Nicholas Theodore Nemeth was born on July 27, 1980, in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was five years old, when he attended a wrestling event at the Richfield Coliseum, and at the age of twelve, he decided to become a professional wrestler. His father, Ted, did not want him to follow in his footsteps and play baseball but instead encouraged him to try out for the football team at North Cleveland High School. When that didn't work out, he let Nicholas decide for himself whether to continue playing sports or pursue wrestling full-time. Ted Nemeth died on March 4, 2004, after a long battle with cancer. After hearing about his death, Nicholas decided to retire from wrestling to focus on school and athletics, but then he changed his mind and returned to the ring eight months later at the WWE Draft. Since then, he has not looked back and is currently one of the top wrestlers in the company. As far as his age goes, Nicholas started training for a pro wrestling career at the age of fifteen. According to his official website, he is twenty-one years old.