David Otunga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Otunga
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Otunga in 2014
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David Daniel Otunga
April 7, 1980 Elgin, Illinois, U.S.
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| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BS) Harvard University (JD) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Partner(s) | Jennifer Hudson (2007–2017) |
| Children | 1 |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | David Otunga Dawson Alexander |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Hollywood, California |
| Trained by | Tom Prichard Norman Smiley |
| Debut | May 29, 2009 |
| Retired | February 2, 2015 |
David Daniel Otunga (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is most famous for his time in WWE.
Otunga was a top contestant on the first season of NXT. He was also a founding member of a wrestling group called The Nexus. He was the only member who stayed with the group through all its changes. As part of The Nexus, he won the WWE Tag Team Championship two times. He won one title with John Cena and another with Michael McGillicutty.
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Early Life and Education
David Otunga was born in Elgin, Illinois. His father, Moses, was from Kenya, and his mother, Billie, was European American. Both of his parents were teachers. David is the youngest of three children in his family.
He went to Larkin High School. After that, he earned a degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. Then, he moved to New York City. There, he worked as a lab manager at Columbia University's Cognitive Neuroscience Center. Later, he went to Harvard Law School and graduated in 2006. He even passed the bar exam to become a lawyer in Illinois. Before becoming famous, Otunga worked at a large law firm called Sidley Austin.
Acting Career Highlights
In 2007, David Otunga's niece sent in his audition tape for a TV show. He was chosen to be on I Love New York 2. On the show, he was known by the nickname "Punk." He made it to the final three contestants before being eliminated.
Since then, Otunga has appeared in several movies. He was in the 2013 thriller film The Call. He also made a guest appearance as himself on the TV show General Hospital.
Professional Wrestling Journey
Starting in WWE (2008–2010)
In November 2008, David Otunga signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was sent to their training area, Florida Championship Wrestling. He had his first wrestling match on May 29, 2009. He wrestled under the name Dawson Alexander in a six-man tag team match.
On NXT and Becoming a Star (2010)
On February 16, 2010, WWE announced that Otunga would be on the first season of NXT. He used his real name, and R-Truth was his mentor. He won his first match on NXT on February 23, defeating Darren Young.
Otunga later won a big battle royal match against other NXT rookies. This win gave him the chance to be a guest host on Raw. On Raw, he put himself in a tag team match with John Cena for the Tag Team Championship. However, he refused to tag in and walked out, causing them to lose. Otunga finished second overall in the NXT competition.
Joining The Nexus (2010-2011)
The week after NXT ended, Otunga and the other NXT rookies caused a huge stir on Raw. They attacked wrestlers, announcers, and even the ring itself. They later attacked the General Manager, Bret Hart. After this, Vince McMahon hired a new General Manager who signed all seven rookies to contracts. The group was then named The Nexus.
The Nexus started a big rivalry with John Cena and the other Raw wrestlers. This led to a big elimination match at SummerSlam, which The Nexus lost. Later, Cena was forced to join The Nexus.
On October 24, Otunga and Cena teamed up to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. But the very next night, they lost the titles to fellow Nexus members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. This happened because their leader, Wade Barrett, ordered Otunga to let Slater pin him. Otunga began to question Barrett's leadership. He even led Nexus to invade SmackDown without Barrett's approval.
In January 2011, CM Punk took over as the leader of The Nexus. Otunga stayed with the group. On May 23, Otunga and Michael McGillicutty won the WWE Tag Team Championship from Kane and Big Show. They successfully defended their titles once. When CM Punk left The Nexus in July, Otunga and McGillicutty stopped using the Nexus name and gear. On August 22, they lost their Tag Team Championship to Air Boom (Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne).
Legal Advisor Role (2011–2015)
After his tag team with McGillicutty ended, Otunga started a new role. He used his law background to help wrestlers with legal issues. He often carried a Starbucks thermos, which became a signature prop.
He was part of a major storyline where wrestlers planned a lawsuit against Triple H, who was WWE's chief operating officer. Otunga helped lead a "vote of no confidence" against Triple H.
Otunga also returned to wrestling matches. He won some matches against wrestlers like Santino Marella and Ezekiel Jackson. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Otunga was the captain of John Laurinaitis's team in a big 12-man tag team match, which his team won. Otunga took a break from WWE to be with his fiancé, Jennifer Hudson.
He continued to act as a legal advisor for other wrestlers, like Alberto Del Rio. Otunga's last match was on July 5, 2015.
Non-Wrestling Roles (2015–2019)
After retiring from wrestling, Otunga became a commentator and pre-show host for WWE. He joined the commentary team for shows like Superstars and Main Event.
In June 2016, he became a full-time commentator for SmackDown. He worked alongside Mauro Ranallo and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. Otunga's role was to be the "good guy" commentator, while JBL was the "bad guy" commentator.
In 2017, Otunga was moved to the Raw brand. However, due to his acting career, he was often replaced by Booker T. Otunga continued to appear as a pre-show panelist and occasionally on commentary. His last commentary appearance was in August 2019.
Personal Life
David Otunga met singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. Seven months later, in 2008, he proposed to her on her 27th birthday. On August 10, 2009, Jennifer Hudson gave birth to their son, David Daniel Otunga Jr. In November 2017, Otunga and Hudson separated.
Other Media Appearances
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2013 | The Call | Officer Jake Devans | |
| 2016 | What Happen Last Night | Tiny | |
| 2017 | Days Like This | Lance | |
| Live To Tell | Lt. Michael 'Lou' Ortega | ||
| Sandy Wexler | Reporter at Hollywood Sign | ||
| 2019 | A Madea Family Funeral | Will |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2007 | I Love New York 2 | Punk | |
| 2012 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Himself | |
| 2012–2013 | The Wendy Williams Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Steve Harvey Show | Himself | Panelist |
| 2013 | The Haves and the Have Nots | Officer Mason | |
| 2014 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | |
| 2014 | General Hospital | Himself | |
| 2017 | Criminal Minds | Dwayne Jerrard | Episode: "A Good Husband" |
| 2018 | Family Time | Alvin | Episode: "Work, Wife, Unhappy Life" |
| 2022 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Derek | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Power Book IV: Force | Gang Chief | Episode: "Chicago Is Heating Up" |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Notes |
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| 2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 | Video game debut. Downloadable Content |
| 2011 | WWE '12 | |
| 2012 | WWE '13 | |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 |
Awards and Achievements
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2010) The Nexus vs. WWE
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) As part of The Nexus
- Rookie of the Year (2010)
- Ranked No. 84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012
- WWE
- WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with John Cena (1) and Michael McGillicutty (1)
- Slammy Award (2 times)
- Shocker of the Year (2010) The debut of The Nexus
- Pee-wee Herman Bowtie Award (2011)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Worst Television Announcer (2016)
See also
In Spanish: David Otunga para niños
