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Reggie (wrestler)

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Reggie
Bateman in June 2024
Birth nameSidney Iking Bateman
Born (1993-03-13) March 13, 1993 (age 31)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Children2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Akeem Young[1]
Reggie
Reginald
Reginald Thomas
Sidney Akeem
Scrypts
Billed fromFrance
St. Louis, Missouri
Trained byWWE Performance Center
Debut2020

Sidney Iking Bateman (born March 13, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and former acrobat. He is currently performing on the independent circuit – predominantly for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) under the ring name Sidney Akeem. He is known for his time in WWE, where he worked with the ring name Reginald Thomas (which later shortened to Reginald and Reggie) on their main roster, and Scrypts (stylized as SCRYPTS) on their NXT brand.

Bateman signed with WWE in 2020 and began appearing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Reginald Thomas, which was soon shortened to Reginald, a French sommelier. He later dropped the sommelier gimmick and his name was changed to Reggie. While on WWE's main roster, he became a four-time WWE 24/7 Champion—his 112-day first reign was the longest reign for the now-defunct title. After taking a hiatus in mid-2022, he returned in November under a mysterious gimmick of Scrypts in WWE's developmental brand NXT.

Early life

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Sidney Iking Bateman[2] was born one of eight siblings in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 13, 1993, but was raised in St. Louis, Missouri.[3] He played football and basketball with circus as a side hobby, but gave those up when, at the age of 16, he joined a gang called the Crips from the 50 Hundred GST (Geraldine Street Thugs).[3] During his junior year in high school, one of his friends was shot to death by a member of a rival gang, leading to Bateman to quit living a gang life and go back to focusing on his circus aspirations.[3]

Professional wrestling career

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WWE (2020–2024)

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Initial run and 24/7 Champion (2020–2022)

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On January 14, 2020, Bateman signed a contract with WWE.[4] On the December 11 episode of SmackDown, Bateman, under the ring name Reginald Thomas, soon after shortened to Reginald, debuted as the French sommelier of Carmella, where he would assist her throughout her feud with Sasha Banks.[5][6] On the January 22, 2021, episode, Reginald made his in-ring debut in an intergender match, facing Banks in a losing effort.[7] His relationship with Carmella ended on the March 5 episode when she fired him.[8] After a short alliance with Banks,[9] Reginald then managed the team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler from March to July,[10] but the team turned on him on the July 19 episode of Raw.[11] Later that night, he won the WWE 24/7 Championship when he pinned Akira Tozawa, marking his first title win in WWE.[12]

On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, his ring name was shortened to Reggie.[13] Along with shortening his name, he also dropped his French accent, stating he was not actually French and had only acted like he was because Carmella needed a sommelier and it got his foot in the door to becoming a wrestler for the company.[13] On September 25, 2021, he became the longest reigning 24/7 Champion.[14] On the November 8 episode of Raw, Reggie lost the 24/7 Championship to Drake Maverick, ending his reign at 112 days; however, he regained the title back from Maverick a minute later following a series of title changes.[15] On the November 22 episode, Reggie lost the title to Cedric Alexander, ending his second reign at 12 days.[16]

After losing the title, Reggie then helped Dana Brooke retain the title for a few months, then asked her out on Valentine's Day 2022, though she turned him down. He pinned Brooke in revenge to win the title for the third time. A week later, Reggie lost the title back to Brooke after he laid down in the ring despite kicking out of a two-count twice, as well as playing mind games. They later began dating, with Reggie once again helping her retain the title. On March 28, they got (kayfabe) engaged. On the April 18 episode of Raw, during their wedding, Reggie pinned his partner to win his fourth 24/7 title, losing to Tamina shortly after.[17] On May 2, Brooke lost the 24/7 title to Nikki A.S.H. during a backstage attack. Brooke soon regained the title via pinfall in a 24/7 Championship match. Brooke also requested a divorce from Reggie, after he attempted to pin her.[18] This was his last appearance before taking a hiatus.

Move to NXT (2022–2024)

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In late October, mysterious vignettes began airing on NXT that were done by a person under the alias Scrypts, a seemingly rebellious character who claimed to have unparalleled skills and would bring down NXT.[19] More vignettes aired over the next few weeks and on the November 22 episode of NXT, Reggie debuted for the brand as the mysterious Scrypts, defeating Guru Raaj, changing his ring name and gimmick in the process.[20] During his time in NXT, he had feuds with Ikemen Jiro[21][22] and Axiom.[23] After being unmasked by Axiom on the May 2 episode of NXT,[24] he turned face and began to work with Axiom as a tag team. On the July 18 episode of NXT, Scrypts turned on Axiom and aligned himself with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, turning heel and creating the stable Out The Mud (O.T.M.).[25] On May 1, 2024, it was announced that Bateman's WWE contract would expire on June 1.[26]

Independent circuit (2024–present)

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On May 21, 2024, it was announced that Bateman, now going by Sidney Akeem, would make his debut for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) on June 15.[27]

Personal life

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Bateman is a father of two. He used to perform in the circus, notably for Cirque du Soleil, training at Circus Harmony for seven years and in Montreal for another three.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ "Reginald". Cagematch. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Alter egos: Akeem Young.
  2. ^ a b Russell, Aprylete (February 2, 2021). "Former Circus Harmony performer makes debut on WWE". FOX 2 NOW. St. Louis, Missouri. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Sidney Iking Bateman, who is from St. Louis, wrestled alongside Sasha Banks on WWE Smackdown on January 22.
  3. ^ a b c "Sidney Iking Bateman profile". Midnight Circus. August 22, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Melok, Bobby (January 14, 2020). "Mercedes Martinez, Jake Atlas and more report to WWE Performance Center". WWE. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Sidney Bateman is a 27-year-old acrobat from St. Louis, Mo. Bateman was a cast member for Cirque du Soleil's "LUZIA" show, where he specialized in hoop diving.
  5. ^ Burdick, Michael (December 10, 2020). "SmackDown results, Dec. 11, 2020: Carmella bottles up her aggression on Sasha Banks in brutal title showdown". WWE. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Carmella "borrowed" the document and had the signed version delivered to the ring via a sommelier.
  6. ^ Jordan, Paul (December 12, 2020). "Identity of Carmella's Associate and More WWE News & Notes". PWInsider. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  7. ^ Nemer, Roy (January 22, 2021). "WWE SmackDown Results – 1/22/21 (Intercontinental Championship match, Roman Reigns, more)". Wrestleview. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Reginald gets back in the ring and Sasha goes for the Backstabber but Reginald lands on his feet. Sasha with the double knees. Sasha with the Banks Statement as Reginald taps out.
  8. ^ @WWE (March 6, 2021). "UH OH! @CarmellaWWE just fired @ReginaldWWE on #SmackDown!" (Tweet). Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Reginald profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "Reggie bio". WWE. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Powell, Jason (July 19, 2021). "7/19 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of John Cena's show opening segment, fans return, Charlotte Flair coronation, Symphony of Destruction match, six-man tag match, the Money in the Bank fallout edition". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  12. ^ WWE.com Staff (July 19, 2021). "Raw results, July 19, 2021: Nikki A.S.H. becomes new Raw Women's Champion to cap off wild night of surprises". WWE. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021. Following the bout, Jax & Baszler both seemed to dump Reginald, but a sudden appearance by Akira Tozawa on the run from potential 24/7 Title challengers led to a staredown with Reggie. The end result? Reginald is your new 24/7 Champion!
  13. ^ a b Wilen, Jerome (July 31, 2021). "WWE Superstar Reginald gets a new name and drops his French accent". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  14. ^ Defelice, Robert (September 27, 2021). "Reggie Is Now The Longest Reigning WWE 24/7 Champion In History". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Lafferriere, Nicolas (November 9, 2021). "Reggie pierde y recupera el Campeonato 24/7 de WWE en Monday Night RAW". Solowrestling.com. Solowrestling. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  16. ^ Powell, Jason (November 22, 2021). "11/22 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the Vince McMahon Cleopatra Egg whodunnit, Bobby Lahsley vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in a handicap match, Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH vs. Queen Zelina and Carmella for the WWE Women's Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "WWE 24/7 Title Changes Hands Several Times During Double Wedding". Wrestlezone. April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  18. ^ McGeorge, Alistair (May 3, 2022). "WWE Raw: Dana Brooke demands divorce from Reggie just two weeks after wedding". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Rose, Bryan (October 25, 2022). "Vignette airs for new 'Scrypts' character on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (November 22, 2022). "Reggie Makes WWE TV Return on NXT As SCRYPTS". 411Mania. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Moore, John (December 13, 2022). "12/13 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the NXT Deadline fallout edition with new NXT Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne vs. Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley, Von Wagner vs. Odyssey Jones, Lyra Valkyria debuts". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  22. ^ Moore, John (December 27, 2022). "12/27 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Wes Lee vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT North American Championship, Julius Creed vs. JD McDonagh, Fallon Henley vs. Kiana James in the Battle for the Bar, Lyra Valkyria vs. Lash Legend, Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid vs. Odyssey Jones, Edris Enofe, and Malik Blade, Wendy Choo vs. Cora Jade, Scrypts vs. Ikemen Jiro". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  23. ^ O'Connor, John (February 11, 2023). "2/10 NXT Level Up results: O'Connor's review of Axiom vs. Scrypts, Lash Legend vs. Dani Palmer, and Kale Dixon vs. Tank Ledger". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Moore, John (May 2, 2023). "5/2 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn vs. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance for the NXT Women's Tag Team Titles, Wes Lee vs. Drew Gulak for the NXT North American Title, Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh, Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne, Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey, Axiom vs. Scrypts, Dani Palmer's debut". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  25. ^ Middleton, Marc (July 18, 2023). "WWE NXT Results 7/18/2023". Wrestling Headlines. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "WWE Wrestler Scrypts set to depart as contract nears expiry". The Times of India. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  27. ^ "411MANIA". Sidney Akeem Set to Make His GCW Debut Next Month. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Ross, Patrick (September 10, 2024). "Full 2024 PWI 500 list revealed". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "WWE 24/7 Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Retrieved July 21, 2021.
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