Brad Maddox

Last updated

Brad Maddox
Brad Maddox April 2014.jpg
Maddox in 2014
Birth nameJoshua Tyler Kluttz
Born (1984-05-04) May 4, 1984 (age 40) [1]
Tega Cay, South Carolina, U.S. [2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Brad Maddox
The Goof [3]
Joshua Kingsley [4]
Lord Ruffles [5]
Mad Braddox [6]
Billed height5 ft 11 in (180 cm) [7]
Billed weight207 lb (94 kg) [7]
Billed from Charlotte, North Carolina [7]
Trained by Joey Mercury
Rip Rogers
Nightmare Danny Davis
Tom Prichard
Florida Championship Wrestling
DebutApril 2, 2008
Retired2015

Joshua Tyler Kluttz [2] (born May 4, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler and former professional wrestling referee. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Brad Maddox.

Contents

From 2008 to 2012, Maddox was assigned to WWE's developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and OVW Television Championship once each and the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship twice with different partners. He served as the General Manager of Raw in storyline from July 2013 to May 2014, before being released in November 2015.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2008-2015)

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2008–2010)

Kluttz debuted on April 2, 2008, on the OVW tapings teaming up with Galvin Garrison against Dewey and Adam Revolver, which they lost, he used the name Brent Wellington. [8] He won his first match on October 1, 2008, in an Eight-Man Tag Team match, alongside Galvin Garrison and Moose, they called themselves Theta Lambda Psi. [8] On December 24, 2008, Kluttz had a title match for the OVW Heavyweight Championship against Aaron "The Idol" Stevens, which he lost.

After he was defeated, he adopted the nickname "Beef". He had his first match under his new name at OVW Tapings January 14, 2009, winning with his Theta Lambda Psi team against Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver which they won. [8] The Theta Lambda Psi Tag team was split in April 2009 where Kluttz first won a match against Moose then lost one where he was hit with a paddle. [8] On July 26, 2009, he competed for the OVW Television Championship against Jamin Olivencia, he won the match to win his first Championship. His reign lasted 45 days when he was defeated by his former Theta Lambda Psi mate Moose at the OVW Tapings on September 9, 2009. [3] On 27 February 2010 Kluttz won the vacant OVW Heavyweight Championship by winning a Battle Royal. His reign lasted 90 days when he lost the title on 29 May 2010 to Mike Mondo. [3] In mid-2010 it was reported that Kluttz had signed a development contract with WWE. [8]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2010–2012)

Kluttz was renamed Brad Maddox and debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling at a live show on August 5, 2010, losing to Tyler Reks. [9] His TV debut was on November 4, 2010, losing to Tito Colon. [9] He won his first match on the July 1, 2011 episode of FCW against Percy Watson and Richie Steamboat. [9] On 22 September edition of FCW Maddox defeated Briley Pierce, three weeks later at the 13 October edition of FCW they built a Tag Team and competed for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship against CJ Parker and Donny Marlow, which they lost. [9] On the November 3 tapings for FCW he won the Tag Team titles with Briley Pierce. [10] On the February 2 tapings they lost their titles due to an injury of Pierce. Maddox tried to regain the vacant title with Eli Cottonwood, but they lost to Bo Rotundo and Husky Harris. [10] On the March 4 edition of FCW Maddox was the first signed to Summer Rae´s "organization", and she was at ringside when he was defeated by Seth Rollins. [11]

On June 21, 2012, he won the FCW Jack Brisco 15 Championship from Richie Steamboat. While holding the FCW 15 Championship, he won the Florida Tag Team Championship with Rick Victor on July 28, 2012. [12] [13] He became the final holder for both titles, as all of FCW's championships were retired when the territory was rebranded as NXT Wrestling.

Main roster referee (2012–2013)

Maddox was promoted to the main roster as a referee in August 2012, debuting on the August 20 episode of Raw when he refereed a Divas Battle Royal. [14] On October 28 at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Maddox refereed the main event, a Hell in a Cell match between CM Punk and Ryback for the WWE Championship. As Ryback was about to win the match, Maddox gave Ryback a low blow and proceeded to fast-count a pin for Punk, resulting in Punk retaining his title thus turned Maddox heel. [15] Maddox explained his actions on the November 5 episode of Raw. He claimed that he was not working for Punk but his actions were self-motivated. Maddox revealed his lifelong dream of becoming a WWE wrestler, but WWE continually rejected him, so he took up the chance to be a referee and attacked Ryback to make a name for himself to earn a contract to become a WWE wrestler. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon then granted Maddox's request at a match against Ryback, while offering a million dollar contract if Maddox won. [16] The next week, Maddox faced Ryback, who soundly defeated him and threw him into an ambulance. [17]

