American professional wrestler
Levi Rolla Cooper
[3] (born July 24, 1990)
[4] is an American
professional wrestler , best known for his time in
WWE , where he performed under the ring name Tucker .
[1] After signing with WWE in 2013, he was assigned to their
developmental brand
NXT , under the ring name Tucker Knight . He is best known for his partnership with
Otis , as part of
Heavy Machinery . They were promoted to WWE's main roster in 2019, and disbanded in 2020 as a result of the
WWE Draft .
Early life
Cooper attended
North Marion High School where he was a successful
amateur wrestler . He wrestled at collegiate level for
Portland State University ,
California State University, Bakersfield and
Arizona State University , and placed 8th at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in 2011, earning him
All-America status.
[5] At ASU, he earned a degree in accounting from the
W. P. Carey School of Business .
[6]
Professional wrestling career
WWE (2013–2021)
In 2013, after graduating college, Cooper signed a contract with
WWE and was assigned to the
WWE Performance Center , where he took the
ring name Tucker Knight .
[7] He made his
professional wrestling debut at an
NXT
live event in
Starke, Florida on January 24, 2015, facing
Tye Dillinger in a match that resulted in a
no contest .
[8] He made his television debut on the July 1 episode of
NXT , working as an
enhancement talent in a loss to
Baron Corbin .
[7] Knight continued to make sporadic televised appearances as an enhancement talent throughout the remainder of 2015 and the start of 2016.
[9]
[10]
[11]
Heavy Machinery – Knight (left) and
Otis Dozovic (right) in April 2018
In July 2016, Knight formed a tag team with
Otis Dozovic , calling themselves
Heavy Machinery .
[12] The duo participated in the
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, and they made their television debut on the October 19 episode of NXT , losing to the team of
Austin Aries and
Roderick Strong .
[13] The duo returned and had their first televised victory on the March 29, 2017 episode of NXT , defeating the team of Jonathan Ortagun and
Mike Marshall .
[14] On the July 12 episode of NXT , Heavy Machinery unsuccessfully challenged The
Authors of Pain (
Akam and
Rezar ) for the
NXT Tag Team Championship .
[15] In March 2018, Heavy Machinery once again participated in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, but were eliminated by The
Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) in the first round.
[16] At the
Greatest Royal Rumble event on April 27, 2018, Knight made his first televised main roster appearance, entering the
Royal Rumble match at number 24 and eliminating
Drew Gulak before being eliminated by
Big E .
[17] On the December 19 episode of NXT , Heavy Machinery wrestled their final match on NXT , defeating Blake Howell and Danny D'Accardo.
[18]
On December 17, 2018, it was announced that Heavy Machinery would be debuting on the main roster.
[19] They debuted on the January 14, 2019 episode of
Raw , interrupting an interview between
Alexa Bliss and
Paul Heyman .
[20] The following week on Raw , they defeated
The Ascension (
Konnor and
Viktor ) in their in-ring debut.
[21] In February, his ring name was shortened to Tucker , while Dozovic's ring name was shortened to Otis.
[22] The duo made their
pay-per-view debut at
WrestleMania 35 , where they both competed in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal , but neither would win the match.
[23] As part of the
Superstar Shake-Up , Heavy Machinery was moved to the
SmackDown
brand .
[24] At
Stomping Grounds on June 23, Heavy Machinery faced
Daniel Bryan and
Rowan for the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship , but were unable to win the titles.
[25] The following month at
Extreme Rules , Heavy Machinery again competed for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, this time in a
triple threat tag team match involving Bryan and Rowan, and
The New Day (Big E and
Xavier Woods ), which The New Day won.
[26] At
Crown Jewel on October 31, Heavy Machinery competed in a
tag team turmoil match , but were eliminated by The New Day.
[27] At
Survivor Series , Heavy Machinery participated in an interbrand tag team battle royal, which was won by
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode .
[28] At
Elimination Chamber on March 8, 2020, Heavy Machinery competed in the
namesake match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, where the champions
John Morrison and the Miz retained.
[29]
[30]
At
Money in the Bank , Otis, won the
Money in the Bank ladder match , earning him a
world title match at the time of his choosing.
