Cedric Alexander

Cedric Alexander
Alexander in August 2013.
Birth name	Cederick Johnson
Born	(1989-08-16) August 16, 1989 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Residence	Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Cedric Alexander
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Billed from	Charlotte, North Carolina
Trained by	George South
Debut	July 17, 2009

Cederick Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name Cedric Alexander. He is perhaps best known for his time in Ring of Honor from 2011 to 2016.

Professional wrestling career

Ring of Honor

C&C Wrestle Factory (2011–2013)

Over the course of 2010, Alexander mostly wrestled dark matches for ROH. In 2011 he started performing for ROH on a regular basis after he formed the tag team called the C&C Wrestle Factory with Caprice Coleman.

Alexander (right) with Caprice Coleman as the C&C Wrestle Factory in 2011.

On December 23 at Final Battle 2011, C&C Wrestle Factory competed in a Tag team gauntlet match for a future ROH World Tag Team Championship title shot where they eliminated the Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lancelot).^[1] On March 30 at Showdown in the Sun Chapter 1, they were defeated by Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin). The next day at Showdown in the Sun Chapter 2, Alexander was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa. On September 15 at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency, they were defeated by S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino).^[2] At Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope on October 13, they once again defeated the Bravado Brothers. On December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, they unsuccessfully challenged S.C.U.M. for the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a three way match that also included the Briscoe Brothers who won the match. On March 3 at the 11th Anniversary Show, he and Coleman were defeated by S.C.U.M. On April 5 at Supercard of Honor VII, C&C Wrestle Factory teamed with B.J. Whitmer, Mark Briscoe and Mike Mondo in a losing effort against S.C.U.M. (Cliff Compton, Jimmy Jacobs, Jimmy Rave, Rhett Titus and Rhino). On May 4 at Border Wars 2013, they defeated ACH and TaDarius Thomas. On May 18 at Relentless, they teamed with Jay Lethal to defeat Matt Taven and reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly). On July 8 at Live And Let Die, Alexander was defeated by Davey Richards.^[3] On June 22 at Best in the World 2013, they unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a three way match that also included S.C.U.M. (Rhett Titus and Cliff Compton). On August 3 at All Star Extravaganza V, they were defeated by Adrenaline Rush (ACH and TaDarius Thomas) in a three way match that also included The Young Bucks.^[4]

Singles competition (2014–2016)

On January 25 at Wrestling's Finest, he defeated Andrew Everett. On February 8 at State Of The Art, he was defeated by Jimmy Jacobs. On February 21 at the 12th Anniversary Show he teamed with Mark Briscoe and Adam Page in a losing effort against The Decade (Roderick Strong, B.J. Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs).^[5] On March 7 at Raising The Bar – Day 1, he teamed with Adam Page in a tag team match against The Decade where they lost. The next day at Raising The Bar – Day 2 he was defeated by Kevin Steen. On March 22 at Flyin' High he was defeated by Michael Elgin. On April 4 at Supercard of Honor VIII, he lost a match against Roderick Strong. On April 19 at Second To None, he teamed with Andrew Everett in a losing effort against reDRagon. At Global Wars on May 10, he defeated Roderick Strong. After the match he was attacked by Roderick Strong and the rest of The Decade and was put through chairs and his shoulder was separated. Alexander made an appearance at War of the Worlds where he attacked The Decade from behind. This led to a submission match against Roderick Strong at Best in the World, in which he came out victorious. On August 9, during the Summer Heat Tour, he unsuccessfully challenged Michael Elgin for the ROH World Championship.^[6] On September 6 at All Star Extravaganza VI he was scheduled to face Silas Young, but when Young broke his leg and ACH did not show up for the event he challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Television Championship where he was defeated. On October 11 at Champions vs. All Stars, he was defeated by Christopher Daniels.^[7] On November 7 at Survival Of The Fittest- Day 1, he was defeated by Adam Page in a 2014 Survival of the Fittest qualifying match. The next day at Survival Of The Fittest- Day 2, he was defeated by Jay Lethal.^[8] On November 22 at Tag Wars, he was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa in No Disqualification Grudge Match.^[9] On December 7 at Final Battle 2014, he teamed with The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), but ultimately lost to The Young Bucks and ACH following a Meltzer Driver and an ACH 450 splash.^[10]

