Cory James Weston (born September 4, 1987) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

currently working on the independent circuit under the ring name Westin Blake. He is best known for his time in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

, where he performed under the ring name Wesley Blake. Weston debuted in 2011 under his real name on the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

independent circuit, most notably for

Dory Funk Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...

Funking Conservatory The Funking Conservatory is a professional wrestling school owned by Dory Funk Jr. and established in 1991. It started as a six-day camp, but it later expanded to a three-week program. In 2001, it began running a professional wrestling promotion ...

. He signed with WWE in 2013, portraying a cowboy gimmick in

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

during his first year. He later formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with

Buddy Murphy Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews as a member of the stable House of Black. He is best known for his time with WWE w ...

, and the two, managed by

Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was a ...

, won the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 2 ...

once. After several years, he formed a stable with

Jaxson Ryker Chad Lail (born June 6, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Gunner. Early life Chad Lail was born on June 6, 1982, in Hickory, North Carolina. He served in the Ira ...

and Steve Cutler called The Forgotten Sons. In 2020, the stable began working on

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

. He was released from WWE on April 15, 2021. Soon after, he announced on his social media that his new ring name would be Westin Blake.

Early life

Cory James Weston was born on September 4, 1987, in San Marcos, Texas. He was brought up by his single mother. Weston played football at the all-state

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

level, including for the

Medina Valley Medina Valley, also known as the Medina River Valley, is an area in south central Texas containing the Medina River, Lake Medina, and the Medina Dam. It serves to drain the Balcones Escarpment of the Texas Hill Country and irrigate the fire contain ...

Panthers in 2005, where he played as the

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He graduated from

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

, where he was a strength instructor and also played college football.

Professional wrestling career

Funking Conservatory (2011–2013)

Weston wanted to be a

since the age of 3. He eventually became a student of

's professional wrestling school, the

, appearing on the school's '' !Bang! TV'' show under his real name. Immediately after graduating from university, Weston moved to Ocala, Florida in 2011, where the Funking Conservatory was located. Documented to have been wrestling there since May 2011, Weston managed to become the FC Heavyweight Champion, as well as the European Champion and the Florida Champion. Weston wrestled against

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...

in an eight-person tag team match in May 2013, which was Lawler's first match since suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in September 2012.

WWE

Blake and Murphy (2013–2016)

Weston signed with WWE in June 2013 and reported to NXT in July 2013 when the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE ...

opened; at the same time as his future NXT tag team partner

. Weston made his television debut as Wesley Blake on the January 22, 2014 episode of ''

'' with the character of a cowboy and lost his debut match to

Adrian Neville Benjamin Satterley (born 22 August 1986), better known by his ring name Pac, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he was the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. He is one-third of the ...

. Blake continued in his

jobber Jobber may refer to: Athletics * Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match. * Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911 Commerce * A person or corporation ...

role with losses in singles matches to the likes of

Adam Rose Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Adam Rose. Making his debut on the South African independent circuit in 1995, Leppan signed with ...

Mason Ryan Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Mason Ryan. Griffiths studied construction management at Cardiff University, before working as ...

and

Sin Cara In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, ...

, as well as a loss in a tag-team match against the Ascension with Cal Bishop as his partner. In August 2014, Blake abandoned the cowboy character and formed a tag team with Buddy Murphy. On the August 14 episode of ''NXT'', Blake and Murphy were defeated in the first round of a number one contender's tag team tournament by Kalisto and Sin Cara, later known as

The Lucha Dragons The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''lucha ...

. For the rest of 2014, Blake and Murphy lost multiple matches to teams such as The Lucha Dragons and

The Vaudevillains The Vaudevillains were an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Aiden English and Simon Gotch. Their gimmick was a pair of Vaudeville-era throwbacks. They also wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they wer ...

(

Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler who currently appears in Impact Wrestling where he performs under his real name. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he per ...

and

Simon Gotch Seth Lesser (born October 18, 1982) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Simon Gotch. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he held the NXT Tag Team Championship as one-half of The Vaudevillains along with A ...

). Also in October 2014, Blake and Murphy were involved in a tag-team battle royal to determine the number one contenders to the

; they were eliminated from the match by The Ascension. Blake and Murphy defeated The Vaudevillains on the January 21, 2015 episode of ''NXT'' and a week later, defeated The Lucha Dragons to win the NXT Tag Team Championship. At NXT TakeOver: Rival, Blake and Murphy, now billed simply by their last names, defeated The Lucha Dragons in a rematch for the titles. Following that, Blake and Murphy started a feud with

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady FreeAgentZ (formerly known as Enzo and Cass) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of nZo and CaZXL. The duo are best known for their tenure with WWE, from 2013 to 2017, under the respective ring names, Enzo Amore and Big Cas ...

, who were intent on capturing the tag titles. At NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, they retained their NXT Tag Team Championship against Amore and Cassady after interference from

, who then aligned herself with them. After several successful title defenses, Blake and Murphy lost the championships to The Vaudevillians at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, ending their reign at 219 days. On the May 18, 2016 episode of ''NXT'', after losing to Shinsuke Nakamura and

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...

, Bliss and Blake walked away from Murphy, teasing a split for the team. Following Bliss's main roster call-up in the

2016 WWE draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...

, Blake was used sporadically on NXT television as an enhancement talent, with his final televised appearance being a match against Murphy on the October 12 episode of ''NXT'', which quickly ended in a no-contest as both men were attacked by an interfering

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...

The Forgotten Sons and departure (2017–2021)

After a long absence from television, Blake returned on the May 10, 2017 episode of ''NXT'', confronting

Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE I ...

in a backstage segment. On the May 24, 2017 episode of ''NXT'', returning to his previous cowboy gimmick, Blake lost in a match against McIntyre. He was then absent from television for the remainder of 2017, forming a tag team with Steve Cutler at NXT live events as "The Forgotten Sons". The team (now featuring

) debuted on the August 29, 2018 episode of ''NXT'' in a segment with general manager

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...

. Their in-ring debuts took place the following week when Blake and Cutler defeated

The Street Profits The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. The team is currently performing in WWE on the Raw brand. They are three-time tag team champions in WWE, having held the Raw, Sm ...

after a distraction from

Shane Thorne Shane Veryzer (born 24 September 1985) is an Australians, Australian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, who is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Shane Haste as a member of The Mighty Don't Kneel ...

. On the October 3 episode of ''NXT'', the group defeated the team of Vinny Mixon, Cesar Rise & Torrey Kirsh. Blake and Cutler represented the group in the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated

Danny Burch Martin Harris (born 31 December 1981) is an English professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Danny Burch. He is a former one time NXT Tag Team Champion with Oney Lorcan ...

and Oney Lorcan in the first-round and

Moustache Mountain Moustache Mountain was a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate, Bate is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand and Seven worked for WWE until his release in August 2022. They are on ...

in the second-round before losing to

Aleister Black Tom Budgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Malakai Black. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Aleister Black from 201 ...

and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

in the finals. Blake and Cutler competed in a fatal four-way ladder match for the vacant

at NXT TakeOver: XXV. Despite interference from Ryker, the two were unsuccessful in winning. The group entered the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but were eliminated in the first round by Imperium. The trio debuted on ''

'' on the April 10, 2020 episode, defeating Lucha House Party. They appeared on the April 24 episode of ''SmackDown'' when they attacked Lucha House Party and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. The group made their main roster in-ring debut on the May 1 episode, defeating The New Day in a non-title match. They then began portraying themselves as American patriots with Cutler and Ryker highlighting their services in the marines. However, the gimmick was dropped due to a tweet by Jaxson Ryker supporting

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

which led to serious backstage heat and backlash from many on social media and within the fan base. This resulted in The Forgotten Sons being taken off television. On the December 4 episode of SmackDown, Blake and Cutler, now known as The Knights of the Lone Wolf, made their return accompanying King Corbin to the ring as they helped him defeat Murphy. However, the storyline was aborted since, on February 4, 2021, Cutler was released. On April 15, 2021, Blake was also released from his WWE contract.

Control Your Narrative (2021–present)

Westin debuted at the ROH pay-per-view

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first internet ...

, where he, EC3, and

Adam Scherr Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDo ...

formed the new Control Your Narrative stable and attacked Eli Isom, Dak Draper and Brian Johnson. In February 2022, it was announced Blake was joining the new Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion created by EC3 and

Other media

As Blake, he made his

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

debut as a playable character in ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2K17''. ...

'' (as a downloadable character) and also appears in

WWE 2K17 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

Personal life

On December 30, 2017, Weston married fellow professional wrestler Sara Lee. They have a daughter and two sons. Lee died on October 5, 2022; her cause of death was unavailable.

Championships and accomplishments

** FC European Championship (1 time) ** FC Florida Championship (1 time) ** FC Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' ** Ranked No. 121 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' in 2015 *The Wrestling Revolver **PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Steve Maclin *

( 1 time) – with

References

External links

* * *
Cory Weston
s videos on YouTube, uploaded by Dory Funk Jr. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Wesley 1987 births Living people American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Texas People from San Marcos, Texas Texas State Bobcats football players NXT Tag Team Champions 21st-century professional wrestlers