Fandango Curtis Jonathan Hussey ( July 22 , 1981 ) is an American professional wrestler . He works for WWE under the ring name Fandango . Hussey began his professional wrestling career in 1999 , and worked for several promotions beginning in September 1999 . He competed in several Independent promotions in New England winning the PLW New England Championship , PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship with Kenn Phoenix on more than one occasion , NCW New England Championship and Tag Team Championship with Damian Houston , and the SCCW Lightweight Championship . In 2006 , Hussey signed a development contract with World Wrestling Entertainment , and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling ( DSW ) , WWE ' s developmental territory . He was then moved to Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ) in June 2008 , where he won the Florida Tag Team Championship on more than one occasion with Tyler Reks and Derrick Bateman . In December 2010 , he competed in the fourth season of " NXT " , later winning the competition and becoming WWE ' s next " Breakout Superstar " . Professional wrestling career . Hussey began under Killer Kowalski , and debuted in September 1999 . He wrestled for various independent promotions in the New England area over the next few years . He competed in Power League Wrestling ( PLW ) from 2000 until 2003 , during which time he won the PLW New England Championship . He held the championship for one day short of a year , from May 19 , 2002 until May 18 , 2003 . He also competed in the Premier Wrestling Federation during this time , and on October 28 , 2002 , he teamed with Kenn Phoenix to win the PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship from Fuzion ( Mike Paiva and Blade ) . They held the championship until November 15 , when they were defeated by Paiva and Kid Mikaze . Now known as ' The Talent Exchange ' , Curtis and Phoenix won a three - way Tables , Ladders , and Chairs match to win the championship again on February 15 , 2003 . They held the championship until April 4 , when Phoenix and Dean Ripley , The Talent Exchange ' s manager who had been forced to participate in the match instead of an absent Curtis , lost the championship to the Storm Brothers . He also wrestled for NWA : TNA , Chaotic Wrestling , and NWA Wildside . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE . Deep South Wrestling ( 2006 – 2008 ) . In 2006 , Curtis signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) and was subsequently assigned to the Deep South Wrestling ( DSW ) developmental territory . Curtis made his debut for the territory on November 9 , where he lost to David Heath . After losing consistently over the next several weeks , Curtis scored his first victory in in DSW as he and Robert Anthony defeated The Headliners ( Shawn ShulTz and Chris Michaels ) on February 15 , 2007 . Curtis continued to team with Anthony and after winning a few more matches , the team faced the DSW Tag Team Champions Team Elite ( Mike Knox and Derick Neikirk ) in a match for the championship on March 15 , but they were unable to win the title . Curtis then became a singles competitor once again and after losing two matches , he won his final match in DSW by defeating Frankie Coverdale on April 12 . Florida Championship Wrestling ( 2008 – 2010 ) . After WWE severed ties with DSW , Curtis and all the other talent in DSW were transferred over to the newly established Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ) in June . On June 26 , Curtis made his FCW debut as he defeated former tag team partner Robert Anthony . After mixed success as a singles and tag team wrestler , Curtis defeated Chris Gray on December 18 to become the number one contender for the Southern Heavyweight Championship . On January 8 , 2008 , he wrestled Ted DiBiase , Jr . for the championship , but lost the match . On September 18 , Curtis made an appearance at the SmackDown / ECW tapings , where he defeated Armando Estrada in a dark match . On December 11 , 2008 , Curtis teamed with Tyler Reks to defeat The New Hart Foundation ( DH Smith and TJ Wilson ) for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship . The team of Curtis and Reks proved to be successful , and they retained the championship on several occasions . After beginning a feud with Caylen Croft and Trent Beretta , Curtis and Reks retained the title against them on a few different occasions before finally losing the title to Croft and Beretta on April 30 , 2009 after Curtis didn ' t appear for the title defense , leaving Reks to wrestle alone . After Reks was called up to WWE ' s main roster , Curtis renamed himself Jonathan Curtis and became a villain . The two then faced off for Reks ' Florida Heavyweight Championship on June 25 , but Curtis was unable to win the title . On July 2 , Curtis wrestled in a triple threat match for the FCW Florida Championship also involving Alex Riley , but was again unsuccessful as Reks retained the title . Soon afterwards , Curtis reverted his ring name to Johnny Curtis . Beginning in 2010 , Curtis began competing at house show s for the Raw brand , with his first match being a loss to Evan Bourne on January 8 . After losing several matches to both Bourne and Paul Burchill at house shows , Curtis wrestled his first dark match , which he lost to Kung Fu Naki on the January 19 episode of " ECW " . On August 12 , 2010 , Curtis teamed with Derrick Bateman to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Donny Marlow and Brodus Clay and the defending champions , " Los Aviadores " ( Hunico and Epico ) in a three - way tag team match . After a near three - month reign , Curtis and Bateman lost the championship to Wes Brisco and Xavier Woods on November 4 . Lily McMalli , Girl friend of Curtis , was also briefly associated with Florida Championship Wrestling . NXT ( 2010 – 2011 ) . During the finale of season three of " NXT " , it was announced that Curtis would be part of the fourth season , with R - Truth as his mentor . He made his in - ring debut on the season premiere on December 7 episode of " NXT " , defeating fellow rookie Jacob Novak in singles competition . The following week , Curtis was unsuccessful in the " Karaoke " challenge , but was successful in the " Obstacle Course " challenge , earning points towards immunity from elimination . On the December 21 episode of " NXT " , Curtis lost the " Wheelbarrow Race " challenge , and suffered his first loss in a rematch to Jacob Novak . Curtis was then defeated by pro Dolph Ziggler on the December 28 episode of " NXT " , and afterwards won both the " Power of the Punch " challenge and a " Talent Show " contest . On the January 4 , 2011 episode of " NXT " , Curtis was defeated in singles competition by Brodus Clay , and was later announced that he would be immune from elimination that week . On the next week of " NXT " , Curtis lost both the " Slingshot Challenge " and the " Superstar Password " challenge , and competed in singles competition defeating pro Ted DiBiase after a failed interference by his rookie Brodus Clay . Curtis was unsuccessful in the " How Well Do You Know Your WWE Pro ? " challenge on the January 18 episode of " NXT " , and was safe from elimination that week . On the January 25 episode of " NXT " , Curtis won unsuccessful in the " Out - think the Fink " challenge , and competed in a fatal four - way match with Brodus Clay , Derrick Bateman , and Byron Saxton with Clay winning the match . During the season finale on March 1 , Curtis was declared the winner of " NXT " , defeating Brodus Clay in the final . SmackDown and NXT Redemption ( 2011 – 2012 ) . After various dark matches , Curtis debuted on " SmackDown " on the June 3 episode in a bizarre backstage promo where he said that his promised tag team title shot was " not going to happen " in light of R - Truth ' s recent villainous turn . He then began to sarcastically cry and proceeded to pour milk onto a plate and then over his head , in reference to the saying " don ' t cry over spilled milk " . After weeks of critically panned backstage promos playing on words , Curtis made his SmackDown in - ring debut on the August 12 episode , being squashed by Mark Henry in less than a minute , which was his only non - battle royal match on SmackDown in 2011 . Curtis then made his return to " NXT Redemption " as a villain on the November 9 episode , interrupting a " Talk the Talk " challenge between Titus O ' Neil and Derrick Bateman , whom he later that night teamed with in a tag team match defeating Titus O ' Neil and Percy Watson . As the weeks followed , Bateman and Curtis would feud against each other for Maxine , who was Bateman ' s storyline fiancé at the time . As the weeks passed , Bateman and Maxine ultimately broke up as Maxine gave a kiss to Curtis on the December 28 edition of " NXT Redemption " , thus solidifying their relationship . On the January 4th 2012 edition of " NXT Redemption " , Curtis and Maxine announced that they will be marrying in two weeks time in Las Vegas during Bateman ' s match with Darren Young . On 100th episode of " NXT Redemption " , Derrick Bateman interrupted Curtis and Maxine wedding ceremony . Derrick showed a clip of Curtis sending a message on Bateman ' s iPad to Teddy Long . Maxine then slaps Curtis and reunited with Bateman once again . Curtis then started to use his new catchphrase " Let ' s Get Weird " and it was also written on his trunks . As the weeks follow , Maxine would later on dump Derrick Bateman for Johnny Curtis . On the March 14 episode of " NXT Redemption " , Curtis and Maxine were defeated in a mixed tag team match against Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn , who kissed at the end of the match , solidifying their relationshp . After William Regal was appointed as NXT ' s authority figure , Maxine enlisted Curtis ' help to allow her to get close to Regal . On the March 21 episode of " NXT Redemption " , Maxine and Curtis knocked out Matt Striker with chloroform so that Maxine could join Regal on commentary . However , Striker was then kidnapped ( kayfabe ) by unknown persons , later revealed to be Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks , who intended to blackmail Curtis and Maxine into using Maxine ' s charms to get Regal to leave Hawkins and Reks alone . Striker was rescued by Bateman and