Rallis was born and raised in
Edina, Minnesota. He attended the
University of Minnesota, where he played for the
Minnesota Golden Gophers football team between 2008 and 2012. He played outside linebacker for the Golden Gophers and finished third on the team in tackles during his junior year.[4] After graduation, he attended a tryout camp with the
Miami Dolphins but was not signed to a contract. In October 2013, Rallis attended a
WWE tryout after contacting
Jim Ross.[5]
Professional wrestling career
WWE
NXT (2014–2019)
Rallis signed a developmental contract with WWE in early 2014 and began training at the
WWE Performance Center. He made his professional wrestling debut on December 18 at a
NXT live event in
Tampa, Florida under the ring name Digg Rawlis. He made his televised debut on the May 27, 2015, episode of NXT, working as an
enhancement talent alongside
Elias Samson in a defeat to
Blake and Murphy. Rawlis made further occasional televised appearances as an enhancement talent during 2015, losing to the
Hype Bros and
Samoa Joe.[6] In August 2015, he adopted the new ring name Riddick Moss, a tribute to former
NFL player
Randy Moss.[7]
In October 2016, Moss began teaming with
Tino Sabbatelli as the God Gifted Athletes; the two competed in the 2016
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, where they lost in the first round to
TM61 on the October 12 episode of NXT.[8] Moss made a further appearance on the January 4, 2017, episode of NXT, again teaming with Sabbatelli and losing to
The Revival (
Dash Wilder and
Scott Dawson).[9] The duo had their first televised victory on the October 25 episode of NXT, defeating
Oney Lorcan and
Danny Burch; they began performing as
heels during this time.[10] In early 2018, Moss and Sabbatelli entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, losing to
Sanity in the first round.[11] On the April 25 episode of NXT, during a match with Heavy Machinery, Sabbatelli ditched Moss, thus ending their alliance.[12] In May, he tore his
Achilles tendon, which would require several months to recuperate.[13] Moss returned from injury at a live event on November 30, losing to
Matt Riddle after a surprise appearance.[14] In March 2019, he started being managed by
Robert Strauss at live events.[15]
24/7 Champion and alliance with Happy Corbin (2020–2022)
On the January 27, 2020 episode of Raw, Moss made his main roster debut, accompanying
Mojo Rawley to the ring for his
WWE 24/7 Championship match against
No Way Jose, where Moss was billed as Rawley's
offensive lineman; Rawley lost the title to
R-Truth right after defeating Jose, however, Moss assisted Rawley in regaining the title seconds later.[16] On the February 10 episode of Raw, after they lost to the
Street Profits, Moss turned on Rawley and pinned him to win the 24/7 Championship.[17] Moss retained his title against the likes of Rawley, Truth,
Cedric Alexander, and
Ricochet. On the March 23 episode of Raw, Moss lost the title to Truth while out for a jog, ending his reign at 41 days.[18] On the August 10 episode of Raw, Moss returned in a Raw Underground segment, an underground fight club hosted by
Shane McMahon, defeating
Cal Bloom by knockout.[19] In October, Moss revealed he had been performing with a
torn ACL two months prior.[5]
After a year out of action, in a
dark match before the September 17, 2021 episode of SmackDown, Moss returned from injury by defeating
Odyssey Jones.[20] The following week on SmackDown, Moss made his televised return, attacking
Kevin Owens and aligning with
Happy Corbin.[20] The following week, his ring name was changed to Madcap Moss and he began adopting a
comic persona.[21] They entered into a feud with
Drew McIntyre, mocking him and making jokes at his expense, leading to a match between the two at
Day 1 on January 1, 2022, which Moss lost.[22] Moss entered the
Royal Rumble match at the
namesake event on January 29, entering at #19 and eliminating
AJ Styles, but was eliminated by McIntyre.[23] At
Elimination Chamber on February 19, Moss lost to McIntyre in a
Falls Count Anywhere match.[24] During the match, he took an inverted
Alabama Slam, resulting in him landing directly on top of his head, but was able to continue the match.[25] On the April 1 episode of SmackDown, Moss won the
2022 André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, last eliminating
Finn Bálor.[26] On the first night of
WrestleMania 38 on April 2, Moss accompanied Corbin to the ring for his match against McIntyre, which he lost.[27]
Singles competition (2022–2023)
On the April 8 episode of SmackDown, Corbin blamed Moss for his loss against McIntyre and attacked him, ending their alliance and turning Moss
face for the first time in his WWE career.[28] At
WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, Moss defeated Corbin.[29] On the May 13 episode of SmackDown, Corbin attacked Moss with the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy and injured his neck, which left Moss having to be stretchered out of the arena.[30] Moss returned on the June 3 episode of SmackDown with a more serious persona, new entrance music and in-ring attire.[31] At
Hell in a Cell on June 5, Moss defeated Corbin in a
No Holds Barred match.[32] On the June 17 episode of SmackDown, Moss defeated Corbin for a third time in a
Last Laugh match to end their feud.[33]
On the July 1 episode of SmackDown, Moss defeated Corbin,
Ezekiel, and
The Miz in a fatal four-way match to qualify for the
Money in the Bank ladder match.[34] At the eponymous
event on July 2, he failed to win the match.[35] On the August 19 episode of SmackDown, Moss competed in a fatal five way match to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won by
Sheamus.[36] At the
Clash at the Castle pre-show on September 3, Moss and the Street Profits defeated
Alpha Academy (
Chad Gable and
Otis) and
Austin Theory.[37] On the September 16 episode of SmackDown, Moss challenged
Solo Sikoa for the
NXT North American Championship in a losing effort.[38] On the February 10 episode of SmackDown, Moss defeated
Karrion Kross,
Santos Escobar, and
Rey Mysterio, who Moss pinned, in a fatal four-way match to become the #1 contender for
Gunther's
Intercontinental Championship. The following week, Moss failed to win the title.
As part of the
2023 WWE Draft, Moss, now reverting back to Riddick Moss, was drafted to the
Rawbrand.[39][40] On September 21, 2023, along with a host of other WWE superstars (including real-life partner
Emma), Moss was released from his WWE contract.[41]
On August 4, 2022, Rallis revealed that he is dating Australian professional wrestler
Tenille Dashwood.[42] On June 3, 2023, Rallis and Dashwood announced their engagement on Instagram.[43] The couple married on March 8, 2024.[44]
^"Slam! Wrestling News". Slam! Sports.
Canadian Online Explorer. May 20, 2018. Archived from
the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018. Riddick Moss is out of action with a torn Achilles tendon, which may mean about eight months or so out of action.