Cory James Weston (born September 4, 1987) 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 ...

. 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 works as a producer on the NXT brand and coach 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 ...

, having previously been an active competitor with the 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 ...

Wesley Blake. Weston debuted in 2011 under his real name on the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

, most notably for Dory Funk Jr.'s Funking Conservatory. He signed with WWE in 2013, portraying a cowboy gimmick in NXT during his first year. He later formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

with Buddy Murphy, and the two, managed by

Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...

, won 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 ...

once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...

. After several years, he formed a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

with Jaxson Ryker and Steve Cutler called The Forgotten Sons. In 2020, the stable began working on SmackDown. He was released from WWE on April 15, 2021. Soon after, he announced on his social media that his new ring name would be Westin Blake. In 2024, Blake returned to WWE as a producer for the NXT brand and coach at the WWE Performance Center.

Early life

Cory James Weston was born on September 4, 1987, in

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos () is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin, Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell County, Texas, Caldwell and Guadalupe County, T ...

. He was brought up by his

single mother A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

. Weston played football at the all-state

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

level, including for the Medina Valley Panthers in 2005, where he played as the

middle 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 li ...

. He graduated from

Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...

, where he was a strength instructor and also 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 ...

Professional wrestling career

Funking Conservatory (2011–2013)

Weston wanted to be a

since the age of 3. He eventually became a student of Dory Funk Jr.'s professional wrestling school, the Funking Conservatory, appearing on the school's '' !Bang! TV'' show under his real name. Immediately after graduating from university, Weston moved to

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

in 2011, where the Funking Conservatory was located. Documented to have been wrestling there since May 2011, Weston managed to become the FC Heavyweight Champion, as well as the European Champion and the Florida Champion. Weston wrestled against

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...

in an eight-person tag team match in May 2013, which was Lawler's first match since suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in September 2012.

WWE

Blake and Murphy (2013–2016)

Weston signed with WWE in June 2013 and reported to NXT in July 2013 when the

opened; at the same time as his future NXT tag team partner Buddy Murphy. Weston made his television debut as Wesley Blake on the January 22, 2014 episode of '' NXT'' with the character of a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

and lost his debut match to Adrian Neville. Blake continued in his jobber role with losses in singles matches to the likes of Adam Rose,

Mason Ryan Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh stunt performer, actor, and former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mason Ryan from 2009 to 2014. He j ...

and Sin Cara, as well as a loss in a tag-team match against the Ascension with Cal Bishop as his partner. In August 2014, Blake abandoned the cowboy character and formed a tag team with Buddy Murphy. On the August 14 episode of ''NXT'', Blake and Murphy were defeated in the first round of a number one contender's tag team tournament by Kalisto and Sin Cara, later known as The Lucha Dragons. For the rest of 2014, Blake and Murphy lost multiple matches to teams such as The Lucha Dragons and The Vaudevillains (

Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a color commentator, alongside Tom Hannifan. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he p ...

and Simon Gotch). Also in October 2014, Blake and Murphy were involved in a tag-team battle royal to determine the number one contenders to the

; they were eliminated from the match by The Ascension. Blake and Murphy defeated The Vaudevillains on the January 21, 2015 episode of ''NXT'' and a week later, defeated The Lucha Dragons to win the NXT Tag Team Championship. At NXT TakeOver: Rival, Blake and Murphy, now billed simply by their last names, defeated The Lucha Dragons in a rematch for the titles. Following that, Blake and Murphy started a feud with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, who were intent on capturing the tag titles. At NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, they retained their NXT Tag Team Championship against Amore and Cassady after interference from

, who then aligned herself with them. After several successful title defenses, Blake and Murphy lost the championships to The Vaudevillians at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, ending their reign at 219 days. On the May 18, 2016 episode of ''NXT'', after losing to

Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...

and

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...

, Bliss and Blake walked away from Murphy, teasing a split for the team. Following Bliss's main roster call-up in the 2016 WWE draft, Blake was used sporadically on NXT television as an enhancement talent, with his final televised appearance being a match against Murphy on the October 12 episode of ''NXT'', which quickly ended in a no-contest as both men were attacked by an interfering

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 ...

The Forgotten Sons and departure (2017–2021)

After a long absence from television, Blake returned on the May 10, 2017 episode of ''NXT'', confronting

Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...

in a backstage segment. On the May 24, 2017 episode of ''NXT'', returning to his previous cowboy gimmick, Blake lost in a match against McIntyre. He was then absent from television for the remainder of 2017, forming a tag team with Steve Cutler at NXT live events as "The Forgotten Sons". The team (now featuring Jaxson Ryker) debuted on the August 29, 2018 episode of ''NXT'' in a segment with general manager

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...

. Their in-ring debuts took place the following week when Blake and Cutler defeated

The Street Profits The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand, and are the current WWE ...

after a distraction from Shane Thorne. On the October 3 episode of ''NXT'', the group defeated the team of Vinny Mixon, Cesar Rise & Torrey Kirsh. Blake and Cutler represented the group in the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan in the first-round and Moustache Mountain in the second-round before losing to Aleister Black and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

in the finals. Blake and Cutler competed in a fatal four-way

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

for the vacant

at NXT TakeOver: XXV. Despite interference from Ryker, the two were unsuccessful in winning. The group entered the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but were eliminated in the first round by Imperium. The trio debuted on '' SmackDown'' on the April 10, 2020 episode, defeating Lucha House Party. They appeared on the April 24 episode of ''SmackDown'' when they attacked Lucha House Party and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. The group made their main roster in-ring debut on the May 1 episode, defeating The New Day in a non-title match. They then began portraying themselves as American patriots with Cutler and Ryker highlighting their services in the marines. However, the gimmick was dropped due to a tweet by Jaxson Ryker supporting

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

which led to serious backstage heat and backlash from many on social media and within the fan base. This resulted in The Forgotten Sons being taken off television. On the December 4 episode of SmackDown, Blake and Cutler, now known as The Knights of the Lone Wolf, made their return accompanying King Corbin to the ring as they helped him defeat Murphy. However, the storyline was aborted since, on February 4, 2021, Cutler was released. On April 15, 2021, Blake was also released from his WWE contract.

Control Your Narrative (2021–2022)

Westin debuted at the

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 ...

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 ...

Final Battle, where he, EC3, and Adam Scherr formed the new Control Your Narrative stable and attacked Eli Isom, Dak Draper and Brian Johnson. In February 2022, it was announced Blake was joining the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion created by EC3 and Adam Scherr. The promotion held its last event on July 31. Blake made his

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 ...

debut on the August 23 episode of ''Dark'', losing to Daniel Garcia.

Return to WWE (2024–present)

In April 2024, it was reported that Blake had returned to WWE as a producer for the NXT brand and coach at the

Other media

As Blake, he made his

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

debut as a playable character in ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by '' WWE 2K17''. It w ...

'' (as a downloadable character) and also appears in

WWE 2K17 ''WWE 2K17'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. It is the eighteenth game in the ''WWE'' game series (fourth under the '' ...

Personal life

On December 30, 2017, Weston married fellow professional wrestler Sara Lee. They had a daughter and two sons. Lee died on October 5, 2022.

Championships and accomplishments

* Funking Conservatory ** FC European Championship (1 time) ** FC Florida Championship (1 time) ** FC Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''

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 No. 121 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 ...

'' in 2015 *The Wrestling Revolver **PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Maclin *

( 1 time) – with Buddy Murphy

References

External links

* * *
Cory Weston
s videos on YouTube, uploaded by Dory Funk Jr. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Wesley 1987 births Living people American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Texas People from San Marcos, Texas Texas State Bobcats football players NXT Tag Team Champions 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers