4/12/12 – Gdansk, Poland

Lord Tensai beat Alex Riley.

4/13/12 – Stuttgart, Germany

Lord Tensai beat Alex Riley via TKO.

 

4/14/12 - Berlin, Germany

Lord Tensai beat Alex Riley.

 

4/15/12 – Nottingham, U.K

Lord Tensai beat Alex Riley.

4/11/12 – Moscow, Russia

David Otunga b. Alex Riley

It’s been said that the best characters in professional wrestling are those based off of the performer’s real-life personality with the “volume turned up.” So does that mean that WWE Superstar and Fairfax native Alex Riley, once known as “The Varsity Villain,” stole lunch money and stuffed nerds in lockers during his time at Robinson Secondary School?

“There were a couple people I would have loved to stuff in lockers,”he said with a laugh Friday. “There was a guy picking on my brother one time and I think you saw a little bit of ‘The Varsity Villain’ there come out.”

While he may not have been as much of a bully as he portrayed on television, Riley has definitely thrown his weight around in WWE as he has cemented his place as one of the company’s fastest-rising stars.

The 30-year-old Riley (real name: Kevin Kiley, Jr.) was born and raised in Fairfax. The son of former New York Jet and ESPN sportscaster Kevin Kiley, Sr., and Lauren Kiley, a former Miss Virginia, Riley followed in his father’s footsteps, starring as a quarterback for Robinson and earning a scholarship to continue his football career at Boston College, where he made the switch to linebacker.

Though Riley had his life from ages 14-22 “mapped out” as a football player, he was always fascinated by the spectacle of professional wrestling. One of his father’s closest friends was his former college teammate at the University of Wyoming, Greg Gagne, a member of the influential Gagne wrestling family. That, combined with his love of wrestling from a young age, propelled Riley toward a career in sports entertainment.

A naturally-gifted athlete, Riley excelled at any challenge placed in front of him, but he admitted that getting his start with WWE was one of the hardest things he’s done thus far. His football career prepared him for the inevitable bumps and bruises that come with stepping into the squared circle, but there were other aspects that he had to adjust to.

“There are a lot of similarities between football and wrestling,”Riley said. “The obvious ones are the contact, the amount of discipline that it takes to get through it. They’re both very grueling on your body.”

“I always tell people that when you’re a football player, you’re really a number under a jersey,” he continued. “As a WWE Superstar, you’re a total personality. From the moment you walk through the curtain, they see everything. You’re not covered at all. You’re out there in trunks, they can see your face at all times. I think there’s nine or 10 cameras out there that can catch the way you’re feeling, what you say, the way you look, how you move at any moment once your start performing. It’s very difficult to learn how you’ve always gotta be in character.”

It may have been a difficult learning process, but Riley, who took a job selling medical equipment as a stopgap, impressed WWE so much that he received a message from them asking him to join their developmental territory in Tampa, Fla., Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), before the plane he was on landed back in Virginia after his tryout. He then packed up his Jeep Cherokee and drove 18 hours to Tampa to start his journey.

After spending about three years in FCW honing his craft, Riley earned a spot on the company’s main roster in 2010. Riley was a participant on the second season of WWE NXT, a pseudo-reality show where eight “rookies” mentored by eight “pros” battled it out for a chance to become WWE’s “Next Breakout Star.” Riley was paired with Mike “The Miz” Mizanin and while he ultimately finished in third place on NXT, he became the biggest star from that season.

Riley continued his partnership with The Miz, who, like Riley, was on a meteoric rise to fame in 2010, winning the WWE’s United States Championship as well as the coveted “Money In The Bank” briefcase, which guaranteed him a future championship match. The Miz indeed became WWE Champion in November 2010 by cashing in the aforementioned briefcase and Riley was his right-hand man as they did battle with luminaries like John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, even accompanying The Miz to the ring at the main event of Wrestlemania 27, the company’s biggest event.

“I could not have written a better start to my career,”Riley said. “I started on NXT and it was a lot of fun having The Miz help me out because he was such an established performer already, so to go into that show with him was a gift. And then to be a part of his run as WWE Champion was incredible. The situation was incredible. Being able to be in the ring with guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Roddy Piper and to help headline Wrestlemania with Miz, Rock and John Cena, I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

While Riley owed a lot to The Miz for his development, the on-screen relationship between the two hit a rough patch last spring after the latter lost the WWE Championship. The Miz, who had signed Riley to a storyline “personal services contract,” fired him in the middle of the ring. Riley snapped and attacked his former mentor, signaling the start of his singles career. The biggest moment of Riley’s career came shortly after when he defeated The Miz at the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view at Verizon Center last June.

“The place went crazy when I came out,”Riley said of his pay-per-view singles debut last summer.“Washington D.C. has always been great to me.”

Riley will return to his hometown when WWE Raw broadcasts live from Verizon Center Monday evening. He doesn’t know what’s in store for him Monday, but expects to make an appearance in front of the D.C. crowd.

“A-Ry’s” journey from sports to sports entertainment has been an arduous one, but he never forgot his roots and looks forward to returning to them Monday.

“I love being in D.C.,” Riley said. “I’m gonna stay at my parents’ house the night before the show. I’m gonna sleep in my old bed. I’m gonna get a good meal, get up and go to the gym and just be so excited for the show. It’s just fun being home.”

Lord Tensai vs Alex Riley

Sakamoto comes out, then Lord Tensai came out in a robe, metal hat and fabric over his face. Riley is already in the ring. Cole admitted that Tensai was a WWE Champ who went to Japan and has recently returned. King says he dominated in Japan, for years. In the ring Sakamoto removes Tensai robe. Off comes hat and fabric to show characters across his head and one side of his face. It’s obviously not actually tattooed on, unlike the rest of the ink on his head and body – it smeared up by the end of the match.

An elbow to Riley’s jaw. Riley throws a couple blows, then a blows form Tensai drops him. Riley is whipped hard across the ring. Head butts to Riley over and over and over in the corner. Double under hook the Tensai holds him vertically before slamming him to the mat. “Daniel Bryan!” chants. A couple elbow drops then a sick back splash on Riley. Riley back into the corner and elbows to Riley’s face. The fans got into that. Tensai moves away and Riley was rubber and slid down Tensai’s back. Sit down power bomb and the ref called it.

Winner – Tensai

Alex Riley vs. Heath Slater

This could be called the “battle of the falling stars”, in that both guys were receiving some sort of push and then the bottom fell out for both. They encircle and Riley ends up with a hammerlock; Slater elbows free and hits a shoulderblock. Riley comes back with a unique hiptoss into a suplex. Riley gets a running clothesline off a missed corner charge for two. Slater comes back with a drop-toe hold onto the ropes and takes over on offense… with a chinlock. He rams Slater’s face onto the mat and works another chinlock. Riley tries to comeback but Slater hits a STO to retake over… with another chinlock. At least we know Slater isn’t phoning it in because he is at least wrenching on the chinlock hard as opposed to just sitting there. Slater opens it up with a running neckbreaker but misses a corner charge. Riley begins a comeback and hits clotheslines and a spinebuster. The A-Bomb connects for a close nearfall; I actually thought that was three, getting a new finisher for Riley. Slater counters the Final Score and hits Sweetness for three.

Here is your winner… Heath Slater at via Sweetness pinfall.

Maxine is on the phone with someone who she is using to get dirt on William Regal. Johnny Curtis stops by and asks Maxine. She says that Regal is into some freaky stuff. Johnny says that the company is keeping Matt Striker’s whereabouts on the DL. He suggests that they found a stunt double for him to announce Superstars.

Maxine and Johnny talk about figuring out who took Striker.

Percy Watson and Alex Riley are in the hallway and Percy mentions that he beat Tyler Reks last week, but Maxine stole the spotlight by giving William Regal a foot massage. Percy wants to know what her problem is.

Maxine says that she wouldn’t have to steal the spotlight if people cared about his matches. Maxine wants to know how unhappy Percy is with her. Percy and Alex have no idea what she is talking about.

Alex asks Johnny why he isn’t wearing a shirt.

ATLANTA – Zack Ryder and Alex Riley visited Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta today as part of a joint effort with The Ryan Seacrest Foundation. The Superstars were on hand to participate in a radio show hosted by children at the hospital.

The interviews with Ryder and Riley, which were conducted by a group of children from the hospital, were broadcast live to each room via an internal radio station. Afterward, Long Island Iced-Z and A-Ry hung out with the young radio hosts, posing for photos and signing autographs.

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation’s first initiative, called “The Voice,” is to build broadcast media centers inside pediatric hospitals for children to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media. In addition to Atlanta, there are stations in Philadelphia and Boston, and plans for expansion in Dallas and Orange County, Calif.

To date, WWE Superstars Santino Marella and R-Truth have also participated in the Seacrest Foundation’s efforts. Other celebritiy guests have included Selena Gomez, Daughtry, Adam Lambert and the Jonas Brothers. Upcoming celebrity visitors will include Coldplay and One Direction.

Video: Here

3/25/12 – Charlotte, N.C.

Ryback pinned Alex Riley

3/23/12 – Lakeland, Fla.

Ryback beat Alex Riley.

WWE Tag Team Champions Epico & Primo w/Rosa Mendes vs. Alex Riley & Mason Ryan

Epico & Riley will start things off for their respective teams. Epico with a kick to the gut, followed by locking in a side headlock. Irish whip by Riley and he catches Epico coming in, knocking him down with a shoulder tackle. Riley goes off the ropes, but as Epico tries to hip toss him coming in, Riley counters that with a hiptoss style suplex, followed by a back suplex for a nearfall. Riley wrenches Epico’s arm, but Epico comes back with a gut shot and then tags in Primo. Riley greets him with a kick to the leg, followed by a running low dropkick for a nearfall. Primo comes back with a knee to the gut, followed by firing away with gut shots and left hands in the corner. Riley spins Primo around and hits a gut shot of his own, followed by an Irish whip. However, Primo reverses it but Riley moves out of the way on Primo’s charge in. Riley then goes off the ropes and hits a flying clothesline. Riley with an avalanche in the corner, followed by going up on the middle rope. Riley motions for the A-Bomb and connects with it for another nearfall. Epico then distracts Riley on the apron and that allows Primo to come in from behind and take out Riley’s leg with a chopblock.

Primo chokes Riley in the ropes and then Epico gets a shot in from the apron while the referee was with Primo. Primo stomps away at Riley, followed by choking him with his boot. Primo with a hard chop that knocks Riley down and then tags in Epico. Epico stomps away at Riley in the corner, followed by knocking him down with a left hand for a nearfall. Epico taunts Riley and then delivers more stomps. Snapmare takeover by Epico into a reverse chinlock. Crowd tries to get Riley back into the match as he gets to his feet. Riley breaks the grip with gut shots and a right hand, followed by an Irish whip. However, Epico sidesteps Riley’s back body drop attempt and then drills him with a DDT. Epico then hits a baseball slide kick that sends Riley out to the outside as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial as Primo lays in a kick to Riley’s ribs, followed by a leg sweep and a leg drop for a nearfall. Primo then applies a Camel Clutch as the crowd tries to will Riley back in the match. Riley gets to his feet, but Primo nails him with another kick and goes off the ropes. However, Riley catches him and connects with a spinebuster and both men are down. Ryan tries to will on his tag partner as Epico does the same. Primo grabs on to Riley’s ankle to prevent the tag being made, but then Ryan and Epico get the respective tags in.

Ryan with a back body drop to Epico, followed by a series of clotheslines and finally a big boot. Ryan is all fired up as he lifts up Epico, connecting with a delayed vertical suplex. Ryan goes for a cover, but Primo breaks up the pin attempt. This brings Riley charging in, but Primo drops down the top rope and that sends Riley flying over the ropes to the outside. Ryan then nails Primo with a clothesline, sending him over the ropes to the outside. Ryan charges at Epico, but Epico gets his boots up. Epico charges in, but Ryan lifts him up in a gorilla press and then drops him down over his head. Ryan lifts up Epico for a slam, but Rosa gets on the apron.

While the referee is with Rosa, Primo comes back in and the cousins Colon hit a double team Backstabber on Ryan for the victory.

Winners: Epico & Primo by pinfall