David Otunga | |
|---|---|
 Otunga in 2014 | |
| Born | (1980-04-07)April 7, 1980 (age 45) Elgin, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–2007 (law) 2007–present (acting) 2009–2015 (wrestling) |
| Partner(s) | Jennifer Hudson (2007–2017) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | David Otunga Dawson Alexander |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Hollywood, California |
| Trained by | Tom Prichard Norman Smiley |
| Debut | May 29, 2009 |
| Website | davidotunga |
David Daniel Otunga (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor,professional wrestler and lawyer. He is best known for his tenure withWWE from 2009 to 2020.
Otunga was the runner-up on the first season ofWWE NXT and later an original member ofThe Nexus andThe New Nexus, being the only member present through the entire duration of the stable in every incarnation. He became a two-timeWWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with fellow Nexus membersJohn Cena andMichael McGillicutty.
David Daniel Otunga[1] was born inElgin, Illinois on April 7, 1980, the son of teachers Billie and Moses Otunga.[2] His mother is American and his father is Kenyan.[2] He has two older siblings.[2] He graduated fromLarkin High School[3] and later earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from theUniversity of Illinois.[3] Following his graduation, he moved toNew York City to become a laboratory manager inColumbia University'sCognitive Neuroscience Center.[3]
Otunga graduated fromHarvard Law School in 2006, passing Illinois'bar exam.[2][4] He worked atSidley Austin, one of America's largest law firms,[2] from May 2005 to October 2007.[5]
In 2007, after his niece submitted his audition tape, Otunga was chosen to be a contestant onI Love New York 2 and given the nickname "Punk".[3] He became one of the final three contestants in the competition, before being eliminated on the series' penultimate episode. Otunga has since starred in the 2013 thriller filmThe Call.[6] Otunga made a guest appearance as himself in the 13,110th episode (Season 52, Episode 84) ofGeneral Hospital.[7] also played in an episode of criminal minds as a bouncer in episode 12 of the same season.
In November 2008, Otunga signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to its development territory,Florida Championship Wrestling.[8][9][10] He made his debut on May 29, 2009,[9] under thering nameDawson Alexander, in asix-man tag team match. Otunga teamed withBarry Allen and Jon Cutler to defeatAbraham Saddam Washington,Derrick Bateman andCamacho.
On February 16, 2010, after numerous dark matches on bothRaw andSmackDown, it was announced that Otunga would wrestle on the first season ofNXT under his real name, withR-Truth as hisstoryline mentor.[11] He made his debut on the inaugural episode ofNXT on February 23, quickly defeatingDarren Young.[12] Young defeated Otunga in a rematch on the following week's broadcast, thanks to interference from Young's mentor,CM Punk. After the match, R-Truth tried to offer his support, only to be shoved away by a frustrated Otunga, resulting in Otunga turning heel. R-Truth took exception, confronting and brawling with Otunga backstage.[13] On the March 30 episode ofNXT, Otunga won an 8-man over the top ropebattle royal against the other NXT Rookies to earn the right toguest hostRaw the following week.[14] On the April 5 episode ofRaw, Otunga put himself in a tag team match withJohn Cena for theUnified WWE Tag Team Championship againstShoMiz (Big Show andThe Miz). Later in the match, however, he refused to tag in and walked out, allowing ShoMiz to retain.[15] On May 11, in the second Pros Poll, he was moved to second place.[16] During the season finale on June 1, Otunga came in second place overall in the competition, losing out toWade Barrett.[17]
The following week onRaw, Otunga and the otherNXT rookies from season one interfered in the main event match betweenJohn Cena and CM Punk, attacking the competitors, the announce team, andring announcerJustin Roberts, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.[18] On the June 14 episode ofRaw, the rookies attackedGeneral ManagerBret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts.[19] The following week onRaw,Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new general manager, who had signed all seven season one NXT rookies to contracts.[20] The following week, the group was namedThe Nexus.[21] On the July 12 episode ofRaw, The Nexus, excluding Daniel Bryan (who was fired by Vince McMahon after the Nexus' first night on Raw in part due to choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie), competed in their first match together, defeating John Cena in a six-on-onehandicap match.[22] The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in aseven-on-seven elimination tag team match atSummerSlam. Otunga was the fourth member of The Nexus eliminated, when he submitted toChris Jericho, and The Nexus went on to lose the match.[23]
