Former WWE Wrestler Makes First AEW Dynamite Appearance

It was a quick night for this former NXT title-holder in their AEW Dynamite debut.

Leon Ruff
WWE.com

Former WWE wrestler Leon Ruffin competed on AEW Dynamite for the first time last night, though he was barely involved in a quick squash defeat for him and his three teammates.

Ruffin, who wrestled as Leon Ruff in WWE, teamed with Ruffin It partners Bear Country and Fuego Del Sol to face The Acclaimed and Gunn Club. The bout lasted but a few short minutes. Fuego and Bear Bronson were the only members of the losing crew to wrestle, in fact, with Ruffin and Bear Boulder restricted to the outside of the ring, which they were knocked off of ahead of the finish.

The bout was designed to facilitate a split between The Acclaimed and Gunn Club, who have been aligned in recent months. Austin Gunn interrupting Max Caster's entrance rap, then stealing the pin on Bronson after Max had hit his Mic Drop finisher, facilitated this, before the Gunn siblings and father Billy beat The Acclaimed down after the bell.

Advertisement

Last night was actually Ruffin's fourth AEW match to date, with the 26-year-old previously competing on Dark and Rampage.

A free agent since August 2021, when he was released by WWE, the peak of Ruffin's NXT run came when he briefly held the North American Championship in the winter of 2020. This period saw him interjected into the then-ongoing singles feud between Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.