Ezekwesiri "EJ" Nduka Jr. (born August 28, 1989) 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 ...

, professional IFBB bodybuilder, and former professional

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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

. He is best known for his time in

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(AEW) and in their sister promotion

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

(ROH). He is also known for his time with

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...

, where he was a former MLW World Tag Team Champion, and in

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 performed 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 ...

Ezra Judge. Nduka played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

, with the team being the 2012 National Championship runners-up. Professionally, Nduka has been a member of the

Tri-Cities Fever The Tri-Cities Fever was a professional indoor American football, indoor football franchise based in Kennewick, Washington. The Fever joined National Indoor Football League (NIFL) in 2005 as an expansion team. The Fever were owned by Teri Carr. ...

Allen Wranglers Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

and

San Antonio Talons The San Antonio Talons were a professional arena football team based in San Antonio, Texas. They played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Their home arena was the Alamodome, following their relocation to San Antonio for the 2012 season. The ...

. Nduka is also a professional bodybuilder in the

International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness The International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness. Headquartered in Las Rozas de Madrid, it oversees many of the sport's major international events, n ...

. Nduka previously completed for the MuscleMania Professional Division. During the World Championships in Vegas, Nduka placed 4th in the Men's Physique Professional Division. Nduka began his bodybuilding career shortly after leaving the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL) in 2016. Since then, he has placed first in the Texas State Championships, Ronnie Coleman Classic, BetterBodies Championship, Junior Nationals and JR USAs. Nduka has also competed at the Arnold Classic & Lou Ferrigno Legacy Classic, placing in the top three in the Classic Pro Division. In August 2019 Nduka was signed by the WWE, reporting to their developmental territory NXT.

Early life

Nduka was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, to parents Obie and Prince Nduka, who are originally from Nigeria. EJ Nduka attended

Jackson Memorial High School Jackson Memorial High School was a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Jackson Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, opened in 1963 as part of the Jackson Schoo ...

Jackson, New Jersey Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544, an increas ...

. He was a dual sport letterwinner and star in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and track. He was a star basketball player before ultimately turning to the football field in college.

Football career

College

Nduka began his college career at

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonvill ...

in 2007 before transferring to Sam Houston State where he played for three years from 2008 to 2011. He was redshirted as a freshman in 2008 but eventually made an impact for the Bearkats, primarily as a pass rusher in game situations.

Professional leagues

Pre-draft

Prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, Nduka was projected to be undrafted by NFLDraftScout.com. He was rated as the 36th-best outside linebacker in the draft. Nduka was later signed by the

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

. In 2012, Nduka played final three games and recorded 15 tackles, three sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. On February 21, 2013, the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

signed Nduka. He was released by the Argonauts on May 8, 2013. In 2015, Nduka had private workouts and NFL camps with Texans, Seahawks & Falcons.

Bodybuilding career

Nduka is a professional athlete in the IFBB a federation. Nduka recently announced via social media that he will now compete in the Classic Physique division in 2017.

IFBB Pro Bodybuilder contest results

*2016 IFBB - San Antonio Classic 3rd *2016 IFBB - Lou Ferrigno Classic 3rd *2017 IFBB - IFBB Tournament of Champions 16th *2017 IFBB - Pacific USA Pro 8th *2017 IFBB - Fit World Pro 9th *2017 IFBB - Karina Nascimento Pro 7th *2017 IFBB - Pittsburgh Pro *2018 IFBB - Governors Cup 11th *2018 IFBB - Hawaii Pro 11th *2018 IFBB - Salt City Showdown 8th *2018 IFBB - IFBB City Limits Pro 7th *2018 IFBB - Nebraska Pro 6th

NPC contest results

*2015 NPC - BetterBodies Championships 1st *2015 NPC - Ronnie Coleman Classic 1st *2015 NPC - Team Universe 6th *2015 NPC/IFBB - North Americans 4th *2015 NPC - Miami Nationals 3rd *2016 - Jr Nationals 1st *2016 - Jr USAs 1st

Professional wrestling career

Because of his performance on the gridiron and on the IFBB stage, in December 2018, Nduka received a tryout with the

, and then shortly after went back in April 2019 for another tryout at 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 ...

