To most wrestling fans, the name Rycklon Stephens, as unique and memorable as it is probably doesn’t ring any bells. However, most fans worth their salt have heard of the great Ezekiel Jackson. Indeed, Ezekiel is one of the many fabulous faces that can be seen fighting for the WWE.

Born April 22, 1978 as Rycklon Stephens, Ezekiel was fortunate enough to sign a ‘developmental contract’ with World Wrestling Entertainment at the tender age of 29 (March of 2007) and he initially debuted in FCW soon after, in June of 2007. His first professional match was a tag-team bout in which he was partnered with the famed Keith Walker and pitted against the famed Kofi Kingston and Eric Perez. Shockingly enough, even in the early stages of his professional wrestling career, Ezekiel was a champ. He was victorious in his debut match, and was able to build quite a name for himself early on. Indeed, after his smashing initial success, he was rapidly scheduled to compete in more match-ups (both individually and as part of a tag-team duo), one after the other. One of his most memorable tag-team match ups involved him being partnered with Brian Kelley and battling against Heath Miller and Steve Lewington. The bout ended up being a tournament resulting in Ezekiel and his partner facing off against the then-WWE Tag-Team Champs and losing. This losing battle againts The Miz and John Morrison occured on February 8th, 2008; Jackson’s final match as part of Florida Championship Wrestling took place on May 6, 2008.

Ezekiel’s exit from FCW was a graceful and positive one, however, and soon the accomplished professional wrestler would make his debut on SmackDown. In fact, his initial foray into the SmackDown arena took place little more than 2 months after his exodus from FCW, on July 18, 2008. However, he would not debut as a contender but as Brian Kendrick’s personal bodyguard. He was introduced to the crowd as simply “Ezekiel.” However, by August 8, 2008, his name had been modified to include the surname Jackson (and his name would also eventually devolve to simple “Zeke” or “Big Zeke” to his friends and teammates); and he had been upgraded in status from Kendrick’s bodyguard to his ‘adviser.’ This rise in Ezekiel Jackson’s wrestling status was apparently in more than just his title, as he soon began to appear in the ring during Kendrick’s bouts.

Only a couple months later, on October 17th, 2008, Ezekiel made participated in his first, officially sanctioned match as a wrester for the SmackDown crew. He acted as a stand-in for his supposedly sick advisee, Kendrick, and ended up fighting the notorious Super Crazy. Ezekiel Jackson made short work of Super Crazy, effectively using him to mop up the ring. From there, a star was born. The colossal super star began teaming up with the man he previously only advised, Kendrick. The two would go on to feud bitterly with the then-WWE Tag-Team Champs, Carlito and Prim Colon. Ezekiel would remain undefeated until February 13, 2009.

Indeed, on the February 13, 2009 installment of SmackDown, he lost a singles match in which he had been pitted against R-Truth. His final appearance on the show that had built him up into a household name, Smackdown, occurred on April 3, 2009. Unfortunately, his final bout was not as exhilarating as his debut, and his final SmackDown match ended with him being defeated by Jeff Hardy.

However, his last SmackDown bout would not be his last as a professional wrestler. Within two days, Ezekiel was drafted to the ECW as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft; and his partnership with the man he had formerly guarded and advised, Kendrick, was no more. Unfortunately, before ever taking the ring as part of his new brand, Ezekiel was returned the place it had all begun, FCW, for additional training.

However, during the relatively short span of Ezekiel’s SmackDown career, he accumulated several signature moves. Some of the moves he could always be counted on to employ included the Shoulder Block, the ever-popular and efficient Bear Hug, the Release Side Slam, and 2008’s Backbreaker Rack. In addition to his prowess and success as a wrestler, he can also claim to have managed the great Brian Kendrick.

Real Name: Rycklon Stephens
Date of Birth: April 22, 1978

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