Josh Aaron Woods (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler, where he performs under his real name (stylized as Josh Woods).
Can Brian Johnson Dethrone Josh Woods at Final Battle?
Early Life and Amateur Wrestling Career
Woods was born in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and attended the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he studied Social Science Education.
Woods was a collegiate amateur wrestler at the University of Central Florida, where, in 2011, he won the NCWA National Championship. He was also a two time NCWA All American and National Runner-up. Woods competed in amateur wrestling, where he became a four-time All-American and a SEC Champion.
WWE and NXT Career (2015-2016)
Woods joined the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and began training in NXT during 2015. He debuted in NXT on April 4, 2015 as Preston Cunningham Jr. in a 20-man battle royal won by Scott Dawson.
His first singles match was on August 15, losing to Apollo Crews. He mostly competed in battle royals, including a Halloween battle royal on October 30 won by Bayley.
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From January 2016 onward, as Josh Woods, he competed in a handful of singles matches, accumulating both wins and losses throughout the months. He wrestled his final NXT match on July 23, losing to Mojo Rawley.
Two months after his release from WWE, Woods resumed his wrestling career. Living in Orlando, Florida, Woods quickly accepted local bookings.
Independent Circuit (2016-2017)
He made his I Believe In Wrestling (BELIEVE) debut on September 17 at BELIEVE 128, where he defeated Slade Porter. On September 24, Woods debuted in Monster Factory Pro Wrestling (MFPW), defeating Q.T. On October 23, Woods debuted in Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE) at AWE The First Battle Of New Atlanta in a match defeating Jason Cade.
Woods' next debut was in Combat Zone Wrestling, during the November 16th edition of the CZW Dojo Wars in a match against Mike Orlando that ended in a double-pin. On December 3, 2016 Woods made his debut in Coastal Championship Wrestling (CCW) during the CCW Seasons Beatings where he defeated So Shibata.
Woods returned the following year at CCW Spring Breakout on April 22, 2017 where he teamed with Tony DaBlack to challenge for the CCW Tag Team Championship held by The Droogs (Alex & Nicky), but were not successful in winning the titles.
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On July 14, 2017 during the first night of MCW Pro Wrestling (MCW)'s MCW Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup VXII event, Woods made his debut as a participant of the MCW Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup VXII tournament.
Ring of Honor (ROH) Career (2016-2021)
Woods joined Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2016. Woods' debut in Ring of Honor was in a dark match on October 22, 2016, in a six-man tag team match alongside Brandon Groom and Kennedy Kendrick, defeating Chuckles, Joey Osbourne and Victor Andrews.
Woods' crowning achievement in his ROH rookie year was his performances in the 2017 Top Prospect Tournament. He entered the 2017 ROH Top Prospect Tournament, defeating Chris LeRusso, Brian Milonas, and John Skyler to win the tournament.
On February 11, he won the first round of the tournament after Chris LeRusso was eliminated by referee decision. At ROH Manhattan Mayhem 2017, Woods won the semi-final of the tournament after defeating Brian Milonas.
Woods had his first title match during the September 23 ROH TV-Tapings, challenging Kenny King for the ROH World Television Championship but was unsuccessful in winning the title.
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On October 13, during the second night of the 2017 ROH/NJPW Global Wars event, Woods competed in a Proving Ground Six Man Mayhem match for the ROH World Television Championship, involving the defending champion Kenny King, and challengers Hangman Page, KUSHIDA, Matt Taven and Punishment Martinez. He later on October 20 wrestled Punishment Martinez in a Number One Contender match for the World Television title but was unsuccessful in winning the match.
On November 17, Woods participated in a Survival Of The Fittest Tournament where he was eliminated in the first round by Silas Young. He went on to wrestle in other matches the following night during the second night of the same event, losing to Marty Scurll and Jay Lethal in singles matches.
On December 15 at Final Battle, Woods was defeated in a dark match by Jonathan Gresham.
Woods returned during the January 20, 2018 ROH TV-Tapings where he joined a Four Corner Survival match to determine the Number One Contender for the World Television Championship, facing Cheeseburger, Caprice Coleman and Jonathan Gresham. The match ended with Cheeseburger as the winner.
He formed a tag team with Silas Young called Two Guys & One Tag.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Career (2021-Present)
On December 12, 2021, Woods made his debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on AEW Dark, where he was defeated by Shawn Spears. After racking up some victories on Dark programming, Woods began appearing on Dynamite and Rampage in 2022.
In the summer, Woods formed a tag team with Tony Nese, and the duo would acquire the services of Mark Sterling as their manager and on-screen attorney. On the August 5 edition of Rampage, Woods & Nese unsuccessfully challenged Swerve in our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
On the October 7 edition of Rampage, Woods & Nese defeated The Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. Ranked No.
| Promotion | Achievement | Year |
|---|---|---|
| NCWA | National Championship | 2011 |
| ROH | Top Prospect Tournament | 2017 |