10 Times Wrestlers Worked Their Way Into A Job
4. Leon Ruff (WWE)
It still is unbelievable to look at that picture. Leon Ruff is NXT North American Champion. Twenty-four-year-old, buck-fifty pound Leon Ruff is the NXT North American freaking Champion.
Ruff has been working in the industry for only a couple of years now, but he's certainly come a long way within that short time. With the covid cutbacks of Black Wednesday in March, WWE was short of enhancement talents. Evolve luckily had the answer, as handshake deals were made for minimal money. In return, a string of young talents got a few minutes of camera time, while getting their heads kicked in.
Before his title win, Ruff had just over three minutes of NXT screen time, but he sold the absolute hell out of every single one of the bumps and slams he had to endure. This clearly got the attention of NXT management; after all, they could have picked anyone to upset Johnny Gargano, but they picked Ruff. They needed someone that they knew would work hard and throw himself into the role.
Whether or not the strap stays on him, Ruff will remain a young, energetic performer who did all the right things to capture the right people's attention.