Matthew Kaye Matthew Kaye ( June 26 , 1974 ) is an American wrestling commentator and semi - retired professional wrestler , better known for his time in WWE as Matt Striker . He served as color commentator on " WWE Superstars " . He is also an occasional actor in film . He was released from his WWE contract on June 20 , 2013 . After obtaining a master ' s degree in educational psychology , Kaye began working as a high - school teacher . He also began a career in professional wrestling , and made his debut in 2000 after being trained by Johnny Rodz . In his first year as a wrestler he won 10 different championships , and went on to become a mainstay on the independent circuit in the New York region . He toured Japan with the Pro Wrestling Zero1 promotion in late 2004 and early 2005 . In early 2005 , Kaye quit his full - time teaching job at Benjamin N . Cardozo High School , when the school board found out that he had been using sick days as a way to pursue his wrestling career . Kaye signed a contract with WWE in mid - 2005 , calling himself Matt Striker , and quickly developed a persona of a heel ( villainous ) teacher . He started out on the Raw brand , where he hosted a segment known as " Matt Striker ' s Classroom " , before moving to the ECW brand in 2006 . There he joined the New Breed alliance and was involved in a scripted rivalry with the ECW Originals . After this , he began managing wrestler Big Daddy V until 2008 . In August 2008 , Striker began working as the color commentator on " ECW " and , alongside his commentary partner Todd Grisham , won the 2008 Slammy Award for Announce Team of the Year . Striker was then moved to the SmackDown brand where he commentated from October 2009 to January 2011 . Teaching career . After obtaining a bachelor ' s degree in history and a master ' s degree in educational psychology , Kaye began working as a high school teacher . He worked part - time as a substitute , filling in when other teachers were on leave . In mid - 2004 , he was hired full - time as a social studies teacher at Benjamin N . Cardozo High School in Queens , New York , but continued to wrestle part - time during his vacation time and on weekends . He resigned from his position as a teacher , however , when the school found out that he was using sick days as an excuse to keep up with his wrestling commitments . According to the school system ' s Special Commissioner of Investigation , Kaye falsely claimed 11 sick days in December 2004 and February 2005 , during which time he was actually wrestling in Japan . Kaye later said in an interview that he would have taken personal days instead of sick days , but he " didn ' t know there was a difference " . The school system ' s Special Commissioner of Investigation recommended Kaye ' s dismissal and also recommended that he should be considered ineligible for future employment in schools , and as a result , Kaye chose to resign in April 2005 upon advice from his lawyer . Professional wrestling career . Early career ( 2000 – 2005 ) . After being trained by Johnny Rodz at Gleason ' s Gym in New York City , Kaye made his debut in 2000 . He initially worked for small independent promotions and quickly achieved success , winning 10 different championships during his first year . He also participated in the King of the Ring 2002 commercials . He wrestled for World of Unpredictable Wrestling ( WUW ) , where he won the WUW Continental Championship , Total Professional Wrestling , where he won the Light Heavyweight Championship and held the Tag Team Championship with Reid Flair , and the East Coast Wrestling Association , where he won the ECWA Tag Team Championship with Ace Darling in February 2003 . The pair held the championship for seven months , until losing it in September . He also worked for Connecticut Championship Wrestling , and won the promotion ' s main championship in February 2004 , by winning a tournament . Also in early 2004 , he teamed with Josh Daniels to win the PWF Tag Team Championship , and with Simon Diamond to win the USA Pro Wrestling ' s tag team championship . On June 19 , Striker and Diamond lost the USA Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship at a USA Pro Wrestling Show . A few hours later that same night , he appeared at a Pro - Pain Pro Wrestling ( 3PW ) show as " The Ultimate Striker " , an impersonation of the Ultimate Warrior and teamed with Rob Eckos in a loss to " Slyck " Wager Brown and April Hunter . He also appeared for 3PW impersonating " The Macho Man " Randy Savage , The Sandman , Sabu , Hulk Hogan , and Ric Flair . On August 21 , 2004 , he and Eckos entered a tag team battle royal as The Bushwhackers , the Road Warriors , and the team of the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff . While working full - time as a teacher in 2004 , he continued to wrestle during his vacation time and weekends , and using sick days . On December 16 , 2004 , Striker began a tour of Japan with Pro Wrestling Zero1 , and was later invited back for an extended tour in early 2005 . After resigning from his teaching position , he continued to wrestle around New York , and on April 30 , 2005 , won the New York Wrestling Connection ( NYWC ) ' s Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mike Mondo . A few weeks later , on May 21 , while still the Heavyweight Champion , he defeated Joey Braggiol to win the NYWC Interstate Championship , but only held the championship for two weeks , before losing it back to Braggiol on June 4 . He made a few appearances for Ring of Honor in mid - 2005 , before returning to NYWC to lose the Heavyweight Championship to Jerry Lynn on July 30 , after holding it for four months . He continued to wrestle for independent promotions throughout mid - 2005 , until he signed a contract with WWE . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE . Early appearances ( 2005 ) . Kaye wrestled Kurt Angle , using the name Matt Martel , in an invitational match on the February 24 , 2005 episode of " WWE SmackDown ! " in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . After the revelation that Kaye was a teacher appeared in mainstream news publications , Kaye made a WWE second appearance on the July 11 , 2005 episode of " Raw " to face Angle for a second time , again using the name Matt Martel . His news coverage was played up by Angle , who told the audience that Martel was really Striker , and Angle defeated him again in under three minutes . The following week , he appeared on " Raw " again , still claiming to be called Matt Martel , and challenged Angle again . Angle exposed him as Matt Striker again , before defeating him for the third consecutive time . Striker went on to compete on " Heat " and appear in WWE ' s developmental territory , Deep South Wrestling . Raw ( 2005 – 2006 ) . Striker developed a heel ( villainous ) teacher gimmick , calling WWE his school and hosting a segment called " Matt Striker ' s Classroom " on " Raw " , which debuted on December 12 . During the segment he ridiculed the audience , and treated the crowd as intellectual inferiors . During a match against Lance Cade at an untelevised event on December 18 , Striker suffered a shoulder injury . He was out of action until January 23 , 2006 , when he continued his " Classroom " segments once again , and then appeared mainly on " Heat " for several weeks . Striker would reappear on " Raw " on April 17 for another classroom segment where he claimed that " school is cool " . Carlito , another wrestler , took exception to Striker ' s statement , and spat an apple in Striker ' s face , in keeping with Carlito ' s gimmick . Striker returned to " Raw " in - ring action on April 24 and participated in a six - man tag team match , in which he , Chris Masters and Shelton Benjamin were defeated by Carlito , Rob Van Dam , and Charlie Haas . During the Backlash pay - per - view , Striker hosted an edition of his classroom segment , with Eugene , who in storyline was mentally impaired , as his guest . Eugene attacked Striker during the segment , which led to Striker attacking Eugene with a dictionary the following night on " Raw " . The scripted feud between the two also involved Carlito , who attacked both Eugene and Striker after Eugene inadvertently caused Carlito to lose a match to Striker by Disqualification on the May 8 episode of " Raw " . The feud between the two ended when Eugene gained a mentor in " Hacksaw " Jim Duggan and defeated Striker , after losing to him only two weeks before . Following his loss to Eugene , Striker attacked him , but was stopped by Duggan , and ran away . Striker appeared only rarely on " Raw " throughout June and July , and his final match for the brand was on July 31 , when he was quickly defeated by John Cena . ECW ( 2006 – 2008 ) . At the end of August 2006 , Striker left the Raw brand to join ECW , making his debut on August 23 . He continued his " Classroom " segment on " ECW " , which provoked a feud with The Sandman as Striker insulted him . During one " Classroom " segment on September 5 , 2006 , however , Striker made a controversial remark that alluded to the death of Australia n wildlife expert Steve Irwin , who had been killed by a stingray 36 hours earlier . Due to the outrage caused by the remark , the incident was edited out of the replayed Australian broadcast and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon released a public apology on WWE ' s official website following the incident . Striker made his in - ring debut for the brand on the September 19 , 2006 episode of " ECW " , teaming up with Mike Knox and Test to face Tommy Dreamer , Sabu , and The Sandman . Striker , Knox , and Test lost the match by disqualification due to Test pushing the referee . Striker continued his feud with The Sandman until the October 17 episode of " ECW " , when The Sandman defeated Striker in a Singapore Cane on a Pole match . At the December to Dismember pay - per - view , Striker faced Balls Mahoney in a " Striker ' s Rules " match , which meant that no eye gouging , hair pulling , top rope attacks , or foul language was allowed . Despite the match being of his own creation , Striker was pinned by Mahoney . Striker and Mahoney continued their rivalry until December 19 , when Striker defeated Mahoney on " ECW " . On February 6 , Striker aligned himself with Mr . McMahon ' s New Breed stable ( faction ) , along with Elijah Burke , Kevin Thorn , and Marcus Cor Von . The New Breed immediately engaged themselves in a feud with the ECW Originals ( Rob Van Dam , Tommy Dreamer , Sabu and The Sandman ) . Different members of the New Breeds wrestled members of the ECW originals over several weeks , leading up to WrestleMania 23 . At WrestleMania , the New Breed was defeated by the ECW Originals in an 8 - man tag team match , but won a rematch on the following episode of " ECW " . In the midst of the feud with the ECW Originals , tension began to appear between the leader Elijah Burke and Striker , after Striker and Cor Von were defeated by the debuting Major Brothers . As a result , Striker began trying to avenge the loss to the Major Brothers , and defeated Brett Major on the May 22 episode of " ECW " . The feud with the Originals lost momentum , however , as Sabu was released from his WWE contract in mid - May , and at the One Night Stand pay - per - view , the feud ended when Striker , Cor Von , and Burke lost to Dreamer , Sandman , and CM Punk in a tables match . On June 12 , Striker was defeated by The Boogeyman in a singles match , and two weeks later , The Boogeyman attacked him during an edition of " Piper ' s Pit " , both times dropping worms from his mouth into Striker ' s . On July 10 , Striker invited Boogeyman to the ring to educate him on worms , only to bring out the debuting Big Daddy V to attack Boogeyman . Striker then formed an alliance with Big Daddy V that lasted until March 2008 , and acted as Big Daddy V ' s manager , regularly accompanying him to the ring . In November , Striker and Big Daddy V started a feud with Kane , after Kane attacked Striker . The feud saw Striker and Big Daddy V take on Kane in a handicap match , and also saw the pair align briefly with Mark Henry . Henry helped Big Daddy V win a match against Kane on the November 27 episode of " ECW " , and in return , Striker refereed a match between Henry and The Undertaker , and refused to count a pinfall against Henry . During this time , Striker hosted a weekly segment on WWE ' s official website called " Best WWEek Worst WWEek " . Commentator ( 2008 – 2011 ) . As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft in June 2008 , Striker was drafted back to the Raw brand . Once the SmackDown color commentator , Mick Foley , was storyline injured by Edge , however , Tazz moved to SmackDown to fill in for Foley , who had actually left the WWE in real life , and Striker returned to ECW to take over Tazz ' s duties as color commentator , thus turning Striker face and ending his in ring career at the same time . He made his commentary debut on the August 5 episode of " ECW " . Striker and his commentary partner , Todd Grisham , won the 2008 Slammy Award for the Announce Team of the Year . On the April 7 , 2009 episode of " ECW " , Grisham and Striker ' s commentary partnership came to an end when Josh Mathews debuted as the new play - by - play commentator , to replace Grisham who was moved to the SmackDown brand . In addition to commentating on " ECW on SyFy " and ECW pay - per - view matches , Striker and Mathews represented the ECW brand on " WWE Superstars " every week , which started with the inaugural episode on April 16 , 2009 . On October 27 , 2009 it was