Roderick Strong Chris Lindsey ( July 26 , 1983 ) is an American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name , Roderick Strong . He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment . Career history . He earned an American football scholarship to the University of South Florida , where he majored in Business for two years before postponing his academic career . In the autumn of 1994 , Lindsey ' s father , a former collegiate wrestler , began training as a wrestler under Jim Neidhart . After Lindsey attended several training sessions and met Harry Smith , a second generation wrestler , he decided to become a wrestler . Lindsey was trained by Neidhart and a number of other wrestlers in Tampa , Florida and debuted in 2001 as Roderick Strong on the Floridia ] independent circuit . IPW Hardcore . 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 . After Sedrick cost the Strong Brothers a number of matches , Roderick turned heel on February 8 , 2003 , betraying Sedrick and aligning himself with the Alliance of Defiance , a dominant heel stable . NWA Florida . 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 Viking Hall in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He lost the title to Sedrick Strong on April 29 , 2004 , in New Port Richey , Florida . Ring of Honor . 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 other stables , 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 , 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 July 9 , 2005 at " Escape from New York " , Strong faced CM Punk for the ROH World Championship , but was defeated . On September 24 at Survival of the Fittest 2005 , 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 . On October 1 at " Joe vs . Kobashi " , Jade Chung aligned herself with Strong ( and the remainder of Generation Next ) after he defeated her former client , Jimmy Rave . The following night , Strong defeated James Gibson in his last match for Ring of Honor before returning to World Wrestling Entertainment . Following the match , Gibson gave a farewell speech in which he called Strong the " MVP " of Ring of Honor . Strong lost to ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson on October 29 in Woodbridge , Connecticut and on November 5 in Chicago , with the match going over 45 minutes . On December 17 in Edison , New Jersey at Final Battle 2005 , Strong teamed with Aries to defeat Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke for the ROH Tag Team Championship . On March 31 in Chicago , Strong faced Bryan Danielson a third time for the ROH World Championship , with a 60 minute time limit , but Roderick came up short with Danielson rolling up Strong at the 56 minute mark for the victory . With new member Matt Sydal and Jack Evans touring in Japan Strong and Aries announced that there was no longer a need for Generation Next . On June 23 in Detroit , Strong competed against one of the top junior heavyweights from Japan , Pro Wrestling NOAH star and former GHC Jr . Heavyweight Champion KENTA , in which KENTA defeated Strong . On September 16 , he and Austin Aries lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to the The Kings of Wrestling ( Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli ) . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . In his first major appearance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Strong lost a special " Showcase Match " to Austin Aries at the TNA Unbreakable 2005 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 . In December 2005 , Strong toured Japan with the Dragon Gate promotion . In 2006 , he formed a stable in TNA with Austin Aries and Alex Shelley . 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 although has only been used once since then . On June 28 , 2006 reports circulated that Strong had been released from TNA . Roderick Strong ' s profile was also removed from TNA ' s website emphasizing the release , though no official word has been announced . Full Impact Pro . Strong is considered one of the primary wrestlers , and lead babyface , in Ring of Honor ' s sister promotion , Full Impact Pro , which operates out of Florida . He finally won the FIP Heavyweight Championship in a title - versus - career match against Bryan Danielson , who at the time was both the FIP and ROH Champions , on November 10 , 2006 , in Inverness , Florida . Only the FIP title was on the line . Pro Wrestling Guerrilla . Strong had his first match in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla on February 12 , 2005 . He only had a total of two matches in that year . After a win with Jack Evans against El Generico and Human Tornado ( collectively known as Two Skinny Black Guys at the time ) , the two challenged Davey Richards and Super Dragon for the PWG World Tag Team Championship . The duo lost their shot at the belts . Throughout 2006 , Strong collected himself a number of wins in one - on - one matches , almost reaching the Finals of the Battle of Los Angeles tournament , but losing to Richards in a Singles match . On November 17 , 2006 , Strong would team with Richards for his second shot at the World Tag Team Championship , this time against Dragon and B - Boy . The duo would go on to capture the belts , marking Strong ' s first title win in PWG . They would go on to lose the titles the next night to B - Boy and Dragon . The match also involved the teams of Chris Hero / Claudio Castagnoli ( their Ring of Honor feud wasn ' t mentioned in the announcement of the match ) and Alex Shelley / Chris Sabin . NXT . On October 19 , 2016 episode of NXT on the WWE Network , Strong making his debut by teaming with Austin Aries in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament , and defeating Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic .