Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley | |
---|---|
University of Maryland | |
Spouse |
Grace Muhtadi (m. 2022) |
Ring name(s) | Dean Muhtadi Mojo Rawley[3] |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[3] |
Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg)[3] |
Billed from | Alexandria, Virginia[3] |
Trained by | WWE Performance Center[3] |
Debut | May 29, 2013 |
American football career |
|
No. 64 | |
Position: | Defensive lineman |
Personal information | |
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight: | 296 lb (134 kg) |
Career information | |
College: | Maryland |
Undrafted: | 2009 |
Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Dean Muhtadi (
Early life and education
Dean Muhtadi was born on July 17, 1986, in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Talal "TJ" Muhtadi and Maria Muhtadi-Roach.[2] Muhtadi's father is Palestinian and his mother is half-Syrian, and he has extended family through his father's side in Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and throughout the Middle East.[7][8]
While in the
Football career
Early years
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2018) |
At the
Throughout his high school playing career, Muhtadi started games at defensive tackle, end, nose guard, and outside linebacker on defense, and at offensive tackle, guard, center, and tight end on offense. He was also the team's punter and kicker. Often his position changed every week to shadow the opposing team's best player. Muhtadi was an All-District choice at both defensive line and punter, as well as the team MVP.
College
In 2004 and 2005, Muhtadi played
Height | Weight | Bench press | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) |
292 lb (132 kg) |
34 reps | ||||||||||
All values from Pro Day.[10] |
Muhtadi owns several of Maryland's all-time records for strength and speed:[citation needed] 225 lb. Bench Press Test: 36 repetitions (Team Record) 40 Yard Dash: 4.78 (Defensive Tackle Record) Power Clean: 390 lbs. (Defensive Line Record) Vertical Jump: 36.5 inches (Defensive Line Record) Pro Agility (20-yard shuttle): 4.37 (Defensive Line Record)
Academics
At Christopher Newport, Muhtadi was awarded a full academic scholarship.[11] While also being named the top student-athlete on the team, Muhtadi was a two-time All USA South Athletic Conference All-Academic Selection, a member of the President's Leadership Program, Honors Program, and Student Executive Board of the Business School. He also received the Edith McMurran Honors Scholarship for the student who best demonstrates the balance of leadership, public service, and academic excellence.
In his three years at Maryland, Muhtadi was one of the top student-athletes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2008, Muhtadi won the Jim and Pat Thacker Postgraduate Scholarship for being one of the top student-athletes in the ACC for all sports and all schools. In 2007 and 2008, Muhtadi also received the George Boutselis Memorial Award for being the letterman with the highest academic average on the football team. He also was named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2008 and was a three-time Dean's List student. Muhtadi received his MBA from the Smith Business School MBA Program.[11]
Professional career
Muhtadi was signed by the
Muhtadi was signed by the
Professional wrestling career
WWE
Early years in NXT (2012–2015)
Muhtadi spent 18 months rehabilitating from the injury he sustained with the Arizona Cardinals. During his recovery, he had received offers to return to the NFL and to work in financial services, but instead opted to become a professional wrestler with WWE by August 2012.[9][14] He joined WWE's developmental territory WWE NXT and he adopted the ring name "Mojo Rawley".[1]
Rawley made his television debut on the May 29, 2013, episode of
The Hype Bros (2015–2017)
In June 2015,
On July 19, Rawley was called up to the main roster as a supplemental pick in the
After Ryder's injury was determined, the following week on SmackDown, Rawley defeated
After six months of inactivity, Ryder returned on the June 13 episode of SmackDown, reuniting with Rawley. On June 18, at the
After several weeks of losing matches causing dissension between the team, both Rawley and Ryder began to claim that a change was needed.
24/7 Champion (2018–2021)
Rawley then competed in a
On December 31, Rawley won the
On the March 13 episode of SmackDown, as a
Other media
Rawley made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K17 (as a downloadable character), and has since appeared in WWE 2K18, WWE 2K19, and WWE 2K20.[58] Following his WWE release, Muhtadi appeared in the G.I. Joe prequel film, Snake Eyes. Rawley is currently a co-host on TMZ Sports which airs daily on Fox Sports FS1. Additionally, Mojo stars on the "God Bless Football" podcast with his partners Chris Gronkowski, K-Funk, Joba Chamberlain, Billy Gil, Mikey A, and Stugotz.
