a bad guy in wrestling). He later teamed up with Moose's former manager, Veda Scott. Cedric Alexander left ROH in May 2016.
Joining WWE
Cruiserweight Champion (2016–2018)
In June 2016, Cedric Alexander was chosen for WWE's Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He won his first match but was later eliminated by Kota Ibushi. Their match was so good that fans chanted "please sign Cedric!"
On August 29, 2016, WWE announced that Cedric would join their new cruiserweight division. He made his debut on Raw in September. He quickly became a fan favorite. In late 2016, he started a storyline with Alicia Fox. This led to a rivalry with Noam Dar. Cedric ended his on-screen relationship with Fox in January 2017. He then had a knee injury, which kept him out for a few months. He returned in May 2017 and defeated Dar in an "I quit" match.
In December 2017, Cedric won a match to become the number one challenger for the Cruiserweight Championship. He was supposed to face Enzo Amore for the title at the Royal Rumble, but the match was cancelled. WWE then held a tournament to find a new champion. Cedric defeated Gran Metalik, TJP, and Roderick Strong to reach the final.
At WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship! This was a huge moment in his career. He successfully defended his title against wrestlers like Kalisto, Buddy Murphy, and Hideo Itami. At SummerSlam, he kept his title against Drew Gulak. His amazing reign as champion lasted 181 days. He finally lost the title to Buddy Murphy at Super Show-Down on October 6, 2018. This was his first loss on TV in 2018. He tried to win the title back at TLC, but he was not successful.
The Hurt Business (2020–2023)
In April 2020, Cedric Alexander formed a tag team with Ricochet. They soon started a rivalry with a powerful group called The Hurt Business. This group included MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin. MVP tried to convince Cedric to join his group.
On September 7, 2020, Cedric Alexander attacked his partners Ricochet and Apollo Crews during a match. This meant he joined The Hurt Business and became a "heel" again in WWE. He teamed up with Shelton Benjamin. At TLC, Cedric and Shelton defeated The New Day to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles back to The New Day in March 2021.
Soon after, Bobby Lashley, a leader of The Hurt Business, was upset with Cedric and Shelton for losing. Lashley attacked them, kicking them out of the group. Cedric and Shelton continued to team up for a while, but they had a losing streak. In May 2021, Cedric told Shelton that their team was over.
However, The Hurt Business reunited in September 2021 when Cedric and Shelton helped Lashley. Cedric also won the WWE 24/7 Championship three times during this period. In early 2022, the group seemed to break up again. Cedric tried to get back into the good graces of MVP and Omos. At Hell in a Cell, Cedric accidentally helped Bobby Lashley win a match. Lashley later praised Cedric for wanting to stand on his own. This made Cedric a "face" (a good guy) again. In August 2022, Cedric defeated Shelton Benjamin, which seemed to officially end The Hurt Business.
In January 2023, Cedric and Shelton reunited for a tag team match. MVP also hinted at bringing The Hurt Business back together. They even won a match with MVP by their side. However, the full reunion did not happen. Cedric and Shelton continued to team up until Shelton left WWE in September 2023.
New Alliances (2023–present)
After Shelton Benjamin left, Cedric Alexander started wrestling on his own again. He moved to the SmackDown brand in November 2023. He then formed a new tag team with Ashante "Thee" Adonis. They appeared together on SmackDown in February 2024, making their team official.
In July 2024, Cedric and Adonis joined the NXT brand. Cedric had his first NXT match on July 23. At NXT: The Great American Bash on July 30, Cedric got his first singles win in NXT. Around September, Cedric and Adonis quietly split up. Cedric then formed an alliance with Je'Von Evans, acting as a mentor to him. They challenged for the NXT Tag Team Championship in October but did not win.
Other media
Cedric Alexander has appeared in several WWE video games. He made his debut in WWE 2K18. He has also been in WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, and WWE 2K23.
Personal life
Cedric Alexander's real name is Cedric Alexander Johnson. In June 2018, he married fellow professional wrestler Aerial Hull. She used to wrestle in All Elite Wrestling as "Big Swole." They have one daughter together.
Championships and accomplishments
- America's Most Liked Wrestling
- AML Prestige Championship (1 time)
- AML Prestige Championship Tournament (2016)
- 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)
- Match of the Year (2015) - with Colby Corino
- 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
- PWI ranked him No. 28 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 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, shared with Lacey Evans
See also
In Spanish: Cedric Alexander para niños
