Roderick Strong

On the January 22, 2020 episode of NXT, Strong lost the North American Championship to Keith Lee in the main event, ending his reign at 126 days.

At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on January 26, 2019, Strong and O'Reilly lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to the War Raiders, ending their reign at 219 days. At NXT TakeOver: New York on April 5, Strong interfered in Adam Cole's NXT Championship match against Johnny Gargano. Afterwards, Strong would begin a feud with Matt Riddle. At NXT TakeOver: XXV on June 1, Strong was defeated by Riddle. On August 10 at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, Strong competed in a triple threat match against Pete Dunne and Velveteen Dream for the NXT North American Championship, which Dream won to retain the title. On September 18 during the debut episode of NXT on the USA Network, Strong defeated Velveteen Dream after interference from the Undisputed Era to win the NXT North American Championship, giving him his first single title in WWE, and giving the Undisputed Era all three male championships available in NXT. He would then, alongside the Undisputed Era, begin a feud against Tommaso Ciampa, Riddle, and Keith Lee which would lead to a WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, in which the Undisputed Era lost to the team of Ciampa, Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and Kevin Owens. The next night at Survivor Series, he defeated SmackDown's Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Raw's United States Champion A.J. Styles in an inter-brand triple threat match.

On the January 30, 2018 episode of 205 Live, 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick announced the 2018 WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. Strong was later announced as a participant in the tournament, in which he would defeat Hideo Itami in the first round and Kalisto in the quarter-finals on the February 6 and February 27 episodes of 205 Live before being defeated by Cedric Alexander in the semi-finals on the March 13 episode of 205 Live.

At NXT TakeOver: Chicago II, O'Reilly and Strong defeated Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship. On day 2 of the 2018 WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, O'Reilly and Strong lost the NXT Tag Team Championship against Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven). However, they would regain the championships on the July 11, 2018, episode of NXT, after Bate threw in the towel over an injured Seven. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 on August 18, O'Reilly and Strong defeated Moustache Mountain again to retain the titles. All four members of the Undisputed Era competed in a WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: Wargames II on November 17 against Ricochet, Pete Dunne, War Machine (Rowe, and Hanson), in a losing effort.

In December 2015, Lindsey got engaged to mixed martial artist (and fellow NXT wrestler) Marina Shafir. On April 24, 2017, Shafir gave birth to their first child, Troy Veniamin Lindsey. The two were married on November 7, 2018.

Heading into 2016, Roderick Strong continued to feud with Bobby Fish, where the two were scheduled for a rematch for Strong's TV Championship at ROH's 14th Anniversary event on February 26. However Strong lost the ROH World Television Championship to New Japan Pro Wrestling's Tomohiro Ishii at the ROH/NJPW co-produced Honor Rising: Japan 2016 event in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. He then went on to be pinned by Ishii in a three-way match at ROH 14th Anniversary, which also involved Fish. Strong was then defeated May 8 by Dalton Castle who became the new number-one contender to the TV title.

On June 22, 2016, ROH announced that Strong would be leaving the promotion following the June 25 television tapings. June 24 at Best in the World '16 Roderick Strong lost to Mark Briscoe after a pair of fisherman suplex drivers/brainbusters. The following day, June 25, his last day at ROH, Strong was defeated again by Dalton Castle, who had just lost his TV title challenge against Bobby Fish at Best in the World. Although taped in June it did not air until July 15th. On that day, he said that he will always be known as "Mr. ROH".

At PWG's Eleventh anniversary show, Strong defeated Adam Cole to become the No. 1 contender for the PWG World Title which was held by Kyle O'Reilly. After congratulating O'Reily for his successful title defence over Chris Hero, he then attacked O'Reilly turning heel once again. He later justified his turn by claiming he was "Tired of being the guy who has the great matches." and he was tired of being " The Gatekeeper of PWG.". In August, Strong would then enter the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Biff Busick in the first round, and would make it to the finals albeit through cheating; getting a disqualification win over A.J. Styles and getting a bye over PWG World Champion Kyle O'Reilly in the semifinals after attacking him before the match. The three-way final match, which also included Johnny Gargano, was won by Ricochet. At Untitled II, Strong unsuccessfully challenged O'Reilly for the title. At the following show Black Cole Sun, Strong defeated O'Reilly in a Guerrilla Warfare match to win the PWG World Championship for the first time after goading O'Reilly into a match after O'Reilly defeated BOLA winner Ricochet in a near 30 minute match. He would make his first successful defence at From Out of Nowhere against Trevor Lee, his second at Don't Sweat the Technique against Zack Sabre Jr. in a critically acclaimed match, and his third in a Triple Threat match against Brian Cage and Chris Hero at DDT4. At Mystery Vortex III, Strong successfully defended the title against "Speedball" Mike Bailey in an open challenge and later helped The Young Bucks capture the PWG World Tag Team Championship and afterwards formed a new version of the Mount Rushmore stable with them and the returning Super Dragon. On December 11, Adam Cole joined the stable. On March 5, 2016, Strong lost the PWG World Championship to Zack Sabre Jr. He would later cash in his rematch clause against Sabre Jr. on July 29, 2016, and lose. He followed the match with a farewell speech to signal his departure from PWG after 11 years with the promotion.

