Moose (wrestler)

Early life

Ojinnaka was born in Seabrook, Maryland. He attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he earned All-Prince George County offensive lineman honors as a senior when his team had an 11–0 season that included the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship.

College career

Ojinnaka attended Syracuse University, where he played in 44 games with 23 starts in four years. In 2005, he started all 12 games as a junior. He was part of an offensive line that blocked for the first Syracuse duo to each run for 800 yards (Damien Rhodes and Walter Reyes) since 1979. The team allowed only 19 sacks, the second-fewest in the Big East Conference. In 2006, Ojinnaka played in the 2006 Las Vegas All-American Classic for the East squad after starting all 11 games as a senior.

Atlanta Falcons

Ojinnaka was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. As a rookie in 2006, he played in 11 games. He saw playing time on special teams in Weeks 1–4 and 8–13. He played on the offensive line for the first time in his professional career when he replaced Wayne Gandy who had been injured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2007, Ojinnaka played in 11 games, and had seven starts at left tackle. His first career NFL start at left tackle was against the San Francisco 49ers. He played in eight games in 2008. In 2009, he played in nine games, and started the final five games at right guard in place of an injured Harvey Dahl.

New England Patriots

On August 23, 2010, Ojinnaka was traded to the New England Patriots for a seventh round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. After serving his one-game suspension in Week 1, Ojinnaka was inactive for the team's next two games. He was released on September 30, 2010. The Patriots re-signed Ojinnaka on October 7, 2010. In total, he was active for eight games in 2010, all as a reserve.

St. Louis Rams

Ojinnaka signed with the St. Louis Rams on August 6, 2011. He was released on September 3.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts signed Ojinnaka on October 5, 2011.

Second stint with Rams

Ojinnaka signed with the St. Louis Rams on March 22, 2012. He was waived on September 2, 2012.

He was re-signed on September 12, 2012 when Scott Wells injured his foot and Robert Turner moved from left guard to center. However, he was released again on October 22, 2012.

Early career (2012–2015)

Ojinnaka started his professional wrestling training in 2012 under Mr. Hughes at WWA4, and has attended WWE training camps. On February 22, 2014, he made his debut for Dragon Gate USA, working alongside The Bravado Brothers in a bodyguard role. On May 6, 2015, Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced Ojinnaka as part of their roster. Due to signing a new Ring of Honor (ROH) contract, Ojinnaka was only scheduled to work GFW's house shows and not television tapings.

Ring of Honor (2014–2016)

After Ojinnaka appeared at ROH's Best in the World 2014 event on June 22, 2014, and the promotion announced two days later that it had signed him to a contract. Ojinnaka then adopted the ring name Moose and formed a partnership with R.D. Evans and Veda Scott. On December 7, 2014, at Final Battle 2014, Moose, accompanied by Prince Nana and Stokely Hathaway, defeated R.D. Evans. On March 1, 2015, at the ROH 13th Anniversary Show, Moose defeated Mark Briscoe in a singles match, marking his first major win within Ring of Honor. Moose beforehand "squashed" wrestlers, such as Colby Corino. Moose's undefeated streak ended on May 16 at Global Wars '15, when he was defeated by Cedric Alexander. On June 19 at Best in the World 2015, Moose's manager Veda Scott turned on him and formed a new partnership with Alexander. At the PPV, Moose lost a three-way match against Roderick Strong. At Final Battle (2015) he lost against Michael Elgin. At Best in the World '16, Moose teamed with War Machine but lost against Bullet Club. Ojinnaka left ROH on July 8, 2016, with reports linking him to both WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Debut and various feuds (2016-2017)

Moose made his TNA debut on the July 12, 2016, Destination X edition of Impact Wrestling, interrupting the main event match between TNA World Heavyweight Champion Lashley and TNA X Division Champion Eddie Edwards, aligning himself with Mike Bennett and Maria, establishing himself as a heel. Ojinnaka reportedly had signed a two-year exclusive deal with the promotion. On the July 28 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose made his in-ring debut, defeating indy wrestler David Starr. On the August 11 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose and Mike Bennett defeated Eddie Edwards and Ethan Carter III. On the August 19 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose defeated Eddie Edwards.

On the August 26 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose participated in a Battle Royal to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship but was eliminated by Mike Bennett. On the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose refused to help Mike Bennett during his World Heavyweight Championship match against Lashley and attacked him after the match, dissolving their partnership and turning face in the process. Moose defeated Bennett at Bound for Glory on 2 October 2016. On the October 13 episode of Impact Wrestling, he defeated Ethan Carter III for having a match against Lashley to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. However, on the October 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was defeated by Lashley. On the November 10 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was defeated by Mike Bennett by count-out, thus not qualified him for the four-way match the following week to determine another new contender number one at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Impact Grand Champion (2016–present)

On December 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose answered the Open Challenge of Aron Rex and defeated him for the Impact Grand Championship. Moose successfully retained his title against Aron Rex in a rematch the following week. After the match, he had a confrontation against the returning Drew Galloway. On the January 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, he successfully retained his title against Mike Bennett by decision. After the match, Moose was challenged by Bennett for a No Disqualification match at One Night Only: Live!, which he won once again. On January 19, 2017 Moose lost the Impact Grand Championship to Drew Galloway. At Genesis, Moose was defeated by Drew Galloway in a rematch and failed to regain the title. On the February 9 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose saved Cody's wife Brandi Rhodes from an attack of Rosemary and Decay. The following week, Moose and Brandi defeated Abyss and Crazzy Steve. On the March 23 episode of Impact Wrestling, Cody thank Moose for helping Brandi Rhodes while he was away. However, after learning Brandi had Moose's phone number, Cody would attack Moose. On the March 2 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was attacked by Cody and brawled with him, which resulted by Cody run away from Moose. The same night, Moose defeated Drew Galloway and regain the Impact Grand Championship.

Personal life

On May 29, 2009, Ojinnaka was arrested for simple battery at his home in Suwanee, Georgia, after he fought with his wife and spat at her during an argument over a female friend of his on Facebook, according to a police report. He told police that his wife had tried to stab him with a pen, and she said he threw her on some stairs before tossing her out of the house. He was later suspended by the NFL for the first game of the 2010 regular season. Ojinnaka's wife divorced him after he announced his intention to leave the NFL and become a professional wrestler.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments