Cedric Alexander Cedric Alexander ( May 17 , 1989 ) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand . Before WWE , Alexander spent several years on the Mid - Atlantic and Southern independent promotions including Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid - Atlantic and Ring of Honor . Professional wrestling career . Ring Of Honor ( 2011 - 2016 ) . C & C Wrestle Factory ( 2011 - 2013 ) . Over the course of 2010 , Alexander mostly wrestled dark matches for ROH . In 2011 he started performing for ROH on a regular basis after he formed the tag team called the C & C Wrestle Factory with Caprice Coleman . On December 23 at Final Battle 2011 , C & C Wrestle Factory competed in a Tag team gauntlet match for a future ROH World Tag Team Championship title shot where they eliminated the Bravado Brothers ( Harlem and Lancelot ) . On March 30 at Showdown in the SunChapter 1 , they were defeated by Wrestling ' s Greatest Tag Team ( Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin ) . The next day at Showdown the Sun Chapter 2 , Alexander was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa . On September 15 at Death Before Dishonor X : State of Emergency , they were defeated by S . C . U . M . ( Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino ) . At Glory By Honor XI : The Unbreakable Hope on October 13 , they once again defeated the Bravado Brothers . On December 16 at they unsuccessfully challenged S . C . U . M . for the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a three way match that also included the Briscoe Brothers who won the match . On March 3 at the 11th Anniversary Show , he and Coleman were defeated by S . C . U . M . On April 5 at Supercard of Honor VII , C & C Wrestle Factory teamed with B . J . Whitmer , Mark Briscoe and Mike Mondo in a losing effort against S . C . U . M . ( Cliff Compton , Jimmy Jacobs , Jimmy Rave , Rhett Titus and Rhino ) . On May 4 at Border Wars 2013 , they defeated ACH and TaDarius Thomas . On May 18 at Relentless , they teamed with Jay Lethal to defeat Matt Taven and reDRagon ( Bobby Fish and Kyle O ' Reilly ) . On July 8 at Live And Let Die , Alexander was defeated by Davey Richards . On June 22 at Best in the World 2013 , they unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon for the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a three way match that also included S . C . U . M . ( Rhett Titus and Cliff Compton ) . On August 3 at All Star Extravaganza V , they were defeated by Adrenaline Rush ( ACH and TaDarius Thomas ) in a three way match that also included The Young Bucks . Singles competition ( 2014 – 2016 ) . On January 25 at Wrestling ' s Finest , he defeated Andrew Everett . On February 8 at State Of The Art , he was defeated by Jimmy Jacobs . On February 21 at the 12th Anniversary Show he teamed with Mark Briscoe and Adam Page in a losing effort against The Decade ( Roderick Strong , B . J . Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs ) . On March 7 at Raising The Bar – Day 1 , he teamed with Adam Page in a tag team match against The Decade where they lost . The next day at Raising The Bar – Day 2 he was defeated by Kevin Steen . On March 22 at Flyin ' High he was defeated by Michael Elgin . On April 4 at Supercard of Honor VIII , he lost a match against Roderick Strong . On April 19 at Second To None , he teamed with Andrew Everett in a losing effort against reDRagon . At Global Wars on May 10 , he defeated Roderick Strong . After the match he was attacked by Roderick Strong and the rest of The Decade and was put through chairs and his shoulder was separated . Alexander made an appearance at War of the Worlds where he attacked The Decade from behind . This led to a submission match against Roderick Strong at Best in the World , in which he came out victorious . On August 9 , during the Summer Heat Tour , he unsuccessfully challenged Michael Elgin for the ROH World Championship . On September 6 at All Star Extravaganza VI he was scheduled to face Silas Young , but when Young broke his leg and ACH did not show up for the event he challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Television Championship where he was defeated . On October 11 at Champions vs . All Stars , he was defeated by Christopher Daniels . On November 7 at Survival Of The Fittest - Day 1 , he was defeated by Adam Page in a 2014 Survival of the Fittest qualifying match . The next day at Survival Of The Fittest - Day 2 , he was defeated by Jay Lethal . On November 22 at Tag Wars , he was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa in No Disqualification Grudge Match . On December 7 at Final Battle 2014 , he teamed with The Addiction ( Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian ) , but ultimately lost to The Young Bucks and ACH following a Meltzer Driver and an ACH 450 splash . On May 16 , 2015 , at Global Wars ' 15 , Alexander ended Moose ' s undefeated streak after hitting him with a wrench . On June 19 at Best in the World 2015 , Alexander reunited with Caprice Coleman , but ultimately broke off the partnership for good , when Coleman refused to allow Alexander to use the wrench again in a match against War Machine ( Hanson and Raymond Rowe ) . Later that same event , Alexander completed his heel turn , when he attacked Moose , aligning himself with Moose ' s former manager Veda Scott . On May 14 , 2016 , Alexander announced his departure from ROH . WWE ( 2016 - present ) . Cruiserweight Classic ( 2016 ) . On June 13 , 2016 , Alexander was announced as a participant in WWE ' s upcoming Cruiserweight Classic tournament . The tournament began on June 23 with Alexander defeating Clement Petiot in his first round match . On July 14 , Alexander was eliminated from the tournament by Kota Ibushi . After the match , Alexander earned the respect of Triple H and the fans , who were chanting " Please Sign Cedric . " Triple H shook his hand and nodded his approval before ushering him backstage . The match received high critical praise , earning a 4 1 / 2 star rating from Dave Meltzer of the " Wrestling Observer Newsletter " . Raw ( 2016 – present ) . On the August 29 episode of " Raw " it was announced that Alexander would be part of WWE ' s upcoming cruiserweight division . Alexander made his debut on the September 19 episode of " Raw " , submitting to Brian Kendrick in a Fatal Four - Way match that included Rich Swan and Gran Metalik for a # 1 contender ' s spot for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against TJ Perkins at WWE Clash Of Champions . On September 21 , he made his NXT debut defeating Andrade " Cien " Almas . On the September 26 " Raw " , he along with Rich Swann , defeated Lince Dorado and Drew Gulak .