Strong made his NXT debut on the October 19, 2016 episode of NXT as Austin Aries' partner in the second Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, defeating Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight. On October 25, 2016, WWE officially announced Strong as part of the latest group of recruits joining the WWE Performance Center. On the December 14 episode of NXT, Strong defeated Elias Samson, in doing so getting himself entered into a fatal four-way match to determine a new number one contender for the NXT Championship as well as establishing himself as a fan favorite. Strong competed in the fatal-four way on the December 21 episode of NXT, but was unsuccessful. Strong defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio in his first TakeOver appearance.

Strong would go on to appear on the lower card for the first few months of 2015, defeating Christopher Daniels at Supercard of Honor IX. Along with the rest of the ROH roster, Roderick Strong was involved with the Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling collaborated events War of the Worlds, held on May 12 and 13; and Global Wars held on May 15 and 16. At the first War of the Worlds event, Strong won his match with NJPW wrestler Kushida, but lost his match at the second event to NJPW mainstay Hiroshi Tanahashi, considered one of the top three stars of New Japan. He appeared at both Global Wars events; on the first night, he teamed with the Briscoes and War Machine (Hanson and Ray Rowe) to defeat Bullet Club (A. J. Styles (then IWGP Heavyweight Champion), Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, and the Young Bucks). On the second night, he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura, another one of the top three stars of NJPW. After the ROH/NJPW events, Strong garnered high praise from wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, reporting that both Tanahashi and Nakamura were giving him "rave reviews".

On January 4, 2014, Strong was defeated by the returning A.J. Styles. Throughout 2014, Strong was ousted from The Decade after falling out with Adam Page, Strong then fended off an attack from Page and Whitmer to set up a match for Final Battle, and as a result, became a fan favorite once again. Strong competed in his first match as a fan favorite on the November 8 episode of ROH Survival of the Fittest Night One, defeating Caprice Coleman. Strong defeated Adam Page at Final Battle 2014, and then B. J. Whitmer in a grudge match at ROH's 13th Anniversary Show to end his feud with The Decade.

Throughout 2013, Strong won numerous singles matches and in mid-2013, began a friendly rivalry with Adam Cole with both men trading victories. After the ROH World Championship was vacated, Strong entered a tournament to determine the new champion as a face, defeating Matt Taven in his first round match on August 3. On August 17, Strong was eliminated from the tournament in the second round by Kevin Steen. On October 5, Strong challenged tournament winner and ROH World Champion, Adam Cole, in a No Disqualification, No Count Out match, but would come up short. In late 2013, Strong would dub the name "Mr. Ring of Honor" for his consistent stint in ROH. On December 14, 2013 at Final Battle 2013, Roderick Strong would turn into a villain with B.J. Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs, by attacking Eddie Edwards, citing that they were sick of people being celebrated when they walk out of ROH, while the constants in ROH would go unappreciated. This villainous group is known as The Decade.

On April 1 at Honor Takes Center Stage, Strong faced Richards once again in a rematch from their encounter at Final Battle. This time, Richards defeated Strong after making him submit to an Ankle Lock. The following night, on the second night of the iPPV, Strong lost again, this time to El Generico. After the match, Strong's teammate from the House of Truth, Michael Elgin, attacked Generico until Colt Cabana made the save. Christopher Daniels also came out, presumably to assist fellow babyfaces Cabana and Generico, but turned heel after hitting Generico with the Book of Truth and hitting Cabana with the Angel's Wings, thus joining the House of Truth. On August 13 at the first ever TV tapings of Ring Of Honor Wrestling under Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Strong received another shot at the ROH world title against Davey Richards but was unsuccessful. On March 31, 2012, at Showdown in the Sun, Strong defeated Jay Lethal to win the ROH World Television Championship for the first time, in the process becoming the second person to win the ROH Triple Crown. On June 29, Strong lost the title to Adam Cole. After defeating former stablemate Michael Elgin on December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, Strong quit the House of Truth. On March 2, 2013 at the 11th Anniversary Show, Strong would end his feud with Elgin, being defeated in a Two out of three falls match.

On April 21, 2012, Strong teamed with PWG debutant Sami Callihan at DDT4, but again lost before making it to the semifinals. He entered his seventh consecutive Battle of Los Angeles in September, beating Drake Younger in the opening round and losing to Ricochet in the quarterfinals. At Failure to Communicate on October 27, Strong defeated Rich Swann in Swann's debut match. At Mystery Vortex, which took place on December 1, Strong teamed with Eddie Edwards and earned back-to-back tag team victories; the duo first defeated The Young Bucks in the opening match, then beat World Tag Team Champions Super Smash Brothers (Player Uno and Stupefied) in a non-title bout.

On May 22, 2010, Strong turned into a villain and debuted Truth Martini as his new manager. At the following pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor VIII, on June 19, Strong defeated Colt Cabana, Steve Corino, Shawn Daivari, Tyson Dux and Eddie Edwards in a gauntlet match, with an assist from Martini, to earn the right to challenge for the ROH World Championship. On September 11, 2010, at Glory By Honor IX, Strong defeated Tyler Black in a No Disqualification match to win the ROH World Championship for the first time. He then took a brief leave of absence from ROH to travel to Pro Wrestling Noah with ROH World Television Champion Eddie Edwards to participate in the Nippon Television Junior Heavyweight Tag League. On March 2, 2011, ROH announced that Strong had signed a new contract with the promotion. Just over two weeks later, on March 19, Strong lost the ROH World Championship to Eddie Edwards at Manhattan Mayhem IV.

On January 30, 2010, Strong wrestled Hero and Rob Van Dam in a three-way match at PWG's WrestleReunion 4 showcase. On April 10, he faced Richards for the World Championship, but went on to lose. On May 9, for the first time ever, Strong was unable to make it to the DDT4 finals, losing in the opening round. At Seven on July 30, Strong was beaten by Danielson in a singles match. He entered the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles and beat Paul London in the opening round before losing to Claudio Castagnoli the next day. At All Star Weekend 8 – Night Two on May 28, 2011, Strong and former partner Aries lost a World Tag Team Championship title match against The Young Bucks. Strong entered the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles and was eliminated by Eddie Edwards in the opening round. On December 10, Strong defeated the debuting Amazing Red.

At the 2009 DDT4 on May 22, Strong teamed with Bryan Danielson to make it to the final round for a third year in a row. They beat The Dynasty (Scott Lost and Joey Ryan) and the Motor City Machine Guns (Shelley and Chris Sabin) before losing to World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson). Strong received his second PWG World Championship title shot on August 28, 2009, challenging Chris Hero, but was unable to win. That year, he also again made it to the final round of Battle of Los Angeles, losing the potential victory and vacant World Championship to Kenny Omega.

On February 24, 2008, Strong took part in a one-night tournament to determine a new PWG World Champion. The previous champion, Low Ki, had gotten injured, forcing him to vacate. Strong was supposed to face Low Ki for the title, and thus was given a bye into the final round. The tournament (dubbed ¡Dia de los Dangerous!) final saw Strong wrestle Human Tornado and Karl Anderson in a three-way match, which Strong lost. On May 17 and 18, he entered the second annual DDT4 with Evans. They went on to defeat the teams of Scorpio Sky and Ronin and Los Luchas (Phoenix Star and Zokre) on their way to the finals, where they beat the World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen and El Generico to become champions and tournament winners. On July 6 at Life During Wartime, The Age of the Fall (Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs) defeated the team of Generico (substituting for Evans) and Strong to win the titles. The next month, Strong beat Tyler Black in singles action. He entered his third Battle of Los Angeles and was eliminated in the first round by eventual winner Low Ki.

In FIP, he has won the World Heavyweight Championship three times, and the Tag Team Championship twice, once with Erick Stevens and once with Rich Swann. In PWG, he is a one-time World Champion and a three-time World Tag Team Champion, having held the title with Davey Richards, Pac, and Jack Evans with each reign respectively. In addition, he is the only wrestler to win PWG's annual Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament with two different partners (PAC in 2007 and Evans in 2008).

