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Josh Woods is an American former amateur wrestler, mixed martial artist and current professional wrestler.

Early life[]

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 competed in amateur wrestling, where he became a four-time All-American and a SEC Champion. Woods also fought in mixed martial arts, even being the captain of the 2012 US MMA team.

Professional wrestling career[]

WWE NXT (2015-2016)[]

Woods joined the 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. He finished out his rookie year in 2015 in singles matches, enduring losses to Riddick Moss, Solomon Crowe and Elias Samson.

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. Five days later, Woods was released from NXT on July 28.

Independent circuit (2016-present)[]

Two months after his release from WWE, Woods resumed his wrestling career. Living in Orlando, Florida, Woods quickly accepted local bookings. 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. Marshall by disqualification.

Woods made his Full Impact Pro (FIP) debut on September 30 at FIP All Or Nothing 2016, where he teamed with Kavron Kanyon in a tag match won by Danny Ramons & Ricky Starks.

On October 23, Woods debuted in Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE) at AWE The First Battle Of New Atlanta in a match defeating Jason Cade. On November 19, Woods had his first Fusion Wrestling match at Fusion Wrestling JessleMania where he defeated John Kermon.

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 November 1, Woods debuted in Pro Wrestling 2.0 (PW2.0) at PW2.0 GOBBLE Squabble where he teamed with Seth Petruzelli to defeat Jon Cruz & Martin Stone.

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. On June 17 at CCW Inferno, Woods defeated Ricky Rush.

On January 17, 2017, Woods debuted in Orlando City Wrestling (OCW) in a tag match teaming with Seth Petruzelli to defeat the Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Mike Patrick).

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. His first round match against Anthony Henry resulted in a time-limit draw.

Woods made his WrestleCade debut on November 25, 2017 during the second night of the WrestleCade SuperShow, where he wrestled Dan Severn.

On November 26, 2017, Josh Woods debuted in America's Most Liked Wrestling at AML The Day After, in a title match for the AML Prestige Championship held by Brandon Scott.

Ring Of Honor (2016-2021)[]

Woods joined Ring of Honor in 2016. His debut match was during the second night of the ROH Road To Final Battle 2016 on October 22 where he wrestled a dark six-man tag team match with Brandon Groom and Kennedy Kendrick, defeating Chuckles, Joey Osbourne & Victor Andrews.

Woods' crowning achievement in his ROH rookie year was his performances in the 2017 Top Prospect 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. On April 8 at ROH, Woods won the tournament finals after defeating John Skyler.

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. 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. He finished out the year with a rematch on December 16, losing again to 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. On February 9 at Honor Reigns Supreme, Woods wrestled a singles match won by Silas Young.

Personal life[]

Woods is a wrestling coach at The Jungle MMA and Fitness gym in Orlando, Florida.

In wrestling[]

  • Finishing and signature moves
  • Knee Bar
  • Teams and stables
  • Entrance Music
  • Nicknames
  • "The Goods"

Championships and accomplishments[]

  • Amateur Wrestling
  • All-American (4-time)
  • SEC Wrestling Champion
  • Professional wrestling
  • Ranked #355 in PWI 500 Singles Wrestlers (2017)

External links[]

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