Cena was later forced to join The Nexus, as a result of losing to Barrett atHell in a Cell.[24] At the following pay-per-view,Bragging Rights on October 24, Otunga and Cena teamed together to win theWWE Tag Team Championship fromCody Rhodes andDrew McIntyre.[25][26] The next night onRaw Otunga and Cena lost the Tag Team Championship to fellow Nexus membersJustin Gabriel andHeath Slater when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him.[27] On November 5, Otunga, who had been questioning Barrett's leadership in the past weeks, led Nexus, minus Barrett and Cena, to an invasion ofSmackDown.[28] Barrett did not approve of Otunga's decision to lead The Nexus toSmackDown and as a result forced him to defend his spot in the group a week later.[29] On the November 12 episode ofSmackDown, Otunga defeatedEdge in a lumberjack match, afterKane interfered, to keep his spot in Nexus.[30] About a month later, Otunga started to rebel against Barrett with the rest of Nexus behind him. After the group disobeyed direct orders and walked away from Barrett, Otunga told Barrett to rehire Cena the following week or be banished from Nexus.[31]
In January 2011, Barrett was exiled from Nexus and CM Punk took over his spot as the leader of the group.[32] While Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater chose not to follow Punk's orders and left Nexus, Otunga agreed to take his initiation test, a beating from the Big Show, and remain with the group.[33] In late February, it was announced that Punk would face Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXVII, with each member of The Nexus facing Orton to win the right to accompany Punk to the ring in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania. Otunga faced Orton on the March 7 episode ofRaw, but lost. Following the match, he waspunted in the skull by Orton.[34] Otunga was absent from television for over a month, returning on the April 11 episode ofRaw with the other New Nexus members, and preventing Orton from earning a WWE Championship match.[35][36]
On the May 23 episode ofRaw, Otunga teamed with fellow Nexus memberMichael McGillicutty to win the WWE Tag Team Championship from Kane and The Big Show with the help interference from fellow New Nexus members Mason Ryan and Punk.[37][38] They made their only successful title defense againstThe Usos on the July 29 episode ofSmackDown.[39] AfterCM Punk left the New Nexus when his WWE contract expired on July 17, Otunga and McGillicutty competed againstSantino Marella andZack Ryder on the August 1 episode ofRaw without any Nexus gear or armbands, and with all Nexus logos removed from their TitanTron, effectively signaling the end of the New Nexus.[40][41] On the August 22 episode ofRaw, Otunga and McGillicutty lost the Tag Team Championship to Air Boom (Kofi Kingston andEvan Bourne).[42]
After a minor feud withJerry Lawler, Otunga and McGillicutty's team quietly disbanded. Otunga then started a new storyline, focusing on his law background, asJohn Laurinaitis advised him to help disgruntled wrestlers plan a lawsuit againstTriple H, WWE'schief operating officer. He also started carrying aStarbucks thermos. On the September 30 episode ofSmackDown, Otunga and Laurinaitis sat down withDolph Ziggler,Jack Swagger,Cody Rhodes,Alberto Del Rio,Christian, andVickie Guerrero to discuss the matter. The following week onRaw SuperShow, Otunga walked out on Triple H with other wrestlers,Divas, and referees after a "vote of no confidence" for Triple H as COO. He returned to in-ring action on the November 29SmackDown Holiday Special where he was defeated byRandy Orton in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight match. On the December 23 episode ofSmackDown he cancelled a #1 Contender's match between Big Show andMark Henry due to Henry's leg injury; he was knocked out by Big Show as a result. Otunga facedBig Show on the December 26 episode ofRaw SuperShow and the December 30 episode ofSmackDown, but lost both matches.[43][44] He obtained his first win since returning to singles competition on the January 13, 2012, episode ofSmackDown, defeatingSantino Marella. He captured back-to-back wins againstEzekiel Jackson on the February 20 episode ofRaw SuperShow and the February 21 episode ofSuper SmackDown.[45][46] On the March 12 episode ofRaw SuperShow, it was announced that Otunga would be the captain of Laurinaitis' team for the battle for control 12-man Tag Team match atWrestleMania XXVIII. Team Johnny was victorious at WrestleMania. On the April 16 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Otunga unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella for theUnited States Championship.[47] Otunga took leave from WWE television from April 23 to May 14 to be with his fiancé,Jennifer Hudson, during the murder trial of William Balfour in Chicago.[48]
AtNo Way Out, Otunga lost toBrodus Clay via count out. The next night onRaw SuperShow, Otunga teamed withBig Show and John Laurinaitis in a 3 on 1 handicap match. Before the match started, Big Show walked out on Otunga and Laurinaitis. Otunga walked out as well during the match, because Laurinaitis had refused to tag himself in, allowingJohn Cena to make Laurinaitis submit. The next week onSmackDown, Otunga delivered a low blow to Brodus Clay as Clay was fighting Big Show. He returned toRaw on August 20 to confront general managerAJ Lee. He was put into a match against Big Show, which he lost. On September 3, Otunga was seen withAlberto Del Rio, who toldMatt Striker that his client (Del Rio) won't talk to him. On the September 7 episode ofSmackDown, he represented Alberto Del Rio andRicardo Rodriguez to win the case to banSheamus' finishing move, theBrogue Kick,[49] just as Otunga was facing Sheamus at the night's main event,[50] although the Brogue Kick was later reinstated. He managed Alberto Del Rio atNight of Champions in his match with Sheamus for theWorld Heavyweight Championship which Del Rio lost. AtSurvivor Series, Otunga was made a part ofTeam Ziggler, filling in for the injuredCody Rhodes. He was eliminated byDaniel Bryan. Otunga competed in the2013 Royal Rumble match entering at #9 but was eliminated by Sheamus. His last singles match was a loss to Ryback. Since then, he has been doing promotional work for WWE backstage. Otunga returned on October 28 when he conducted an interview for WWE.com afterBig Show sued WWE andTriple H for defamation, discrimination and wrongful termination of contract.[51]
Otunga returned on April 6, 2014, in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal atWrestleMania XXX and was eliminated byBig E. Otunga did not make any WWE appearances again until he returned to live events on January 9, 2015.[52] His last match was on July 5, 2015, on a WWE Live SummerSlam Heatwave Tour where he lost toR-Truth.
Otunga returned to television on February 2, 2015, doing theRaw Pre-Show. Following this, he offered his legal services to his formertag team partner Curtis Axel regarding hisRoyal Rumble 2015 controversy.[53] Now rarely an in-ring performer, Otunga replacedAlex Riley as one of the hosts of the weeklyRaw pre-show on theWWE Network.
In June 2016, Otunga left his position on theRaw pre-show panel, where he joined the commentary team alongsideTom Phillips for bothSuperstars andMain Event. On the June 23 episode ofSmackDown, Otunga temporarily replacedJerry Lawler on the commentary team, after Lawler was suspended by WWE. Following the2016 WWE draft, Otunga was announced to join theSmackDown commentary team on a full-time basis, alongsideMauro Ranallo andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield, where he served as thebabyface color commentator in contrast to JBL's heel color commentary.[54]
On April 11, 2017, it was reported that Otunga was traded to theRaw brand forByron Saxton as part of the2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up. However, due to his acting career, he was replaced by Booker T onRaw for six weeks. Upon Otunga's return, Booker remainedRaw color commentator while Otunga became a pre-show panelist. He last appeared on commentary on the August 20, 2019 episode ofSmackDown.
On April 15, 2020, David Otunga was released from the WWE due to COVID budget cuts alongside many other wrestlers.
Otunga met singer and actressJennifer Hudson in 2007, and they dated for seven months before becoming engaged on her 27th birthday.[55][56] Their son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., was born on August 10, 2009.[57] They never married and separated in November 2017.[58][59]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Call | Officer Jake Devans | |
| 2016 | What Happen Last Night | Tiny | |
| 2017 | Days Like This | Lance | |
| Live To Tell | Lt. Michael 'Lou' Ortega | ||
| Sandy Wexler | Reporter at Hollywood Sign | ||
| 2019 | A Madea Family Funeral | Will |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | I Love New York 2 | Punk | |
| 2012 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Himself | |
| 2012–2013 | The Wendy Williams Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Steve Harvey Show | Himself | Panelist |
| 2013 | The Haves and the Have Nots | Officer Mason | |
| 2014 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | |
| 2014 | General Hospital | Himself | |
| 2017 | Criminal Minds | Dwayne Jerrard | Episode: "A Good Husband" |
| 2018 | Family Time | Alvin | Episode: "Work, Wife, Unhappy Life" |
| 2022 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Derek | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Power Book IV: Force | Gang Chief | Episode: "Chicago Is Heating Up" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 | DLC |
| 2011 | WWE '12 | |
| 2012 | WWE '13 | |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 |
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