Strong then began to feud with Stevens over the FIP title. Strong lost the title to Stevens at Final Battle 2007, but won it back at FIP Redefined. He continued to hold onto the belt in several matches with Stevens, and won a Fight Without Honor against Stevens at ROH Respect is Earned II by superplexing Stevens off a ladder through two tables. However, he lost the FIP title to Stevens at FIP Hot Summer Nights 2008 in a Dog Collar match to end their feud. At Respect is Earned II, Davey Richards turned on Strong to join Sweet and Sour Inc. On an episode of ROH on HDNet, Strong was chosen as a judge for the Tyler Black/Austin Aries match for the ROH World Title on February 13. Strong accepted the position as Black promised that, should he win the title, Strong will be given a championship match.

Strong would win his second World Tag Team Championship at the inaugural Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, held over two nights in May 2007. Originally, Strong was scheduled to team with Evans, but Evans was unable to appear. Strong instead teamed with British wrestler PAC, defeating Richards and Super Dragon, the Muscle Outlaw'z (Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino) and the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe), respectively, to win the tournament and titles. On July 26, they lost the titles to Kevin Steen and El Generico. A month later, Strong entered the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles, this time defeating Austin Aries, Joey Ryan, and Alex Shelley on his way to the finals, where he was eliminated by CIMA in a match also involving El Generico.

Roderick Strong made his Full Impact Pro (FIP) debut in 2004. On November 10, 2006, in Inverness, Florida, Strong defeated Bryan Danielson in a title-versus-career match to win the FIP Heavyweight Championship, the heavyweight championship of the Floridian Full Impact Pro promotion. When he defended the title against Pac in Liverpool on March 3, the FIP Heavyweight championship became known as the FIP World Heavyweight Championship. On December 6, 2013, Strong and Rich Swann defeated The Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lancelot) to win the FIP Tag Team Championship. Next day, at Violence is the Answer, they retained the title against Andrew Everett and Caleb Konley. On May 2, 2014, Strong and Swann lost the FIP Tag Team Championship to The Juicy Product. On February 20, 2015, Strong won the FIP World Heavyweight Championship for the third time. He lost the title to Rich Swann on April 18.

In 2006, he formed a stable in TNA with Austin Aries and Alex Shelley and at Final Resolution they defeated Chris Sabin, Matt Bentley and Sonjay Dutt in a Six-man tag team match. on the January 7 episode of Impact, Strong, Austin Aries and Alex Shelley defeated A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels and Chris Sabin in a six man tag team match. on the February 4 episode of Impact, Strong and Aries defeated The Naturals in a #1 Contenders Tournament match. on the February 11 episode of Impact, Strong and Aries lost to Sonjay Dutt and Chris Sabin in the Tournament final. At Against All Odds, Strong and Austin Aries lost to The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens). on the February 18 episode of Impact, Strong competed in a 3-WAY to Qualify for Team USA for TNA's world cup but lost the match. on the February 25 episode of Impact, Strong lost to A.J. Styles.

In February 2006, he and Aries were both suspended for two months for arriving four hours late for the pay-per-view TNA Against All Odds 2006. He returned to TNA in April 2006, but was released shortly thereafter with his final TNA match being on the April 8 episode of Impact where he lost a World X Cup Three Way Qualifying Match which was won by Alex Shelley.

On January 13, 2005, Strong made a one-off appearance in World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown episode. On the episode, Strong was defeated by Kurt Angle in Angle's "3-Minute Hometown Hero Challenge".

At Final Battle 2005 on December 17, 2005, Strong and Aries defeated Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until September 16, 2006, when they were defeated by The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli). In February 2007, Strong turned on Aries to form a new faction with Davey Richards called the No Remorse Corps.

In his first major appearance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Strong lost a special "Showcase Match" to Austin Aries at the Unbreakable pay-per-view on September 11, 2005. On September 22, it was announced that he had signed a contract with TNA, and would wrestle A.J. Styles on the first episode of TNA Impact! on Spike TV on October 1. Strong went on to lose the subsequent bout. At Bound for Glory, Strong competed in a Fatal 4-way match on the preshow which was won by Sonjay Dutt. on the October 29 episode of Impact, Strong and Alex Shelley lost to A.J. Styles and Sonjay Dutt. At Genesis, Strong competed in an Eight-man tag team elimination match which his team won. At Turning Point, Strong and Alex Shelley lost to Austin Aries and Matt Bentley. On December 3 Strong lost to Matt Bentley in a match taped for Xplosion. on the December 31 episode of Impact, Strong lost to Samoa Joe.