Maddox returned in December 2012, now accompanied by his personal cameraman, Carson, and claiming to be a "YouTube sensation". Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero offered Maddox a contract if he could defeat Randy Orton, but Orton prevailed. Orton was attacked by the Shield after the match. [18] Similar to Maddox, the Shield had earlier aided Punk by attacking Ryback during the duo's WWE Championship match at Survivor Series to ensure Punk's retention of his title and also denied an alliance with Punk. [19] [20] Maddox then took his pleas to SmackDown General Manager Booker T, who thrice granted him opportunities to earn a contract if he could defeat Brodus Clay, The Great Khali, and Sheamus, but Maddox lost all three matches. [21] [22] [23] On the January 28 episode of Raw, via camera footage taken by Maddox's cameraman, it was revealed that Maddox, as well as the Shield, had been working for Punk's manager Paul Heyman all along, although Punk did not appear in the footage and claimed that Heyman had acted independently of him and without his knowledge. Heyman had also instructed the Shield to attack Maddox. [24] The next week on Raw, Maddox revealed he turned in Carson's footage to Vince McMahon and proceeded to call out the Shield, telling them that "justice awaits you". The Shield answered his challenge by brutally attacking him until John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback interfered.

Raw General Manager (2013–2015)

Maddox in February 2013 Brad Maddox 2013.jpg
Maddox in February 2013

On the February 18 episode of Raw, Maddox was rewarded the position of Assistant Raw Managing Supervisor by Vickie Guerrero after revealing that Paul Heyman and CM Punk were working with The Shield. On the April 24 episode of NXT, Maddox challenged Big E Langston for the NXT Championship but was quickly defeated. [25] On the July 8 episode of Raw, after Guerrero was fired as Raw Managing Supervisor when the fans voted that she failed in her role, Maddox was appointed as the new general manager of Raw.

After allowing John Cena to choose Daniel Bryan as his opponent at SummerSlam, Maddox was entwined between Mr. McMahon and Triple H. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Maddox was the special guest referee in the match between Bryan and Wade Barrett, where he gave Barrett the victory after a fast count. Following this, Maddox announced himself as the guest referee in Bryan's match at SummerSlam, only for Triple H to come out and announce he would referee the match instead before giving Maddox a Pedigree.

Maddox then formed an alliance with Randy Orton, where he placed Orton's rivals, Dolph Ziggler and Big Show, in handicap matches against The Shield. Maddox continued to have tension with Big Show, who, after refusing to listen to Maddox's orders at Battleground, resulted in Big Show's firing by Stephanie McMahon on the following night's Raw. Later that week on SmackDown, Maddox was knocked out by Big Show, after interrupting him, suffering a concussion in the storyline. [26]

Maddox returned on the November 11 episode of Raw, where he asserted his authority to Randy Orton, only to be interrupted by the director of operations Kane and Vickie Guerrero. The next week on Raw, Maddox was placed in a No Disqualification match against Orton by Triple H; Orton won the match via referee stoppage after Maddox lost consciousness in the storyline and was carried out on a stretcher after getting punched with a microphone 17 times. Following this, Maddox began to compete with Kane to gain favor of The Authority over who ran Raw better before forming an alliance with Kane, aiding him in his feud with CM Punk.

At WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, Maddox participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and was quickly eliminated by Cody Rhodes and The Great Khali. [27] On the April 25 episode of SmackDown, Maddox took over as general manager for the night, where he was attacked by The Shield. [28] On the May 19 episode of Raw, Maddox defied the orders of Triple H of not allowing any member of The Shield at ringside, by making Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns guest commentators. The following week on Raw, Maddox was relieved of his duties as Raw General Manager by The Authority, before being attacked by Kane. [29] Maddox was absent from WWE television for the remainder of 2014, mainly working house shows.

Maddox posing at the ring during a WWE house show in March 2015 Maddox.jpg
Maddox posing at the ring during a WWE house show in March 2015

Maddox returned on the April 6, 2015, episode of Raw in a backstage segment with Kane, before being interrupted by Seth Rollins. In August, Maddox began teaming with Adam Rose during live events, calling themselves "Beef Mode", where they lost to Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel. [30] Later that month, Maddox performed under two different names during dark matches, Joshua Kingsley on August 11 and Lord Ruffles on August 23, losing both matches against Zack Ryder. [4] [5] On the November 17 episode of Main Event , Maddox made his televised return, teaming up with Adam Rose in a losing effort against The Usos. [31]

On November 25, Maddox was officially released by WWE after referring to the audience as "pricks" during a dark match. [32]

Personal life

Kluttz has been married to a woman named Ryan since 2007, and together they have two children and live in South Carolina. [33] [34]

Other media

On November 11, 2015, Maddox appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . He appeared in a turkey costume in a segment with The Undertaker, in which Undertaker gave Maddox a Tombstone Piledriver. [35]

He appeared in video games such as WWE 2K15 as an NPC and WWE 2K16, where he can be made a playable wrestler through the Superstar Faces creation mode on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports of the game.

