Fandango (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fandango |
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Hussey, as Fandango, in 2016
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| Birth name | Curtis Jonathan Hussey |
| Born | July 22, 1983 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
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| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Billed weight | 244 lb (111 kg) |
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| Debut | 1999 |
Curtis Jonathan Hussey (born July 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and is part of a group called The System. He wrestles under the name Johnny Dango Curtis, or JDC for short. He also appears on the NXT brand. He is most famous for his time in WWE, where he was known by the ring name Fandango.
Hussey started his wrestling career in 1999. He wrestled for many smaller companies in the New England area. In 2006, he signed a contract with WWE and began training in their developmental groups, Deep South Wrestling (DSW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In FCW, he won the tag team championship twice.
In 2010, he joined the fourth season of the show NXT as Johnny Curtis and won the competition. In 2013, he returned to the main WWE shows with a new character: Fandango, a ballroom dancer. His entrance music became very popular, with fans singing and dancing along. This trend was called "Fandango-ing." He later formed a tag team with Tyler Breeze called Breezango, and they won the NXT Tag Team Championship in 2020.
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Early Life
Curtis Jonathan Hussey was born in Portland, Maine, on July 22, 1983. Hussey is a Native American and a member of the Cherokee tribe.
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Career (1999–2006)
Hussey began training with the famous wrestler Killer Kowalski and had his first match in 1999. For the next few years, he wrestled for several independent promotions in New England. He won many championships, including the PLW New England Championship and the PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship with his partner Kenn Phoenix.
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Training and Development (2006–2010)
In 2006, Hussey signed a developmental deal with WWE. He was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW) to improve his skills. When WWE created a new developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), Hussey moved there.
In FCW, he teamed up with Tyler Reks and they won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship in December 2008. After Reks moved to the main WWE roster, Hussey changed his character to be more of a villain. In 2010, he teamed up with Derrick Bateman to win the tag team titles for a second time.
Winning NXT (2010–2012)
In late 2010, Hussey, wrestling as Johnny Curtis, joined the fourth season of NXT. NXT was a show where new wrestlers, called "rookies," competed to earn a WWE contract. His mentor on the show was the wrestler R-Truth. After many weeks of challenges and matches, Curtis was declared the winner of the season in March 2011.
As the winner, he was promised a tag team title match on the main roster. However, he spent most of his time in backstage segments and wrestling on NXT. He was involved in a storyline where he and Maxine had a complicated relationship with another wrestler, Derrick Bateman.
The Fandango Phenomenon (2013–2016)
In 2013, Hussey was given a brand-new character: Fandango, a confident ballroom dancer. He was joined by a female dance partner, first Andrea Lynn and later Summer Rae. For weeks, he would come to the ring but refuse to wrestle because the announcers and his opponents couldn't say his name correctly.
This led to a rivalry with Chris Jericho. Fandango had his first official match at WrestleMania 29, where he defeated Jericho. The night after WrestleMania, the crowd began singing and dancing to Fandango's catchy entrance music. This craze, known as "Fandango-ing," became very popular. His theme song even climbed the iTunes music charts in the United Kingdom.
Fandango then competed for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He was scheduled to win the title at the Payback event but had to be removed from the match due to an injury. After he returned, he continued to wrestle on WWE shows. In 2014, he changed dance partners from Summer Rae to Layla. He later returned to his original theme music and became a fan favorite again.
Teaming with Tyler Breeze (2016–2021)
In 2016, Fandango formed a tag team with Tyler Breeze called Breezango. They started as villains but soon became fan favorites with their funny "Fashion Police" gimmick. They would act like detectives, handing out "fashion tickets" to other wrestlers. Breezango challenged for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship but were unsuccessful.
In 2018, Fandango suffered a serious shoulder injury that kept him out of action for over a year. After he recovered, Breezango moved to the NXT brand. On August 26, 2020, they defeated the team Imperium to win the NXT Tag Team Championship. This was Fandango's first championship in WWE. They held the titles for 56 days before losing them to Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. On June 25, 2021, Fandango and Breeze were released from their WWE contracts.
Career After WWE (2021–Present)
After leaving WWE, Hussey began wrestling on the independent circuit under the name Dirty Dango. He also appeared in promotions like the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
In 2022, he returned to Impact Wrestling (now TNA). In 2023, he turned into a villain by attacking Joe Hendry. In June 2024, he joined the group known as The System and changed his name to Johnny "Dango" Curtis (JDC).
On February 4, 2025, Curtis made a surprise return to WWE NXT. He challenged Lexis King for the Heritage Cup but did not win the match.
Other Media
Fandango has appeared as a playable character in many WWE video games, starting with WWE 2K14. He has also been in several shows on the WWE Network, including the comedy series Southpaw Regional Wrestling, where he played a news anchor named Chet Chetterfield.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Eastern Wrestling Alliance
- EWA Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Kamikaze (2) and Brian Black (1)
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tyler Reks (1) and Derrick Bateman (1)
- Independent Connecticut Championship Wrestling
- ICCW Connecticut Championship (1 time)
- Immortal Championship Wrestling
- ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Northeast Championship Wrestling
- NCW New England Championship (1 time)
- NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Damian Houston
- Power League Wrestling
- PLW New England Championship (1 time)
- Premier Wrestling Federation
- PWF Northeast Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kenn Phoenix
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 59 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2013
- South Coast Championship Wrestling
- SCCW Lightweight Championship (1 time)
- Superstars Of Wrestling Federation
- SWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE
- NXT Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tyler Breeze
- NXT (Season four)
Images for kids
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Fandango in November 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Fandango (luchador) para niños
