Former WWE Superstar Alex Riley is returning to the ring soon.
Riley shared some in-ring training posts on his Instagram account back in the summer, then took to Instagram this week to announce that he will be returning to the ring on Thursday, December 8 in Lynbrook, NY at the Holiday Toy Drive 2022 event hosted by Create-A-Pro and The Major Wrestling Figures Podcast.
Riley will team with NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus to take on Jack Tomlinson and Dante Drago of VBU.
“To #The8th forever grateful if you are in the New York area please come see me at this wonderful charity event Toy Donations for admittance at the door @createaprowrestling @myers_wrestling #ToysForTots #PapstBlueRibbon #NewYorkHoliday,” Riley wrote as the caption to the post seen below.
A new report from Fightful Select notes that Riley has told people he wants to give pro wrestling another shot. When Riley decided to get back in the ring, Tyrus sent him to the Create-A-Pro school, owned by Impact star Brian Myers and AEW Vice President of Talent Development Pat Buck, and he’s continued to train there. Riley has made recent FOX News Radio podcast appearances with Tyrus.
Riley’s social media shows how he’s also done recent in-ring training with Jay Lethal, Big Kon (Konnor) and David Mercury at their school in Florida, The Wrestling Lab.
This looks to be Riley’s first match since losing to Shinsuke Nakamura at the WWE NXT TV tapings on April 28, 2016. Riley noted in 2017 that he wanted to focus on acting, and eventually he picked up a few minor roles, including a part in the GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) series on Netflix.
Riley signed his WWE developmental deal to work FCW in 2007, and held the FCW Florida Heavyweight Title once. He would go on to work the second season of NXT, with The Miz as his mentor. Miz and Riley later worked together on the main roster, in a run that included Riley’s infamous Steel Cage loss to John Cena on the February 28, 2011 RAW. He would continue making main roster appearances, splitting from The Miz in the 2011 Supplemental Draft as he was sent to SmackDown. Riley also worked some NXT matches, and transitioned into a commentary role in the summer of 2013. He tried out a few more roles and continued to work NXT and the main roster until being released on May 6, 2016, along with other cuts.
You can see Riley’s Instagram post on his upcoming match below, along with a few recent training posts:
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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