[31]
[32] In September, The Miz and John Morrison tried to steal Otis' Money in the Bank contract, but they failed on multiple attempts.
[33]
[34] During the
2020 WWE Draft , Otis remained on the SmackDown brand, while Tucker was drafted to the
Raw brand.
[35]
[36] The trial over the Money in the Bank contract commenced on the October 23 episode of SmackDown , with
John "Bradshaw" Layfield serving as judge and ordering that Otis would defend his Money in the Bank contract against Miz at
Hell in a Cell .
[37] At the event, Tucker betrayed Otis by hitting him with the briefcase, thus turning
heel and disbanding Heavy Machinery.
[38]
On the November 9 episode of Raw , Tucker won the
WWE 24/7 Championship to claim his first championship within the company, but quickly lost it to
Gran Metalik seconds later.
[39] He did not reappear on television until the April 9, 2021 episode of SmackDown , where he competed in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal .
[40] On April 15, Tucker was released from his WWE contract.
[41]
Other media
Tucker made his
video game debut as a playable character in
WWE 2K19 and has since appeared in
WWE 2K20 ,
[42]
WWE 2K Battlegrounds , and in
WWE 2K22 .
[43]
Personal life
Cooper is married to Ashley Cooper and they have a daughter, named Kenzi Lovie (born June 2018).
[44]
Championships and accomplishments
References
^
a
b
c
d
e
"Smackdown Live: Tucker" . WWE. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .
^ Gallivan, Joseph (May 10, 2016).
"NXT, please! From Hubbard, Oregon to WWE" . Portland Tribune.
^ Gallivan, Joseph.
"NXT, please! From Hubbard, Oregon to WWE" . Portland Tribune . Retrieved June 8, 2018 .
^
"Levi Cooper Profile - Arizona State University Official Athletic Site" . Arizona State University .
^
"The Improbable Journey of Levi Cooper" . mudmosh.com .
^
"And in this corner: Accountancy alum Levi Cooper, aka Tucker" . W. P. Carey News and Research . March 5, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019 .
^
a
b Hawkins, Phil (September 23, 2015).
"Hubbard native shows talent, potential in WWE" .
^
"WWE NXT Live on January 24, 2015" . January 24, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^
"WWE NXT Live on March 2, 2016" . March 2, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^
"WWE NXT Live on March 30, 2015" . March 30, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^
"WWE NXT Live on April 13, 2016" . April 13, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^ Namako, Jason (October 13, 2016).
"WWE NXT Results – 10/12/16 (SAnitY debuts with a returning Eric Young, Nakamura gets revenge on Samoa Joe)" . WrestleView . Retrieved October 13, 2016 .
^
"Team Aries vs. Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight (Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match)" . WWE. October 17, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .
^
"3/29 Moore's NXT TV Review: Kassius Ohno vs. Elias Samson in a Loser Leaves NXT Match, Johnny Gargano vs. Dash Wilder vs. Akam, Heavy Machinery in action, Ember Moon and Asuka contract signing for NXT Takeover: Orlando" . Pro Wrestling dot Net. March 29, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .
^
"NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain def. Heavy Machinery" . WWE. July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020 .
^ James, Justin (March 14, 2018).
"3/14 NXT TV Report: Tomasso Ciampa returns, Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne, Almas-Black contract signing, Sanity vs. Moss & Sabbatelli" . Pro Wrestling Torch . Retrieved March 29, 2018 .
^
"WWE Greatest Royal Rumble results, recap, grades: Lesnar-Reigns controversy, Strowman stands tall" . CBSSports.com . April 27, 2018.
^
"Heavy Machinery def. Blake Howell & Danny D'Accardo" . WWE. December 19, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^
"WWE announces six NXT stars coming to the main roster|" . pwinsider.com . Retrieved December 18, 2018 .
^ Powell, Jason (January 14, 2019).
"1/14 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: Dean Ambrose vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Championship, Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax and Tamina, the Royal Rumble build continues" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved January 15, 2019 .
^
"Heavy Machinery def. The Ascension" . WWE. January 21, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ Quarrinton, Norm (February 5, 2019).
"Otis Dozovic And Tucker Knight Undergo Slight Name Changes" . Pro Wrestling Sheet . Retrieved January 27, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (April 7, 2019).
"WrestleMania 35 Kickoff Show results: Powell's live review of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, WWE Women's Battle Royal, Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved April 7, 2019 .
^ F4W Staff (April 16, 2019).
"Full list of WWE Superstar Shake-Up night two roster changes" .
Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved June 16, 2019 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Bristout, Ralph.
"SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan def. Heavy Machinery" . WWE . Retrieved June 23, 2019 .
^ Benigno, Anthony.
"The New Day def. Daniel Bryan & Rowan and Heavy Machinery to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions (Triple Threat Match)" . WWE . Retrieved July 14, 2019 .
^ Powell, Jason (October 31, 2019).
"WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez for the WWE Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury, Lacey Evans vs. Natalya" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 31, 2019 .
^ Benigno, Anthony (November 24, 2019).
"Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode won a cross-brand Tag Team Battle Royal (Kickoff Match)" . WWE . Retrieved November 24, 2019 .
^ Powell, Jason (March 8, 2020).
"WWE Elimination Chamber results: Powell's live review of Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka vs. Ruby Riott vs. Liv Morgan vs. Sarah Logan vs. Natalya in an Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36, Smackdown Tag Title Elimination Chamber match" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved March 8, 2020 .
^ Benigno, Anthony (March 8, 2020).
"SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Miz & John Morrison won the SmackDown Tag Team Title Elimination Chamber Match" . WWE . Retrieved March 8, 2020 .
^ Garretson, Jordan (May 10, 2020).
"Otis won the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match" . WWE . Retrieved May 10, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (May 10, 2020).
"WWE Money in the Bank results: Powell's review of the Climb The Corporate Ladder MITB matches, Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the WWE Universal Championship, Bayley vs. Tamina for the Smackdown Women's Championship" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved May 10, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (September 4, 2020).
"9/4 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman addressing the fans, Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus vs. King Corbin vs. Jey Uso for a shot at the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley for the WWE Women's Tag Titles" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved September 4, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (September 11, 2020).
"9/11 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship, Bayley addresses her attack on Sasha Banks, Bray Wyatt unveils his newest creation on the Firefly Funhouse" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 25, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (October 9, 2020).
"10/9 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the 2020 WWE Draft night one, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women's Championship, The Fiend vs. Kevin Owens, Big E vs. Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 9, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (October 12, 2020).
"10/12 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the 2020 WWE Draft night two, Dual-Brand Battle Royal for a shot at the Raw Women's Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Aleister Black in a No DQ match, Seth Rollins says farewell to Raw, Mustafa Ali's first promo as Retribution's leader" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 25, 2020 .
^ Barnett, Jake (October 23, 2020).
"10/23 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the final push for Hell in a Cell, Roman Reigns reveals the consequences for his match with Jey Uso, Otis goes to court" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 25, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (October 25, 2020).
"WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women's Title" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 25, 2020 .
^ Powell, Jason (November 9, 2020).
"11/09 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods vs. Randy Orton, The Miz, and John Morrison, Raw Women's Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax in a non-title match, Jeff Hardy vs. Elias vs. Matt Riddle in a second chance qualifier for Team Raw at Survivor Series, Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali" . Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved November 10, 2020 .
^ Middleton, Marc (April 9, 2021).
"Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Winner Revealed, Order Of Elimination From SmackDown" . WrestlingINC . Retrieved April 9, 2021 .
^
"Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Mickie James and other Superstars released" .
WWE . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^ Cole, Caitlin (December 19, 2018).
"Complete WWE 2K19 Roster" . Rumble Ramble . Retrieved April 16, 2019 .
^
"Vince McMahon And Others Included In New WWE 2K Battlegrounds Update" . Wrestling Inc . February 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .
^ Benigno, Anthony (June 21, 2018).
"Tucker Knight welcomes daughter Kenzi Lovie Cooper into the world" . WWE. Retrieved January 21, 2021 .
^
"PWI 500 in 2019" .
^
"WWE 24/7 Championship" . WWE.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020 .
External links