5 things you need to know about Leon Ruff from WWE NXT
Many top WWE Superstars started as enhancement talents or competed in one-off matches before signing a full contract with the company. Leon Ruff is one of those Superstars who first appeared in a match against Aleister Black on RAW, and was offered a full-time contract by the company later on.
In an interview with Fightful, Leon Ruff opened up about how his match against Black was supposed to be a one-off thing.
"It's been a crazy rollercoaster. The Aleister [Black] match was supposed to be a one-off thing and then to find out I get brought back to wrestle him on Raw was really cool. Three years earlier, I paid for close to front row seats to Raw. To go from there to being in the ring was a really special moment because my mom and dad got to see me wrestle on TV."
Not only has Ruff managed to compete on all three brands of WWE, but he shocked everyone by winning the NXT North American Championship. During the November 11, 2020 episode of NXT, Ruff took down Johnny Gargano with a crucifix pin to score the biggest victory of his career.
Let's look at the five things fans need to know about the young Superstar.
#5 Leon Ruff won his first WWE match to become the NXT North American Champion
Leon Ruff’s first match came against Aleister Black on an episode of WWE Main Event, following which he competed against The Dutch Destroyer on an episode of RAW in March.
A month later, Ruff appeared on SmackDown to take a Brogue Kick from Sheamus in another losing effort. Since then, Ruff lost several televised matches against top Superstars, including Tommaso Ciampa, Karrion Kross, Austin Theory, and Bronson Reed.
Ruff got his big break when Johnny Gargano’s wheel picked him as the first challenger for The Rebel Heart’s NXT North American Championship. Ruff managed to defeat the NXT North American Champion without much help from anyone else.
Ruff’s victory against Gargano was his first win of his WWE career. Not many WWE Superstars have been able to win a title so early in their career, let alone win a major title to mark their first victory in the company.