. After participating on two tryouts (the first in December 2018, the second in April 2019), Nduka signed a contract with WWE on August 15, 2019. He was assigned to the Performance Center and began to work under the ring name of Ezra Judge. On May 19, 2021, Nduka was released from his WWE contract. On June 24, 2021, it was revealed as part of their

MLW Open Draft The MLW Open Draft was a draft used by the American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW) to refresh its roster in preparation for the promotion's return to live touring following the COVID-19 pandemic. Wrestlers were select ...

that Nduka (now going by his real name) had signed with

(MLW). On July 24, 2021, during Nduka's televised debut, EJ Nduka made a statement within the company as eliminated 12 participants – nearly a third of all Battle Riot participants – breaking the record by a landslide. He would ultimately join

Alexander Hammerstone Alex Rohde (born January 17, 1991), better known by the ring name Alexander Hammerstone or simply Hammerstone, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a former MLW World Heavyweight Champ ...

and

Richard Holliday Joe Zimbardi (born November 8, 1992) is an American professional wrestler best known for his tenure in Major League Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Richard Holliday and was a former one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion. Hollida ...

as part of The Dynasty. During

Wrestlemania 38 WrestleMania 38 was a 2022 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 38th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturda ...

weekend Nduka and

Calvin Tankman Christopher Heyward III, better known by the ring name Calvin Tankman, is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is known for his tenures with Major League Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, Wild Championshi ...

defeated 5150 to become

MLW World Tag Team Champions The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) professional wrestling promotion, pr ...

at the

Grady Cole Center Grady Cole Center is a small civic center located on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 3,000 seat center is located near the city's center, and can host several types of events. It was built in 19 ...

in North Carolina at a sold-out event. On January 7, 2023, Nduka and Calvin lost their MLW World Tag Team Championships to The Samoan SWAT Team's Juice Finau and

Lance Anoa'i Lance Sterling Anoa'i (born February 15, 1992) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand. He previously wrestled in Major League Wre ...

at MLW's pay-per-view Blood and Thunder of year 2023. Earlier, it was revealed that Nduka's MLW contract was coming to an end after Blood and Thunder, choosing not to renew it. Nduka made his

(AEW) debut on the January 28, 2023 episode ''

AEW Dark ''AEW Dark'', or simply ''Dark'', is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), running from October 8, 2019, to April 25, 2023, on AEW's YouTube channel. ...

'', in a losing effort against

Konosuke Takeshita is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to American Wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family and one-half of the tag team Protoshita with Kyle Fletcher. He is a former AEW ...

. In June 2023, it was reported by Wrestling Observer that Nduka had signed with AEW. On the June 29 episode of ''

AEW Collision ''AEW Collision'', also known as ''Saturday Night Collision'' or simply ''Collision'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs live every Saturday at 8 p.m. ...

'', Nduka made another appearance accompanying

AEW World Champion The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being ...

Swerve Strickland Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the independent circuit. Strickl ...

during the weigh-in for Strickland's match against

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...

. In October 2024, Nduka formed a tag team with Lee Johnson named "LEEJ". In December 2024 at

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002. It is held in December, and is the promotion's last show of the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ...

Zero Hour, LEEJ turned

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 ...

after by attacking

Gates of Agony Gates of Agony is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH). They are two-time former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions ...

( Bishop Kaun and

Toa Liona Bruce Orlando Leaupepe (born January 30, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Toa Liona and is one-half of the tag team Gates of Agony. He also wrestles fo ...

) after losing to them in a tag match. In May 2025, it was reported Nduka was a free agent after his AEW contract expired and was not renewed.

Championships and accomplishments

MLW World Tag Team Championship The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which particip ...

( 1 time) – with

References

*https://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/wwe-tryout-attendees-ivelisse-photos/ *https://solowrestling.mundodeportivo.com/new/83017-wwe-anuncia-las-nuevas-incorporaciones-del-performance-center * http://contests.npcnewsonline.com/contests/2018/ifbb_city_limits_pro/ej_nduka/