Personal life
Muhtadi is close friends with retired professional football player, Rob Gronkowski. In January 2022, Muhtadi revealed he had COVID-19 in 2020 and defined it as a near-fatal experience.[59]
On February 12, 2022, Muhtadi got engaged to Gracie Tracy.[60] The couple were married on October 17, 2022, in Florence, Italy.[61][62]
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #111 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017[63]
- PWI ranked him #111 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the
- WWE
See also
References
- ^ The McClatchy Company. Archived from the originalon January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Mojo Rawley: Profile & Match Listing". profightdb.
- ^ a b c d e f "Mojo Rawley bio". WWE. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- ^ Andy. "Mojo Rawley: Profile, Career, Face/Heel Turns, Titles Won, Gimmick Evolution and Stats | Pro Wrestlers Database". The SmackDown Hotel. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "WWE 24/7 Championship". WWE. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Artus, Matthew. "Mojo Rawley won the 4th annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". WWE. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Mojo Rawley talks his WWE career, Arabic heritage, and Vince's headbutt". YouTube. September 15, 2017. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Mark Giannotto (January 27, 2016). "Dean Muhtadi was a college football star. As "Mojo Rawley," he's trying to be the next big thing in the ring". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Saxton, Byron (October 16, 2013). "Staying hyped: Mojo Rawley makes his NXT debut". WWE. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- ^ "Dean Muhtadi, DS #66 DT, Maryland". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "HYPED: Former Cardinals lineman Dean Muhtadi (AKA Mojo Rawley) living his dream in WWE". ABC 15 Arizona. February 22, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
- ^ Dilbert, Ryan (October 12, 2017). "Before WWE, Mojo Rawley Was the Most Hyped Man on the Football Field". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Scherer, Dave (August 11, 2012). "New WWE Signings, The Next Step For Former WWE Diva". PWInsider. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Jason Namako. "WWE NXT results - 5/30/13 (#1 Contender battle royal)". Wrestleview. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ James, Justin. "James's WWE NXT report 1/15 - Week 81: Triple H makes announcement, Kofi vs. Rusev test match, NXT champ in action, Neville/PAC; Overall Reax". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Staying hyped: Mojo Rawley makes his NXT debut (page 2)". WWE. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Howell, Nolan (February 28, 2014). "NXT Arrival: Neville Reaches For The Gold". Slam Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ Howell, Nolan (May 29, 2014). "Neville Tops Kidd At NXT Takeover". Slam Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "WWE News: Mojo Rawley's Shoulder Injury Is Legit, Upcoming HBK Appearance - 411MANIA". 411mania.com.
- ^ "WWE NXT results - June 10, 2015: Samoa Joe makes his debut, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley join forces". WWE.
- ^ Trionfo, Richard (November 11, 2015). "WWE NXT REPORT: TAG TITLE MATCH, BAYLEY AND ALEXA IN SIX PERSON TAG ACTION, SAMOA JOE EXPLAINS HIMSELF, THE ASCENSION ARE BACK NEXT WEEK, AND WHAT IS GOING ON WITH NIA JAX AND EVA MARIE?". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ "2016 WWE Draft results: WWE officially ushers in New Era". WWE. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillains - SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: SmackDown Live, Aug. 30, 2016, retrieved September 21, 2016
- ^ "Heath Slater & Rhyno def. The Hype Bros in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament". Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ Parks, Greg. "10/25 WWE Smackdown LIVE – Parks's Ongoing, Real-Time Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ "Zack Ryder injures knee during battle royal". ESPN.com. December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ "WWE SmackDown LIVE results, Jan. 24, 2017: Intercontinental Title Lumberjack Match explodes in chaotic Royal Rumble Match prelude".
- ^ "Rob Gronkowski helps Mojo Rawley win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". Wwe.com. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ "The Hype Bros reunite to battle the Colons in Kickoff showdown". WWE. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "The Bludgeon Brothers def. The Hype Bros". WWE. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "Say It Ain't So Bro: Mojo Rawley turns on Zack Ryder after another loss". November 29, 2017.
- ^ Chiari, Mike. "Mojo Rawley Is Top Option to Liven Up US Title Scene After Win vs. Zack Ryder". Bleacher Report.
- ^ Kain, Reverend (December 17, 2017). "WWE Clash of Champions 2017 results, live streaming match coverage: Styles vs. Mahal". Cageside Seats. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ Barnett, Jake. "01/09 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: AJ Styles addressed handicap match title defense at the Royal Rumble, U.S. Title tournament continues, Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Ascension, Ruby Riott vs. Becky Lynch". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/16: U.S. Title Tournament semi-finals with Xavier vs. Jinder, Roode vs. Mojo, Shane-Bryan drama continues". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ Melok, Bobby. "United States Champion Bobby Roode def. Mojo Rawley (United States Championship Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ "Get live results from the two-night WWE Superstar Shake-up". WWE. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 27, 2018). "Powell's WWE Greatest Royal Rumble live review: 50-man Royal Rumble match, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns in a cage match for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship, John Cena vs. Triple H, Undertaker vs. Rusev in a casket match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (June 18, 2018). "Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: The night after Money in the Bank with MITB winner Braun Strowman, new Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, the road to Extreme Rules begins". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (July 16, 2018). "7/16 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Brock Lesnar's WWE Universal Championship ultimatum given by Kurt Angle, the fallout from Extreme Rules, the build to WWE SummerSlam begins". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (July 23, 2018). "7/23 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns to determine Brock Lesnar's challenger for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H's big announcement, The B-Team vs. Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt for the Raw Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (August 6, 2018). "8/6 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox, Raw Tag Champions Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas vs. The Revival, Mojo Rawley vs. Bobby Roode, Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Riott Squad". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (January 28, 2019). "1/28 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: Royal Rumble fallout, Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre, Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber match that will crown the WWE Women's Tag Champions". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (May 13, 2019). "5/13 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of Becky Lynch contract signing for matches with Lacey Evans and Charlotte Flair, Roman Reigns on Miz TV, Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin, the final Raw push for Money in the Bank". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Dangoor, Louis (June 11, 2019). "Mojo Rawley Reveals New Gimmick And Explains Face Paint Meaning". WrestleTalk. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (December 31, 2019). "TWO WWE 24/7 TITLE CHANGES ON FOX NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL". PWInsider. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (January 14, 2020). "HEYDORN'S WWE RAW REPORT 1/13: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including the first ever fist fight, Orton vs. Styles, Black vs. Murphy, and more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ Tedesco, Mike (January 18, 2020). "1/17 WWE Live Results: Lafayette, Louisiana (Kairi Sane returns to action, 8-man tag)". WrestleView. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason. "01/27 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of Edge's return, Royal Rumble winners Drew McIntyre and Charlotte Flair, Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy vs. Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens for the Raw Tag Titles, Liv Morgan vs. Lana". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (February 10, 2020). "2/10 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of Becky Lynch vs. Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship, Seth Rollins, Murphy, and AOP vs. Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, and The Viking Raiders in an eight-man tag match, the build to WWE Super ShowDown continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (March 13, 2020). "3/13 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of John Cena's appearance, Jeff Hardy's return, Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro, Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, no fans in attendance at the WWE Performance Center". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "Is Rob Gronkowski coming to WWE?: SmackDown, March 13, 2020". WWE. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Staszewski, Joseph (March 23, 2020). "WWE's big Rob Gronkowski push has a Mojo Rawley problem". New York Post. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ Konuwa, Alfred. "Rob Gronkowski's WWE Signing Could Be A Lifeline For Mojo Rawley (Updated)". Forbes. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ "Gronk takes hold of another title, this one at WrestleMania". NBC Sports Boston. April 5, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "Another Wwe Release Confirmed". PWInsider.com. April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Mazique, Brian (September 6, 2018). "'WWE 2K19' Roster: Complete List Of Every On-Disc Superstar In The Game". Forbes. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ Peralta, Sergi (January 31, 2022). "Mojo Rawley revela que hace unos 19 meses se contagió de COVID-19". Solo Wrestling (in Spanish). Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ "Former WWE Star Gets Engaged". February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Mojo Rawley Gets Married in Italy". October 20, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "Photo: Mojo Rawley Gets Married In Italy". October 18, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2017". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
External links
Professional wrestling
- Mojo Rawley on Twitter
- Mojo Rawley's profile at WWE.com
- Mojo Rawley's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database
Football
- Mark Giannotto. Dean Muhtadi working hard for a shot at Arizona Cardinals roster, The Washington Post, July 20, 2010.
- Darren Urban. Happy To Be Here, Arizona Cardinals Website, June 3, 2010.
- Mark Giannotto, Muhtadi's on a Mission; T.C. grad, NFL rookie looks to beat the odds at Packers training camp, Sports Connection, July 29, 2009.
- Mike Spofford. Former Terps Become Teammates Again, Green Bay Packers Website.
- Maryland Terrapins football bio