Kipp Christianson[1] (born September 30, 1974) is an American retired 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 nameKipp Christianson
Born (1974-09-30) September 30, 1974 (age 49)[1]
River Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
  • Eli Cottonwood[1]
  • Kip Christianson[1]
Billed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)[1][2]
Billed weight330 lb (150 kg)[1]
Trained bySteve Keirn
Debut2008[1]
Retired2016

Professional wrestling career edit

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 turned heel by aligning himself with Bray Wyatt formerly known as 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 edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Wrestlers Database - Eli Cottonwood". CAGEMATCH.
  2. ^ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2012). WWE Encyclopedia: Updated & Expanded. DK. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-7566-9159-2.
  3. ^ "Eli Cottonwood - Online World of Wrestling". November 4, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "Florida Championship Wrestling (2009)". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Bishop, Matt (June 1, 2010). "WWE NXT: Barrett wins show's first season". Slam! Sports. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Caldwell, James (June 1, 2010). "WWE News: NXT Results – Season Two announced, Pro & Rookie pairings revealed". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  7. ^ Bishop, Matt (July 27, 2010). "WWE NXT: Second rookie goes home; New No. 1". Slam! Sports. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Events Database - FCW TV #113". CAGEMATCH.
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ Namako, Jason (April 27, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/22/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  11. ^ Namako, Jason (April 11, 2012). "FCW Results – 4/8/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  12. ^ "WWE Releases A Former NXT Contestant?, Dreamer Now Alumni". PWMania. July 6, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "11 Forgotten WWE NXT Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?". The Sportster. February 21, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2023.

External links edit