On May 16, 2015, at Global Wars '15, Alexander ended Moose's undefeated streak after hitting him with a wrench.^[11] On June 19 at Best in the World 2015, Alexander reunited with Caprice Coleman, but ultimately broke off the partnership for good, when Coleman refused to allow Alexander to use the wrench again in a match against War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe). Later that same event, Alexander completed his heel turn, when he attacked Moose, aligning himself with Moose's former manager Veda Scott.^[12]

On May 14, 2016, Alexander announced his departure from ROH.^[13]

WWE

Cruiserweight Classic (2016)

On June 13, 2016, Alexander was announced as a participant in WWE's upcoming Cruiserweight Classic tournament.^[14] The tournament began on June 23 with Alexander defeating Clement Petiot in his first round match.^[15] On July 14, Alexander was eliminated from the tournament by Kota Ibushi.^[16] After the match, Alexander earned the respect of Triple H and the fans, who were chanting "Please Sign Cedric." Triple H shook his hand and nodded his approval before ushering him backstage. The match received high critical praise, earning a 4 1/2 star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.^[17]

Raw (2016–present)

On the August 29 episode of Raw it was announced that Alexander would be part of WWE's upcoming cruiserweight division. Alexander made his debut on the September 19 episode of Raw, submitting to Brian Kendrick in a Fatal Four-Way match that included Rich Swann and Gran Metalik for a #1 contender's spot for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against TJ Perkins at WWE Clash of Champions. On September 21, he made his NXT debut defeating Andrade "Cien" Almas. On the September 26 Raw, he along with Rich Swann, defeated Lince Dorado and Drew Gulak.

In wrestling

Alexander performing the Lumbar Check on Chris Sabin.

Alexander performing the Overtime on Sabin.

• Finishing moves
  • Kick to Kill (Fireman's carry dropped into an overhead kick)
  • Lumbar Check (Belly-to-back suplex lifted into a double knee backbreaker)
  • Overtime (Frog splash)
• Signature moves
  • Belly-to-belly suplex
  • Brainbuster
  • Diving clothesline, sometimes while springboarding
  • Multiple kick variations
    • Concussion on Delivery (Drop, sometimes to a cornered opponent)
    • Enzuigiri
    • Jumping corkscrew roundhouse (sometimes preceded by a handspring)
    • Springboard roundhouse
    • Super
  • Reverse STO
  • Michinoku driver
  • Somersault plancha
  • Split-legged moonsault
  • Springboard clothesline
• Managers
  • Veda Scott^[12]
  • The Tommy Thomas ^[18]
• Nicknames
  • "Lumbar Legacy"
  • "Queen City's Favorite Son"
• Entrance themes
  • "Overtime" by King Keleze^[19]
  • "Only One Shot" by 615 Platinum Series^[19]
  • "Sick" by Adelitas Way^[19]
  • "Won't Let Go" by CFO$^[20] (WWE; June 23, 2016–present)
  • "Classic" by Kenny Wootton and Harley Wootton^[21]

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)^[22]
  • PWI Ultra J Championship (1 time)^[23]
• Exodus Wrestling Alliance
  • EWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Premiere Wrestling Federation
  • PWF WORLD-1 Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[24]
• Premiere Wrestling Xperience
  • PWX Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[25]
  • PWX Innovative Television Championship (1 time)^[26]
• Pro Wrestling EVO
  • EVO Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[27]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him 85 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015^[28]
• WrestleForce
  • WrestleForce Championship (2 times)^[29]

References

External links

• WWE Cruiserweight Classic profile