Brad Maddox is one of the most controversial figures in WWE history, both on and off the screen. He worked for the company between 2008 and 2015 and portrayed different roles throughout his tenure in WWE. The fans remember him as an authority figure on Raw and the unfortunate leaked video incident. Brad Maddox had an unceremonious exit from WWE in 2015 and retired from in-ring competition the following year.
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He's been keeping a low profile since his retirement, and his name doesn't pop around the internet often these days. With that said, let's take a look at ten things the WWE fans should know about Brad Maddox.
10 Former OVW Heavyweight Champion
Brad Maddox began his pro wrestling career in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's former developmental territory, which produced legendary superstars like Brock Lesnar, Batista, John Cena, and Randy Orton.
Maddox made his OVW debut under the name Brent Wellington in April 2008 and went on to become the OVW Heavyweight Champion by February 2010. He won a 20-man battle royal to win the title and held it for 90 days before losing it to Mike Mondo, who worked as Mikey of The Spirit Squad. He also worked for WWE's other developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling before making his way to the main roster.
9 Made His Main Roster Debut As A Referee
Following his stint in FCW, WWE called up Brad Maddox to the main roster and made him debut as a referee in August 2012. He refereed a Divas battle royal on the August 20, 2012, episode of Raw, and continued as a referee until he officiated the main event WWE Championship Hell in a Cell match between CM Punk and Ryback at the titular PPV in October 2012.
He gave Ryback a low blow during the closing moments of the match and performed a fast count to enable CM Punk to retain the title. He explained his actions and that he did it to make a name for himself and get a WWE contract as a wrestler.
8 Was An On-Screen Authority Figure For A Year
Following his return in December 2012, Brad Maddox worked his way through a program with The Shield, which led to Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero making Maddox the Assistant Raw Managing Supervisor in February 2013.
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After Vickie Guerrero got fired from her position, Vince McMahon made Brad Maddox the Raw General Manager in July 2013. He held the position until May 2014, when The Authority took over control of Raw from Maddox and relieved him from his position. Following that, he went on to continue in WWE as an in-ring performer, competing mostly on house shows.
7 Has Won Only Four Matches In WWE
Since making his main roster debut in 2012, Brad Maddox competed in only 66 matches throughout his time with WWE, most of which came in live events and dark matches on various episodes of Main Event.
Out of the 66 matches Brad Maddox has won only four, giving him a loss percentage of 93.9. All four of his victories came at non-televised events, and the list of wrestlers he defeated in WWE include Zack Ryder, Ryan Nemeth, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Trent Beretta.
6 Tried Different Gimmicks During His Last Days With WWE
Following his removal from the Raw General Manager position, Brad Maddox went on to continue as an in-ring talent for WWE, and wrestled mostly in dark matches and live events.
He tried to regain his lost credibility by experimenting with new gimmicks and went on to work under the name Joshua Kingsley and dyed his hair blond for the character. He also had a short-lived partnership with Adam Rose under the team name Beef Mode but never got to perform on the main shows and quietly disbanded after competing in several live events.
5 Had His Last Match in 2016
After his exit from WWE in 2015, Brad Maddox looked to try his luck in the independent circuit and made his debut for Millenium Pro Wrestling at the MPW All Star Spectacular 2 event in October 2016.
Maddox competed in the main event Steel Cage six-man tag team match, in which he teamed with Bronson and current AEW star Luchasaurus in a losing effort against the team of Danny Divine, Ryan Nemeth, and Seth Skyfire. Following the event, Brad Maddox didn't return to in-ring competition and quietly retired from the business.
4 Reason Behind His WWE Release
As mentioned earlier, Brad Maddox played a controversial character throughout his time with WWE, and it appears he let the gimmick go to his head and went a little overboard during a dark match.
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He reportedly bad-mouthed the fans during the dark match and called them cocky pricks, which was a banned term in WWE. Instead of handing him a fine or a warning, Vince McMahon chose to terminate Brad Maddox and released him from his contract in November 2015.
3 Xavier Woods, Bray Wyatt & Bo Dallas Were His Favorite Backstage People
While answering fans during a Q&A session on Reddit back in 2015, Brad Maddox revealed that New Day member Xavier Woods was his favorite person backstage. He also praised former WWE superstars and real-life brothers Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas as two of the nicest guys in the entire pro wrestling industry.
The fans are aware of Brad Maddox's relationship with Xavier Woods, but the former Raw General Manager never worked with Bray Wyatt or Bo Dallas on the main roster. However, he did work with Wyatt during his time in FCW, and he teamed up with Bo Dallas in one match at a live event during the 2015 SummerSlam tour.
2 He Was Married With Two Kids When He Got Released
In the same Reddit Q&A session, Brad Maddox answered a fan's question about following New Japan Pro Wrestling. Maddox revealed that he followed NJPW a bit but wasn't planning on going there as he was looking to stay near his wife and a three-year-old, with another one on the way.
He also emphasized that he should've told Vince McMahon about his family situation before the former WWE Chairman decided to release Maddox from his contract in November 2015. There are no details on his current status regarding his family, as he deleted all his social media accounts following the video leak incident.
1 Was The Turkey Guy The Undertaker Tombstoned On The Tonight Show
WWE legend and Hall of Famer The Undertaker made a surprise appearance on NBC's late-night talk show The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon, on November 11, 2015.
The Undertaker delivered a Tombstone Piledriver to a man in a turkey costume during his cameo appearance on the show. Brad Maddox was the person behind the Turkey costume, and he revealed in the above-mentioned Reddit Q&A that Vince McMahon made him do it because he was one of the few wrestlers left in America as the others were on an overseas tour.