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Orton</span> American professional wrestler (born 1980)

Randal Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Orton has the tied-third most world championship reigns in history, and a career spanning over 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aron Stevens</span> American professional wrestler

Aron Steven Haddad is an American retired professional wrestler currently working as a manager in the National Wrestling Alliance under the name Aron Stevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolph Ziggler</span> American professional wrestler

Nicholas Theodore Nemeth is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, and is the current TNA World Champion in his first reign. He also makes occasional appearances on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2004 to 2023, where he performed under the ring name Dolph Ziggler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Reigns</span> American professional wrestler (born 1985)

Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoaʻi, better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE since 2010, and currently performs on the SmackDown brand. He is the former leader of The Bloodline stable and a member of the Anoaʻi family. Reigns's title reign of 1,316 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion was the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign since 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Barrett</span> English professional wrestler

Stuart Alexander Bennett is an English retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Wade Barrett as a colour commentator on the Raw brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Axel</span> American professional wrestler

Joseph Curtis Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryback</span> American professional wrestler (born 1981)

Ryback Allen Reeves is an American former professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Ryback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Hager</span> American professional wrestler and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

Donald Jacob Hager Jr. is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is best known for his tenures in WWE as Jack Swagger and in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as Jake Hager. As a mixed martial artist, he was signed to Bellator MMA and competed in the heavyweight division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bray Wyatt</span> American professional wrestler (1987–2023)

Windham Lawrence Rotunda was an American professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023 under the ring name Bray Wyatt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Rae</span> American professional wrestler (b. 1983)

Danielle Louise Moinet is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenures in WWE from 2011 to 2017 and in 2022, under the ring name Summer Rae. Moinet was a main cast member on the reality show Total Divas during its second and third seasons. Before joining WWE, she played with the Chicago Bliss of the Lingerie Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 Survivor Series was the 26th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on November 18, 2012, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, which was the first Survivor Series held in Indiana. The event received 212,000 pay-per-view buys, down from 281,000 buys the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell in a Cell (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 Hell in a Cell was the fourth annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It was held on October 28, 2012, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The event drew a total of 199,000 buys, which is an improvement over the previous year's event, which drew 182,000 buys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination Chamber (2013)</span> WWE play-per-view event

The 2013 Elimination Chamber was the fourth Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on February 17, 2013, at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Hell No</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Team Hell No was a professional wrestling tag team in WWE consisting of Kane and Daniel Bryan. The team's name is a reference to the two wrestlers' personas: Kane is portrayed as a violent pyromaniac and described as "The Devil's Favorite Demon" while Bryan's character at the time of their original formation was that of a spiteful pessimist whose catchphrase was to loudly exclaim "No!". Originally portrayed as bitter enemies, the two were forced to work as a team during an angle in which they were made to attend anger management classes by then Raw General Manager AJ Lee and—though billed as a dysfunctional team—they were subsequently able to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shield (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Shield was a professional wrestling stable in WWE that consisted of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. Their original characters were mercenaries for CM Punk; however, they quickly became mainstay main-event names. The group debuted on November 18, 2012 at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. The Shield was a dominant force in six-man tag team matches with an undefeated televised streak lasting from December 2012 to May 2013, during which they scored a victory at WrestleMania 29. In May 2013 at Extreme Rules, all three members of The Shield won a championship, with Ambrose winning the United States Championship while Rollins and Reigns captured the WWE Tag Team Championship. Rollins and Reigns were WWE Tag Team Champions until October 2013, and Ambrose was United States Champion until May 2014, which was a record reign for the WWE version of the championship. As a Shield member, Reigns gained prominence by setting and equaling elimination records at the 2013 Survivor Series and the 2014 Royal Rumble events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell in a Cell (2013)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2013 Hell in a Cell was the fifth annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on October 27, 2013, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The event received 212,000 buys, which was up from last year's event of 199,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erick Rowan</span> American professional wrestler (born 1981)

Joseph Ruud is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wyatt Family</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Wyatt Family was an American professional wrestling stable in WWE originally composed of Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battleground (2013)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2013 Battleground was the inaugural Battleground professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. The event took place on Sunday, October 6, 2013, at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. Battleground was originally announced to be the new October PPV for the promotion; however, it was moved up to July the following year. It replaced Over the Limit, which had been previously held in May but was going to be held in October 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Authority (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Authority was a villainous professional wrestling stable in WWE, which originated due to Triple H helping Randy Orton win the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at the 2013 SummerSlam pay-per-view immediately after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract. The name of "The Authority" was introduced on October 7, 2013 on Raw during a match between The Shield vs Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Daniel Bryan. Jerry Lawler first said "The Authority" during that match. The Authority initially referred to only Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as a power couple. The Authority shares similarities with The Corporation and The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, and also had ties to Triple H's previous stables D-Generation X (DX) and Evolution, the latter of which existed alongside The Authority for a brief period in 2014.

References

  1. "Brad Maddox". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Banks, Mac (November 27, 2012). "Tega Cay native Tyler Kluttz is WWE's Brad Maddox". Fort Mill Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "37. Television Champion". Ohio Valley Wrestling. July 26, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Mike (August 12, 2015). "WWE star gets new ring name". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Radican, Sean (August 25, 2015). "WWE news: Main Event spoilers - results from Smackdown TV taping, including a handful of promos and Raw follow-up". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  6. Satin, Ryan (November 29, 2015). "Brad Maddox — My Post-WWE Name Is …". Sources close to Maddox tell us the wrestler will now be using the name Mad Braddox.
    Paglino, Nick (November 29, 2015). "Brad Maddox's Post-WWE Ring Name Revealed". Sources close to Maddox tell ProWrestlingSheet the wrestler will now be using the name Mad Braddox.
  7. 1 2 3 "Brad Maddox". WWE . Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Brad Maddox". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Brad Maddox". Cagematch. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Champions Roll". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  11. "FCW results". PWIInsider. Retrieved March 18, 2012.[ unreliable source? ]
  12. "New FCW Tag Team Champions crowned". Wrestleview. July 29, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2014. Florida Championship Wrestling tweeted: Congratulations to @RickVictor69 (Rick Victor) and #BradMaddox- New FCW Tag Team Champions following Melbourne Event. Big Week in FCW check out the site!!
  13. "Spacelord + space coast= 1/2 of your new FCW tag team champions! Nice job Maddox!". Rick Victor. July 28, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  14. Johnson, Mike. "WWE TAPING SMACKDOWN TONIGHT, DEVELOPMENTAL TALENT DEBUTS ON RAW AND LOTS MORE WWE NEWS". PWInsider. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  15. Caldwell, James. "WWE NEWS: Hell in a Cell notebook - one title change, how did Punk-Ryback conclude?, Cena, Atlanta return date". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  16. Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 11/5: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of U.K. Raw - Cena first TV match in seven weeks". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  17. Caldwell, James (November 12, 2012). "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 11/12: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – Lawler returns, Cena-Punk, final PPV hype". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  18. Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 12/3: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - McMahon returns, Punk takes a Test". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  19. Caldwell, James. "Survivor Series News: NXT stars debut in PPV main event angle, plus other news from annual PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  20. Caldwell, James. "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 11/19: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Survivor Series fall-out". PWTorch. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  21. Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 12/24: Christmas Eve episode features Cena vs. Del Rio cartoon brawl, Santa injury angle with "Owen Hart tone" throughout". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  22. Cupach, Michael. "CUPACH'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: Alt. perspective review of Super Smackdown replaying tonight on Syfy". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  23. Parks, Greg. "PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 12/28: Complete "virtual time" coverage of Friday night show, including Miz vs. Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  24. Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 1/28: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Huge Return ends Raw, Rock's first night as WWE champ, Raw Roulette, Heyman-McMahon". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  25. Namako, Jason (April 28, 2013). "WWE NXT Results - 4/25/13 (Clash of Champions edition)". WrestleView. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  26. "SmackDown: October 18, 2013".
  27. "WrestleMania 30".
  28. "This Weeks WWE Smackdown Spoilers (4/22)". April 25, 2014.
  29. Woodward, Hamish (November 28, 2023). "Brad Maddox Was Stuck In A Cave After Being Fired By The WWE - Atletifo" . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  30. Paglino, Nick (August 2, 2015). "Brad Maddox and Adam Rose Forming New Heel Tag Team in WWE? (Photo), 24 Punishing WWE Powerslams (Video)". WrestleZone. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  31. "Where Brad Maddox Is Now After Leaving WWE Will Shock You". March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  32. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/brad-maddox-on-the-line-that-got-him-fired-from-wwe. While others say that the Internet Leaked Videos were the main cause for release-36839/
  33. Davis, Paul (September 24, 2022). "Former WWE star Brad Maddox featured on marriage coaching website". wrestlingnews.co. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  34. "A Mindful Bride - About Ryan Kluttz". Married & Manifesting. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  35. "The Undertaker Tombstones a Turkey". YouTube. Retrieved November 11, 2015.