announced that Striker would move from commentary on " ECW " to " SmackDown " , reuniting with Grisham . The move was made to help accommodate Jim Ross , who had been taking time off to deal with his recent Bell ' s palsy attack . In November , Striker replaced Jerry Lawler on commentary for " Raw " for one night , after Lawler was attacked by Sheamus , and in storyline , was unable to continue . On June 7 , 2010 , Striker appeared on " Raw " for the " viewers choice " episode , announcing the results of the votes . At the end of the show , Striker was attacked by the season one " NXT " rookies , along with the commentators and Justin Roberts , the ring announcer . In October , Striker and Grisham were joined by Michael Cole on " SmackDown " , forming a three - man announce team . Striker remained a SmackDown commentator until he was replaced in early February 2011 by Booker T . Hosting NXT ; Backstage interviewer ( 2010 – 2012 ) . On the inaugural episode of " NXT " on February 23 , 2010 , Striker was announced as the host of the show and he conducted an interview with wrestler Daniel Bryan . As well as interviewing the wrestlers , Striker ' s host role resulted in him acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the Pro ' s Poll and for the various challenges each week , explaining the rules and announcing the winners . In March 2011 , Striker gained a co - host for the fifth season of " NXT " in the form of Maryse . On the June 2 episode of " Superstars " , Striker appeared as the new agent of Tyson Kidd and managed Kidd for that single episode of " Superstars " . Striker wrestled his first match in three years on the August 2 , 2011 episode of " NXT " , teaming with Titus O ' Neil in a winning effort against Derrick Bateman and Darren Young in a tag team match , turning face for the first time since his debut . He fought Young in the next two weeks , but Young emerged victorious both times . Striker later teamed up with William Regal to face Young and JTG , but Striker and Regal were unsuccessful in winning the match . Striker was reunited with his former broadcast partner Josh Mathews on the November 10 , 2011 episode of WWE Superstars , commentating on both the Raw and SmackDown portions of the show . The Mathews / Striker tandem are the only announce team to call Superstars for all brands Raw , Smackdown and the former ECW brand since the show ' s inception in April 2009 . Meanwhile , as NXT host , Striker was frequently bullied and even assaulted by troublemakers Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks , eventually forcing him to hand over match booking responsibilities to William Regal on the February 29 episode of " NXT Redemption " even though Striker would remain as NXT host . On the March 21 episode of " NXT Redemption " , after Maxine and Johnny Curtis knocked out Striker with chloroform , Striker was kidnapped ( kayfabe ) by unknown persons , later revealed to be Hawkins and Reks , who intended to blackmail Maxine into using her charms to get Regal to leave them alone . Despite apparently being kidnapped , Striker continued to commentate on " Superstars " , with the explanation given being that to keep his kidnapping a secret , WWE hired a body double to assume Striker ' s duties . Striker was rescued by Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn on the April 11 episode of " NXT " . Host of After Burn and NXT Announcer ( 2012 - 2013 ) . After hosting NXT , Striker began interviewing WWE employees on " Raw " and " SmackDown " . During the summer of 2012 , Striker became the host of WWE After Burn for international broadcasts . On the October 12 episode of " SmackDown " , Stirker tried to interview Team Hell No , after Kane fought Dolph Ziggler in a match , but was placed in the " No ! Lock " by Daniel Bryan and chokeslammed by Kane . On the October 15 episode of " Raw " , Striker was placed in a match against Kane by " Raw " General Manager AJ Lee , in which he was defeated . On the January 28th episode of Raw he was knocked out by Big Show while attempting an in ring interview . On June 20 , Matt Striker revealed on his Twitter that his WWE contract will not be renewed . Independent circuit ( 2013 ) . On June 21 , Striker made his first post - WWE appearance , by appearing on Family Wrestling Entertainment iPPV , " FWE Rumble " in Queens , New York as a color commentator . Personal life . He played hockey and football . In college , Kaye earned a bachelor ' s degree in History and went on to obtain a master ' s degree in educational psychology .