Kipp Christianson[1] (born September 30, 1974) is an American professional wrestler and basketball player. He is best known for his time in the WWE and Florida Championship Wrestling where he wrestled under the ring name Eli Cottonwood during NXT Season 2.[1] His Pro (mentor) was John Morrison.[3]
| Eli Cottonwood | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kipp Christianson |
| Born | September 30, 1974[1] River Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | |
| Billed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 330 lb (150 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Steve Keirn |
| Debut | 2008[1] |
| Retired | 2016 |
Professional wrestling career
Kipp Christianson began competing in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2008 under his real name. On July 15, 2009, he made his debut match as Eli Cottonwood where he defeated Fred Rosser who would later become Darren Young.[1] The gimmick of being recently reintroduced to society from the Kelloggs Sanitarium. He was managed by Aksana in November 2009 and turned face.[4]
On June 1 2010, John Morrison announced that he would be mentoring Eli Cottonwood in the second season of NXT.[5][6] Cottonwood, however, was the second person eliminated from the competition, and was eliminated on the July 27 episode of NXT.[7]
After NXT, Cottonwood returned to FCW. He lost to Big E Langston after Langston ended Cottonwood's undefeated FCW streak on November 4, 2010.[8]
On December 5, 2011, Cottonwood returned to WWE in a dark match on Monday Night Raw won by Dolph Ziggler.[9]
In April 2012, Cottonwood began managing Bray Wyatt formerly Husky Harris in NXT Season 2. [10][11] Cottonwood requested for his released from WWE in June 2012.[12]
After wrestling, Cottonwood owned a yoga studio in Las Vegas called Kipp's Life Flip from 2016 to 2018 and then co-owned Florida Hardcore Wrestling from 2016-2017 [13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Wrestlers Database - Eli Cottonwood". CAGEMATCH.
- ^ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2012). WWE Encyclopedia: Updated & Expanded. DK. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-7566-9159-2.
- ^ "Eli Cottonwood - Online World of Wrestling". November 4, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
- ^ "Florida Championship Wrestling (2009)". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ Bishop, Matt (June 1, 2010). "WWE NXT: Barrett wins show's first season". Slam! Sports. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Caldwell, James (June 1, 2010). "WWE News: NXT Results – Season Two announced, Pro & Rookie pairings revealed". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Bishop, Matt (July 27, 2010). "WWE NXT: Second rookie goes home; New No. 1". Slam! Sports. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ^ "Events Database - FCW TV #113". CAGEMATCH.
- ^ http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/eli-cottonwood-6288.html%20Eli%20Cottonwood:%20Profile%20&%20Match%20Listing%20-%20Internet%20Wrestling%20Database%20(IWD).
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Namako, Jason (April 27, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/22/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
- ^ Namako, Jason (April 11, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/8/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
- ^ "WWE Releases A Former NXT Contestant?, Dreamer Now Alumni". PWMania. July 6, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "11 Forgotten WWE NXT Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?". The Sportster. February 21, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2023.