Childhood & Early Life
Xavier Woods was born Austin Watson on September 4, 1986, in Columbus, Georgia, US. As a kid, Xavier was a self-proclaimed “nerd” and an avid gamer. ‘Sonic’ was his favorite game.
He was excellent in academics. He attended ‘Sprayberry High School’ in Georgia and graduated from the school in 2004. He was also a cheerleader in high school. He had once witnessed a live ‘WWE’ show in his hometown and was highly inspired to become a wrestler.
However, despite being an aspiring wrestler, he had deep academic aspirations. Once he graduated from high school, he enrolled at the ‘Furman University’ in North Carolina, where he studied psychology and philosophy.
While in college, he had already started wrestling on a part-time basis, in a local promotion called the ‘Ultimate Christian Wrestling.’ Following this, he had a stint with the ‘World Wrestling Council’ in South Carolina and developed his popular gimmick, “Austin Creed,” inspired by a character named ‘Apollo Creed’ from the film ‘Rocky.’
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Professional Career
Xavier joined the ‘National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Anarchy’ in 2006 and became a part of the tag-team ‘Awesome Attraction,’ partnering with Hayden Young. Soon, Xavier was voted by the fans as ‘NWA’s ‘Most Popular Wrestler.’ In April 2007, ‘Awesome Attraction’ defeated ‘Justice Served,’ the team of Mike Free and Jason Justice, and earned the ‘Tag Team Championship’ title. This pair became one of the longest-reigning ‘Tag Team Champions’ in the history of the promotion.
He also wrestled for ‘Deep South Wrestling’ (DSW) and attained major successes there, too. Following ‘DSW’s split with ‘WWE’ in 2007, Xavier became the first ‘DSW Heavyweight Champion.’
The same year, Xavier moved to wrestle in the ‘TNA’ and teamed up with Ron Killings. The pair was known as ‘Truth and Consequences.’ The official confirmation about Xavier joining ‘TNA’ was made in October 2007. During the ‘X Division Championship,’ Xavier had a long-running feud with Sheik Abdul Bashir, and it ended with Bashir defeating Xavier in a match for the ‘X Division Championship’ title.
In October 2008, Xavier laid the foundation of a young team of wrestlers called ‘The Frontline’ on ‘Impact!’ and feuded with another team called ‘The Main Event Mafia.’ In January 2009, Xavier teamed up with fellow ‘The Frontline’ member Jay Lethal and formed a tag-team, subsequently winning the championship in a match against James Storm and Robert Roode. They carried on with their tag-team and adopted the name ‘Lethal Consequences.’ After a highly successful run with ‘TNA,’ Xavier’s contract ended in March 2010.
For the next few months, Xavier fought in the ‘New Japan Pro Wrestling’ and formed a tag-team with Kota Ibushi. In July 2010, he won the 2010 ‘Super 8 Tournament,’ organized by the ‘East Coast Wrestling Association.’
In July 2010, Xavier officially joined ‘WWE’ in their developmental territory ‘FCW.’ He teamed up with Percy Watson in his debut match, which they lost against the tag-team of Brodus Clay and Donny Marlow. In the following few months, he partnered with Wes Brisco to form a tag-team and won the ‘Florida Tag Team Championship’ in November. However, they could not retain the title for long due to Brisco’s injuries. Soon, they had to vacate the championship.
In order to regain the title, Xavier partnered with Marcus Owens but was unsuccessful in his pursuits. Following this, Xavier took a break from tag-teams and fought in countless singles matches over the next couple of years. His performances remained below average during 2011 and 2012. In 2013, he made his official ‘WWE’ main-roster debut, appearing on ‘Raw’.
In November 2013, during his debut on ‘Raw’, Xavier teamed up with R-Truth in a victorious match against ‘3MB,’ the team of Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre. In the following week, Xavier made his singles debut against Heath Slater and scored a victory. This was followed by a long-running feud with Brodus Clay, which ended in December during a main event on ‘Raw’.
In July 2014, Xavier invited Kofi Kingston and Big E to form a team. The offer was initially accepted, but for the next few months, all three continued to fight separately in singles matches. At times, they made a few appearances as a team. On the November 3 episode of ‘Raw’, the three officially came together and named their alliance ‘The New Day.’ Meanwhile, Xavier continued to lose the singles matches.
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In April 2015, Xavier helped Big E and Kofi during a tag-team title match, which was won by them. Following this, Xavier was given a share in the championship. The championship was eventually lost to ‘The Prime Time Players,’ consisting of Titus O’Neil and Darren Young.
In the following few months, ‘The New Day’ kept regaining and losing the title. In 2017, the ‘WWE Superstar Shake Up’ took place and ‘The New Day’ was drafted to ‘SmackDown.’ They challenged ‘The Usos’ for the tag-team championship and became the ‘WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions.’ In 2018, Xavier competed in the ‘Royal Rumble’ match as the 12th wrestler but was eliminated by Jinder Mahal.
Personal Life
Xavier Woods happens to be an avid gamer and has tattooed a character from the popular video game ‘The Legend of Zelda’ on his left arm. In addition, he also runs a ‘YouTube’ channel named ‘UpUpDownDown,’ where he invites wrestlers, professional gamers, and other celebrities to play video games with him.
Xavier married Jess Watson in October 2015, and the couple had a son in 2017.
Facts About Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods holds a Ph.D in educational psychology, showcasing his dedication and commitment to academic pursuits outside of the wrestling world.
He is a talented musician and has a YouTube channel dedicated to his passion for playing the trombone and creating music.
Xavier Woods is a self-proclaimed video game enthusiast and has a popular gaming channel where he shares his love for gaming with fans.
He is known for his charismatic personality and entertaining presence both in and out of the wrestling ring, making him a fan favorite.
Xavier Woods is a proud advocate for diversity and representation in the wrestling industry, using his platform to promote inclusivity and equality.