Strong has made several tours of Japan, starting in December 2005 with Dragon Gate. Since 2009 he has worked for Pro Wrestling Noah, where, in July 2013, he and Slex entered in the NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League for the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. However, the team won only two points and failed to advance in the tournament.

Strong made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut on February 12, 2005, losing to Ricky Reyes. On December 16, Strong and Jack Evans defeated 2 Skinny Black Guys (El Generico and Human Tornado) to become number one contenders to the PWG World Tag Team Championship. They challenged champions Super Dragon and Davey Richards on March 4, 2006, in a losing effort. Throughout 2006, Strong won numerous singles matches and made his Battle of Los Angeles tournament debut. He defeated Rocky Romero in the opening and Dragon Kid in the quarterfinal rounds before losing to Richards, the eventual winner, in the semifinals. On November 17, Strong teamed with Richards to defeat Super Dragon and B-Boy for the PWG World Tag Team Championship; however, Super Dragon and B-Boy regained the titles the following day.

Strong joined the Pennsylvania-based Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion in September 2003. On May 22, 2004, at Generation Next he formed a stable known as Generation Next with Alex Shelley, Austin Aries and Jack Evans. Generation Next quickly dominated the ROH roster, declaring themselves the future of wrestling. After defeating several others, they defeated CM Punk, Ace Steel, John Walters and Jimmy Jacobs (mentored by Ricky Steamboat) on October 2 at The Midnight Express Reunion.

Strong began punctuating his ring style with stiff offense while acting as the enforcer of Generation Next. In November 2004 he formed a regular tag team with Evans, and on December 26 he, Evans, and Aries threw Shelley out of the group when he refused to resign as leader. Strong and Evans continued to team throughout early-2005, but were unable to win the ROH Tag Team Championship. On September 24 at 2005 Survival of the Fittest, Strong defeated Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, Generation Next teammate Austin Aries, and Colt Cabana to win the titular event, thus earning himself another shot at the ROH World Championship in the future.

He debuted as The Jester on the Floridian independent circuit before quickly changing to his current name. He worked for IPW Hardcore and NWA Florida, before debuting for ROH in September 2003. In mid-2004, Strong joined forces with Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, and Jack Evans, collectively known as Generation Next. As part of Generation Next, Strong won the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Aries. Strong later turned on Aries, forming a new faction, the No Remorse Corps with Davey Richards and Rocky Romero. During this time, he was also competing for ROH's sister promotion, FIP, and debuted for PWG. Strong has also toured Japan with Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah and had a brief stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2005.

After Sedrick cost the Strong Brothers a number of matches, Roderick turned into a villain on February 8, 2003, betraying Sedrick and aligning himself with the Alliance of Defiance, a dominant villainous stable.

After IPW closed down in late 2003, Strong began working for NWA Florida, a promotion which had had a working relationship with IPW for two years. Strong defeated David Babylon for the Florida Unified Cruiserweight Championship on July 19, 2003, in St. Petersburg. While Strong was champion, the title was renamed the Florida Unified Junior Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Jerrelle Clark in a four-way match on December 13, 2003 in St. Petersburg. Clark vacated the title on January 10, 2004, after winning the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, and Strong defeated Mikey Batts for the vacant title on February 21 in the New Alhambra Sports and Entertainment Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He lost the title to Sedrick Strong on April 29, 2004, in New Port Richey, Florida.

Strong wrestled his first match for the Independent Professional Wrestling promotion, competing in a twenty-man cruiserweight Battle royal. He was initially one-third of a stable known as "Risk Factor" with The Kamikaze Kid and Kid Lethal before he formed a tag team with his trainee and kayfabe brother, Sedrick Strong. The Strong Brothers defeated Wrongful Death (Naphtali and Dagon Briggs) for the IPW Tag Team Championship on June 28, 2002 in St. Petersburg, Florida. They held the title until September 20, when they lost to Naturally Marvelous (Scoot Andrews and Mike Sullivan) in a steel cage match in which Roderick suffered a concussion.

In the autumn of 1994, Lindsey's father, a collegiate wrestler, began training as a wrestler under Jim Neidhart. After Lindsey attended several training sessions and met Harry Smith, a third generation wrestler, he decided to become a wrestler. Lindsey was also trained by his father, Neidhart and a number of other wrestlers in Tampa, Florida and debuted in 2000 as The Jester on the Floridian independent circuit for the RWA.

Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983) is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Roderick Strong. He is a member of The Undisputed Era (alongside Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly).