Bronson Rechsteiner (born October 24, 1997) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. He is signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

, where he performs on the Raw

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Bron Breakker. He is a former two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, two-time NXT Champion, and a one-time NXT Tag Team Champion. A second-generation professional wrestler, Rechsteiner is the son of Rick Steiner and the nephew of

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...

(who performed together as the Steiner Brothers). Rechsteiner was voted " Rookie of the Year" for 2022 by readers of the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

''.

Early life and football career

Rechsteiner was born in

Woodstock, Georgia Woodstock is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 35,065 as of 2020 according to the US Census Bureau. Originally a stop on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Woodstock is part of the Atlanta metropolitan a ...

. He attended Etowah High School in Woodstock, where he played

, winning varsity letters in three years. He also participated in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

, winning the Georgia Class AAAAAA state championship (220 lb weight class) in 2016. After graduating from high school, Rechsteiner went on to study at Georgia's

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was founded ...

, majoring in

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

. While attending Kennesaw, Rechsteiner played

for the Kennesaw State Owls. As a freshman in 2016 he played

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

; in 2017, he moved to offense as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

. In February 2020, Rechsteiner entered the

National Football League Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

but was not drafted. In April 2020, he was signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

as an undrafted free agent fullback. He was released in August 2020.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2020)

Wrestling under his real name, Rechsteiner debuted in professional wrestling on October 8, 2020, at the "WrestleJam 8" event promoted by AWF/WOW in

Ringgold, Georgia Ringgold is a city in and the county seat of Catoosa County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area. History Ringgold was founded in 1846 and incorporated as a city i ...

. He defeated Jamie Hall.

WWE (2021–present)

NXT (2021–2024)

In February 2021, WWE announced Rechsteiner had signed a developmental contract with the company. Later that month, he was assigned to the

WWE Performance Center WWE Performance Center (WWE PC) is a group of professional wrestling schools owned by American company WWE. They serve as tryout and training facilities for WWE, and also contain sports science and medical facilities as well as live events and ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

for training. At the WrestleMania Backlash

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

on May 16, Rechsteiner and several other wrestlers portrayed "zombies" in a lumberjack match between Damian Priest and

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

. In August 2021, he appeared on an episode of '' NXT'', portraying a security guard who was attacked by

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...

. Rechsteiner wrestled his first match for WWE on the September 14, 2021, episode of ''NXT'' under the ring name Bron Breakker, defeating LA Knight; he later had a staredown with new NXT Champion

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa () and ...

. Breakker unsuccessfully challenged Ciampa for the title at ''NXT'' Halloween Havoc on October 26. In November 2021, Breakker participated in WWE's tour of the United Kingdom. At ''NXT'' WarGames on December 5, Breakker teamed with

Carmelo Hayes Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. He ...

, Grayson Waller, and Tony D'Angelo (as "Team 2.0") to defeat Ciampa, Knight, Johnny Gargano, and Pete Dunne ("Team Black & Gold") in a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of four or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not have a roof, de ...

, with Breakker pinning Ciampa. At ''NXT'' New Year's Evil on January 4, 2022, Breakker defeated Ciampa by submission to win the NXT Championship. At ''NXT'' Vengeance Day on February 15, he made his first successful title defense, defeating Santos Escobar. Breakker made his main roster debut on the March 7 episode of '' Raw'', teaming with Ciampa to defeat Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in a tag team match. At ''NXT'' Roadblock the following day, Breakker defended the NXT Championship against Ciampa and Ziggler in a triple threat match, with Ziggler pinning Ciampa to end Breakker's first reign at 63 days. On April 1, Breakker inducted his father and uncle into the

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

; the following night at ''NXT'' Stand & Deliver, Breakker failed to regain the title from Ziggler after interference from Roode. On the April 4, 2022 episode of ''Raw'', Breakker defeated Ziggler to win the NXT Championship for a second time. On the following episode of ''NXT'', he retained the title against

Gunther Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther () or Gunnar (), was a historical King of the Burgundians in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they crossed the Rhine ...

. Breakker subsequently began feuding with

Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2020, he is signed to WWE, on the WWE SmackDown, SmackDown brand, where he performs under the ring name Joe Gacy and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Gac ...

after Gacy kidnapped Rick Steiner, leading to a match between the two at '' Spring Breakin''' on May 3, where Breakker defeated Gacy to retain the title. At ''NXT'' In Your House on June 4, he defeated Gacy in a rematch, with the added stipulation that he would lose the title if he got disqualified. At ''NXT'' The Great American Bash on July 5, Breakker retained the title against Cameron Grimes, and was attacked by the debuting JD McDonagh after the match. At ''NXT'' Heatwave on August 16, Breakker retained the title against McDonagh; after the match, he was confronted by NXT United Kingdom Champion

Tyler Bate Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and is one of the two members of New Catch Republic, performing alongside Pete Dunne. In 2017, he became the inaugur ...

. At Worlds Collide on September 4, Breakker defeated Bate to unify the NXT Championship and NXT United Kingdom Championship. However, he is not recognized as the final NXT United Kingdom Champion. At ''NXT'' Halloween Havoc on October 22, Breakker defeated McDonagh and

Ilja Dragunov Ilja Rukober (; born 10 October 1993), known by his ring name Ilja Dragunov (), is a Russian-born, German- naturalised professional wrestler. As of January 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inacti ...

in a triple threat match to retain the NXT Championship. At ''NXT'' Deadline on December 10, Breakker successfully defended the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews. At ''NXT'' New Year's Evil on January 10, 2023, Breakker defeated Grayson Waller via countout to retain the NXT Championship. At ''NXT'' Vengeance Day on February 4, he defeated Waller once again, this time in a cage match. At ''NXT'' Stand & Deliver on April 1, Breakker lost the title to Carmelo Hayes, ending his second reign at 362 days. On the April 4, 2023 episode of ''NXT'', Breakker attacked Hayes, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

. He cemented his new villainous persona the next week by interrupting Chase University in the ring, verbally insulting the audience, and attacking Andre Chase. At '' Spring Breakin''' on April 25, Breakker defeated Chase via submission. At ''NXT'' Battleground on May 28, Breakker failed to regain the NXT Championship from Hayes. At ''NXT'' Gold Rush on June 20, Breakker unsuccessfully challenged

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship. At ''NXT'' Heatwave on August 22, Breakker attacked Von Wagner; on the September 6 episode of ''NXT'', he bludgeoned Wagner with a set of steel steps. Later that month, Breakker took part in the Superstar Spectacle in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, India, defeating Odyssey Jones. At NXT No Mercy on September 30, Breakker lost to Baron Corbin. On the October 10 episode of ''NXT'', Breakker (with

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...

in his corner) lost to Carmelo Hayes (with

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...

in his corner; following the match, Breakker attacked Hayes, prompting

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...

to come to the ring and

chokeslam A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerf ...

Breakker. At ''NXT'' Halloween Havoc later that month, Breakker defeated Mr. Stone. On the November 28 episode of ''NXT'', Breakker defeated Eddy Thorpe to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at

NXT Deadline Deadline (stylized as DEADL1NE) is a professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 2022, it is held annually in December for the promotion's developmental brand, ...

, which was won by

Trick Williams Matrick Mondre Belton (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on its NXT brand, under the ring name Trick Williams. He also makes appearances in WWE's partner promotion Total Nonstop Acti ...

. In January 2024, Breakker began to work with Baron Corbin as a tag team, winning the

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT U ...

tournament and later, the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

after they defeated Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. While they retained the titles at ''NXT'' Stand & Deliver, against

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

and Nathan Frazer, they lost in a rematch on the April 9 episode of ''NXT''.

Main roster (2024–present)

On the February 16, 2024 episode of ''SmackDown'', Breakker joined the SmackDown brand. The next week, Breakker made his in-ring debut for SmackDown by defeating Dante Chen. In the 2024 WWE Draft that April, Breakker was drafted to the Raw brand. At Money in the Bank on July 6, Breakker unsuccessfully challenged Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship, marking his first pinfall loss since joining the main roster. In a rematch at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...

the following month, Breakker defeated Zayn to win the title. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Breakker defeated Zayn to retain the title in a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

, ending their feud. On the September 23 episode of ''Raw'', Breakker lost the title to Jey Uso, ending his reign at 51 days. On the October 21 episode of ''Raw'', he defeated Uso to regain the Intercontinental Championship after interference by The Bloodline. At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 30, Breakker successfully defended the title against Ludwig Kaiser and

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...

in a triple threat match. In February 2025, Breakker competed in the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

, eliminating three wrestlers before being eliminated by

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...

. On Night 2 of

WrestleMania 41 WrestleMania 41, also promoted as WrestleMania Vegas, was a 2025 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 41st annual WrestleMania and to ...

, Breakker lost the title to Dominik Mysterio in a fatal four-way match also involving Penta and Finn Bálor, the latter of whom Mysterio pinned, ending his second reign at 181 days. On the April 21 episode of ''Raw'', Breakker attacked Roman Reigns and

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...

, aligning himself with

and

. On May 24 at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIX, Breakker and Rollins defeated Punk and Sami Zayn after interference from Bronson Reed, who would go on to join their alliance.

Professional wrestling style and persona

Breakker wrestles in a "powerhouse" style. His finishing moves are a camel clutch dubbed the ''Steiner Recliner'' (a move adopted from his uncle

), a gorilla press powerslam, and a

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

Other media

Rechsteiner appeared as a playable character in the 2020 video game '' Madden NFL 21'' as a fullback for the Baltimore Ravens. He also appeared (as Bron Breakker) as a playable character in '' WWE 2K23'', '' WWE 2K24'', and '' WWE 2K25''. In 2025, Rechsteiner appeared (as Bron Breakker) in a commercial for

Intuit Intuit Inc. is an American multinational business software company that specializes in financial software. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and the CEO is Sasan Goodarzi. Intuit's products include the tax preparati ...

Personal life

Rechsteiner is in a relationship with fellow WWE professional wrestler Izzi Dame. He was previously in a relationship with former WWE professional wrestler Cora Jade.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

* Georgia Class AAAAAA State Championship (220 lb weight class) (2016)

Professional wrestling

*''

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

'' **Ranked number 6 of the 30 best professional wrestlers aged under 30 (2023) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' **Ranked number 26 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' (2022) * ''

'' ** Rookie of the Year (2022) *

** Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

) – with Baron Corbin **

NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...

( 2 times) **

( 1 time) – with Baron Corbin **

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...

( 2 times)

References

External links

* * *
Bronson Rechsteiner Kennesaw State Owls biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breakker, Bron 1997 births 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American football running backs American male professional wrestlers Baltimore Ravens players Kennesaw State Owls football players Kennesaw State University alumni Living people NXT Champions NXT Tag Team Champions People from Woodstock, Georgia Players of American football from Cherokee County, Georgia Professional wrestlers from Georgia (U.S. state) WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions