Cezar Bononi
/ref> (born June 15, 1986) is a Brazilian 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 signed to All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
. He is also known for his time in WWE NXT
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...
from October 2015 to April 2020.
Early life
Prior to his wrestling career Bononi played American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
for São Paulo Storm in the Brazilian football league, being named to the São Paulo state team and the All Brazilian team.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Bononi trained to be a professional wrestler under Bob Junior of the Brazilian Wrestling Federation, and competed on the independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
in his native Brazil and South America under the ring name V8 Big Block. In the BWF, he held the BWF Rei Do Ringue Championship on one occasion.
WWE (2015–2020)
In October 2015, Bononi was announced as part of a class of 19 WWE recruits to begin training at 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 ...
.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 2017 ...
. Bononi had his first televised victory on the May 31 episode of ''NXT'', defeating Andrade "Cien" Almas. Bononi was named "Future Star of NXT" at the 2017 NXT Year-End Awards. On April 17, 2020, it was announced that he was released from his WWE contract.
All Elite Wrestling (2020–present)
On the June 24, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to:
* Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft
* Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW)
* AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company
...
, Bononi was spotted in the crowd along with other wrestlers where he broke up a brawl between participants of a lumberjack. Bononi would then make his in-ring debut on the September 29 episode of AEW Dark AEW or aew may refer to:
* Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft
* Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW)
* AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company
...
where he teamed with Shawn Dean in a losing effort to The Gunn Club. Over the next few months, Bononi would compete sporadically on ''Dark'' in losing efforts. On the January 26, 2021 episode of ''Dark'', Bononi would align himself with Peter Avalon
Peter Hernandez (born June 14, 1989), better known by the ring name "Pretty" Peter Avalon, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his appearances in Championship Wrestling from Hollywood ...
. Bononi had his first win in AEW on the February 3 episode of ''Dark'', teaming with Avalon to defeat Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean. Bononi made his first in-ring appearance on the February 4 episode of ''Dynamite'', teaming with Avalon in a loss to the team of Lee Johnson and Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...
. At Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, Bononi and Avalon took part in the Tag Team Casino Battle Royale
The Casino Battle Royale, with its tag team variant being the Casino Tag Team Royale, is a professional wrestling match utilized by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Both variations are modified rumble rules battle royals. The Casino Battle Royale featu ...
in a losing effort.
Championship and accomplishments
* Brazilian Wrestling Federation
**BWF Rei Do Ringue 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. 423 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 2019
* WWE
**NXT Year-End Award
The NXT Year-End Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy, Grammy and WWE's own Slammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers who have competed in NXT in the previous year. There have been five editions of the co ...
(1 time)
***Future Star of NXT (2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
)Daily Update: NXT year-end awards, TakeOver, Impact ratings
/ref>
References
External links
Cezar Bononi
on WWE.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bononi, Cezar
1986 births
All Elite Wrestling personnel
Living people
Brazilian male professional wrestlers
Brazilian players of American football
Sportspeople from São Paulo
21st-century professional wrestlers