Kaitlyn on the April 11 episode of " NXT Redemption " . On April 18 , William Regal announced that if Curtis and Maxine still want to be employed to " NXT " , Curtis and Maxine would have to sign a contract stating that Maxine would have to become Curtis ' s manager . Following the contract signing , Regal would then proceed to handcuff Maxine and Curtis together . On the May 9 episode of " NXT Redemption " , Regal allowed Curtis and Maxine to be uncuffed . Fandango ( 2012 – present ) . In a dark match at the October 23 " SmackDown " taping , Curtis debuted a new ballroom dance gimmick , defeating Sami Callihan . On the November 5 episode of " Raw " , a vignette aired for Curtis ' s new character , named Fandangoo . On the November 6 airing of " Super SmackDown Live " , another vignette aired with the modified spelling of Fandango . After Fandango wrestled at a few house shows and dark matches , another vignette aired on the November 26 episode of " Raw " , after which he was not seen for a month . He resurfaced at a house show on December 26 , defeating Ted DiBiase . After over two months of not being seen on television , vignettes for Fandango began airing again on the February 4 , 2013 episode of " Raw " . On the February 25 episode of " Raw " , it was revealed that Fandango would debut on the March 1 episode of " SmackDown " . When he was supposed to have his first match against Zack Ryder , he refused to do so because backstage interviewer Matt Striker couldn ' t pronounce his name , and said that he would debut once Striker got it right . A similar occurrence happened on the March 4 episode of " Raw " where Fandango refused to compete against Kofi Kingston due to Justin Roberts mispronouncing his name . This scenario repeated itself on numerous occasions with Justin Gabriel , Tensai , and The Great Khali as neither the ring announcers or his opponents could pronounce his name to his satisfaction . On the March 18 episode of " Raw " , Fandango had a run - in with Chris Jericho in a backstage segment , where Jericho intentionally mispronounced Fandango ' s name numerous times . Four days later on " SmackDown " , Fandango interfered in Jericho ' s match against Jack Swagger and attacked him afterwards , starting a feud between the two . Three days later on " Raw " , Jericho attacked Fandango before his debut match , causing Fandango to flee the ring . However , Fandango returned and attacked Jericho again after Jericho was first attacked by Big E Langston . Fandango finally wrestled his debut match on April 7 at WrestleMania 29 , defeating Jericho . Fandango wrestled in his " Raw " debut match against Kofi Kingston on April 8 . Despite winning via disqualification when Chris Jericho attacked him , Fandango received loud ovations from fans singing his entrance music during the match and long after the show itself . The song became an overnight hit as many fans took to iTunes to buy the single , causing it to gain considerable momentum and move from # 175 to # 11 in one day on the UK chart , before settling at # 44 by the weeks end . On the April 12 episode of " Friday Night SmackDown " , Fandango was present at ringside for Chris Jericho ' s match against Dolph Ziggler , which Ziggler won after Jericho was distracted by Fandango and Big E Langston . After the match , Fandango attacked Jericho once again . On the April 15 episode of " Raw " , Fandango was called out to the ring by Jerry Lawler , who wanted him to address the " Fandango revolution " that had happened the previous week . However , when he appeared , Fandango simply said that he was unimpressed with the fans and their attempts at " Fandangoing " . On the May 13 episode of " Raw " , Fandango and his newest dance partner Summer Rae competed against Chris Jericho and his partner Edyta Sliwinska in a dance competition . During the competition , Summer faked a leg injury to distract Jericho into checking her condition . It was a set - up allowing Fandango to ambush Jericho , leaving him decimated after assaulting him with part of the dance floor . On the May 17 edition of " Friday Night Smackdown " , Fandango and Summer Rae came down to the ring after Jericho ' s successful match against Antonio Cesaro . However , Fandango ' s attempts to one - up Jericho were negated and Fandango fled from ringside . The two would face each other in their second official PPV match at Extreme Rules . On May 19 , at Extreme Rules , Fandango lost to Jericho via Jericho executing a Codebreaker to achieve victory . The following night on " Monday Night Raw " Fandango joined forces with Wade Barrett to face The Miz and Chris Jericho . Appearing disfunctional as a tag team , Fandango eventually abandoned Barrett and the match in progress and proceeded to dance with his partner Summer Rae . The match ended with Jericho and The Miz winning and both partners ran off Fandango who left Summer Rae behind . On the May 24 episode of " Friday Night Smackdown " , Fandango and Summer Rae were guests on The Miz ' s Miz TV segment during the opening hour of the show . After being addressed about his conduct during his tag match , Wade Barrett came to the ring , warning Fandango that if they crossed paths again , he would ensure that no one would remember the name of Fandango . This sparked a fight between the Miz and Barrett prior to their match for the Intercontental Championship . Fandango joined the ringside table to serve as a commentator during the match between The Miz and Barrett . He interferred with a kick to The Miz ' s head calling for DQ and the two assaulted The Miz . However , Wade Barrett knocked out Fandango with his " Bull Hammer " elbow . On the May 27 edition of " Monday Night Raw " , held on Memorial Day , Fandango faced Barrett in a match refereed by The Miz . After The Miz delivered a " Skull - Crushing Finale " to Barrett , Fandango picked up the pin . After the match , Fandango received a parting blow by The Miz leading to a mock - pin counted by The Miz after Summer Rae fell on top of him during the knock - down . During the July 1 episode of " Monday Night Raw " , Fandango returned to the ring after nearly missing a month due to a concussion . His first match since returning was against Sheamus , losing the match after choosing to leave the ring on a count - out . During the July 5 episode of " Friday Night Smackdown " , Fandango defeated Justin Gabriel in a tune - up match leading to his participation in the " Money in the Bank " Ladder Match at Money in the Bank . Only July 14 , at Money in the Bank , Fandango faced other heel wrestlers including Damien Sandow , Cody Rhodes , Dean Ambrose , Jack Swagger , Antonio Cesaro and Wade Barrett . The match was eventually won by Sandow . The following night on Raw , during the opening half - hour , Fandango interjected himself between a in - ring mic session between the new GM Brad Maddox , John Cena and the Money in the Bank winner of the WWE Championship contract Randy Orton . Orton attacked Fandango . Maddox immediately ordered an impromptu match between the two ending with Fandango losing to Orton . On the August 26 episode of Raw , Fandango was originally set to face Cody Rhodes ( with Damien Sandow at ringside for commentary ) . However , Fandango was distracted by The Miz and Rosa Mendes who appeared on stage , mocking Fandango and Summer Rae ' s attire and dancing routine . This caused Fandango to lose to Rhodes and sparked an attack by Fandango and Sandow on Rhodes afterwards . The Miz joined in the conflict , leading to Raw GM Brad Maddox to announce an impromptu match between the four . Fandango however , walked out on Sandow and watched the match ' s conclusion from the stage area . After Sandow ' s defeat , Fandango only remained on stage to make his stylized name pronunciation and exit unharmed . During the opening half - hour of the September 13 episode of Smackdown , Fandango joined a dance competition featuring R - Truth before impromptu participants The Miz and The Great Khali joined the contest . It was won by The Miz which infuriated Fandango who attempted to attack The Miz before he was double - teamed by R - Truth and The Miz , ejecting him from the ring . Fandango lost to The Great Khali at Night of Champions , his losing streak came to an end on the September 16 episode of Raw , where he defeated R - Truth . At Hell in a Cell , Fandango and Summer Rae defeated Natalya and The Great Khali in a mixed tag team match . The following week on Raw , they would lose to Natalya and Tyson Kidd . On the December 23 Raw , Fandango defeated Dolph Ziggler in a " Present on a Pole match " and earned an Intercontinental Championship match against Big E Langston the next week , however he was ultimately defeated . On January 26 , Fandango entered the Royal Rumble at # 19 , and was eliminated by El Torito . after that he began a feud with Santino Marella . He defeated him on the February 10 episode of Raw with the leg drop , and would go on to have several more matches both in singles and in mixed - tag team with Summer Rae against Santino and Emma . After defeat in one such match , he split up with Summer Rae over Twitter on April 8 , 2014 . He then began appearing with Layla on the April 11 episode of SmackDown . On the April 25 episode of SmackDown , Fandango was scheduled to be part of an 11 - on - 3 handicap match against The Shield as part of the main event , however he did not compete after the group triple powerbombed him off the entrance ramp and through two tables prior to the match . In April 2014 , he dropped a bombshell on his bombshell , tweeting that he was breaking things off with Summer Rae ! Later , the fleet - footed Superstar introduce his new dance partner , the lovely Layla . But soon after that , Fandango found himself in the crosshairs of both Summer Rae and Layla , as they accompanied all of Fandango ' s opponents down to ringside and did their best to cost their former lover victories . At Survivor Series , Fandango reappeared in WWE after an extended absence to defeat Justin Gabriel . Fandango now sports a seductive new look , and he hopes this new look will carry him to great success , particularly in WrestleMania 31 ’ s Andre the Giant Battle Royal . On the April 13 edition of " Raw " , after losing to Stardust , Fandango brought back the old theme and the Cha - Cha dance , turning face in the process .