Wikipedia

Alpha Academy

Alpha Academy is a heroic professional wrestling stable performing in WWE on the Raw brand composed of Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa. Otis and former co-founder and leader Chad Gable are former one-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions.

Alpha Academy
Stable
MembersOtis
Maxxine Dupri
Akira Tozawa
Name(s)Alpha Academy
Billed heightsOtis: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Maxxine Dupri: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Akira Tozawa: 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Combined
billed weight		823 lb (373 kg)
Former
member(s)		Chad Gable (leader)
DebutNovember 13, 2020
Years active2020–present

Formed as a tag team, Gable and Otis are longtime best friends in real life, with their friendship dating back to 2011, where they trained for the Olympic Games together in Colorado Springs. The two are now neighbors on the same street.[1]

History

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Formation and Raw Tag Team Champions (2020–2023)

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On November 13, 2020 episode of SmackDown, Chad Gable opened the "Alpha Academy" (a nod to his former tag team of American Alpha with Jason Jordan) and recruited Otis as his client.[2] The team made their debut on the December 11 episode of SmackDown in a defeat to the team of Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.[3] At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Gable and Otis teamed with Big E and Daniel Bryan to defeat Cesaro, Nakamura, King Corbin, and Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn in an eight-man tag team match.[4][5] On the February 19, 2021 episode of SmackDown, Gable ordered Otis to attack Rey Mysterio after their tag team match, thus turning them into heels.[6][7]

 
Founding members Chad Gable (left) and Otis (right)

As part of the 2021 Draft in October, Alpha Academy were drafted to the Raw brand.[8] On the January 10, 2022 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy defeated RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) to win the Raw Tag Team Championship.[9] They would both enter in the Royal Rumble match but failed to win.[10] On the March 7 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy dropped the titles back to RK-Bro, ending their reign at 55 days.[11] On Day 2 of WrestleMania 38 on April 3, Alpha Academy failed to regain the titles from RK-Bro in a triple-threat match also involving the Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford).[12][13]

Addition of Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa (2023–2024)

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On the March 13, 2023 episode of Raw, Gable found Otis backstage taking part in a photo shoot with Maximum Male Models (the team of ma.çé and mån.sôör, managed by Maxxine Dupri). Otis then decided to leave with Maximum Male Models instead of Gable.[14] This would start a series of segments between Dupri and Gable where they both wanted Otis to be on their respective teams.[15] Dupri joined Alpha Academy on the May 15 episode of Raw when she cheered on Otis and Gable eliminating ma.çé and mån.sôör in the Intercontinental Championship number one contenders' battle royal match.[16][17]

In the weeks that followed, Alpha Academy began to slowly turn face with their crowd reactions growing louder and louder. After weeks of training, Dupri made her in-ring debut on the July 3 episode of Raw in a mixed six-person tag team match with Gable and Otis against The Viking Raiders (Erik, Ivar and Valhalla). Dupri pinned Valhalla after performing a sunset flip on her.[18] On the July 10 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy held a graduation ceremony for Dupri. At the end of the ceremony, Gable presented Dupri with her own Alpha Academy letterman's jacket. As Dupri was about to put on the jacket, The Viking Raiders appeared on the ramp to distract the team. Valhalla then attacked Dupri from behind and stole her jacket.[19] In the following episode of Raw, Gable and Otis fought Erik and Ivar in a "Viking Rules" match. Despite dominating the match, Gable and Otis lost but Dupri managed to take back her jacket.[20] On the July 31 episode of Raw, Dupri defeated Valhalla with a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex in her debut singles match.[21] As the team was celebrating backstage, Imperium's Gunther took offense to Dupri's match win and mocked the team. Ludwig Kaiser then challenged Gable to last five minutes in the ring with Gunther, which Gable accepted. Despite Gable beating the clock, Gunther demanded the match to continue and defeated Gable.[22] On the August 7 episode of Raw, Gable defeated Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, and Ricochet in a fatal four-way match to be the number one contender to Gunther's Intercontinental Championship. Later that night, Otis lost to Kaiser after an interference from Imperium.[23] Two weeks later on Raw, Gable challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship and won by countout. However, as championships do not change hands by countout or disqualification, Gunther remained champion.[24]

The group expanded with Akira Tozawa joining the stable and being assigned as a "junior member" on the October 23 episode of Raw.[25] In a bid to prove himself to the stable, Tozawa challenged Bronson Reed to a match but lost.[26] The following day, Tozawa appeared on Night 1 of NXT: Halloween Havoc and stole Noam Dar's NXT Heritage Cup.[27] Tozawa would return the Cup to Dar on Night 2 before managing to spook Dar into a match for the Cup on the following week's NXT but lost the match 2-1 under British Round Rules.[28][29] On the November 20 episode of Raw, Dupri teamed up with Diamond Mine's Ivy Nile in a fatal four-way tag team match for a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship opportunity but was not successful.[30] On the December 11 episode of Raw, Nile accompanied Dupri in her non-title match against Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley. Ripley won by submission but did not release the hold until Nile entered the ring to save Dupri.[31] Dupri made her Royal Rumble match debut at the titular event on January 27, 2024, entering as the 18th entrant. She lasted over six minutes and was eliminated by eventual winner Bayley.[32]

Dissension and split from Gable (2024–present)

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During the buildup to WrestleMania XL, Gable was involved in a storyline where he trained Sami Zayn for his Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther, which Zayn won.[33] As a token of appreciation, Zayn gave Gable a title match on the April 15 episode of Raw but Gable was unsuccessful in winning the title. After the match, Gable turned heel and attacked Zayn as he was celebrating with his wife at ringside.[34] On the following week, Gable said that he had spent too much time training "losers" such as Zayn and his stablemates. He then declared that the stable's focus will now be on Gable winning the Intercontinental Championship.[35] On the April 29 episode of Raw, Zayn defended his title against Bronson Reed, which he won by disqualification after Gable attacked him. One week later, Zayn attacked Gable during his match with Reed, causing another disqualification. It was then announced that Zayn will defend the Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat match against Gable and Reed at King and Queen of the Ring.[36] In a live event on May 13, Dupri lost to Shayna Baszler in the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament, with Dupri replacing Latino World Order's Zelina Vega who was not medically cleared to compete.[37] At King and Queen of the Ring on May 25, Zayn successfully retained his title against Gable and Reed.[38] At Clash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, Gable failed to win the title from Zayn, ending their feud, after Otis and Dupri refused to interfere on Gable's behalf.[39] Two days later on Raw, Otis, Dupri and Tozawa walked out on Gable, who in turn left Alpha Academy. At the end of the night, Gable was attacked by the debuting Wyatt Sicks led by Uncle Howdy.[40]

Gable attempted to reunite with Otis numerous times but was ultimately rebuffed. On the July 15 episode of Raw, Otis, Dupri and Tozawa agreed to team up with The New Day's Xavier Woods in his feud against The Final Testament.[41] On the following week, the team of Otis, Tozawa and Woods were defeated by The Final Testatement's Karrion Kross and The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) in a six-man tag team match. After the match, Gable, together with the newly-aligned Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus), continued to convince Otis, Tozawa and Dupri to reunite. Otis refused and were beaten down by Gable and The Creed Brothers.[42] On the November 25 episode of Raw, Otis and Tozawa defeated The New Day, seemingly triggering a massive breakdown regarding Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston's near ten year friendship.[43]

Members

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* Founding member(s)
L Leader
Member Joined
Otis November 13, 2020 *
Maxxine Dupri May 15, 2023
Akira Tozawa October 23, 2023

Former

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Member Joined Left
Chad Gable (L) November 13, 2020 * June 17, 2024

Timeline

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Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ Black, Matt (11 January 2022). "Chad Gable Reflects On His Real Life Friendship With Otis Following RAW World Tag Team Title Win". Mandatory. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. ^ Waddon, Mitch (September 3, 2021). "Otis Explains The Origins Of Alpha Academy Pairing With Chad Gable In WWE". cultaholic.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Matches". cagematch.net. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ^ Powell, Jason (December 20, 2020). "WWE TLC Kickoff Show results: Powell's review of Big E, Daniel Bryan, Otis, and Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro in an eight-man tag match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Garretson, Jordan (December 20, 2020). "Big E, Daniel Bryan, Otis & Chad Gable def. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  6. ^ GUZZO, GISBERTO (February 19, 2021). "Alpha Academy Turn Heel, Attack Rey Mysterio On WWE SmackDown". Fightful. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Powell, Jason (February 19, 2021). "2/19 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Edge's appearance, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, and Cesaro vs. Jey Uso, King Corbin, and Sami Zayn in a six-man tag match, the final push for the Elimination Chamber event". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "See all the results from the 2021 Draft".
  9. ^ "CHAD GABLE / OTIS / WWE Alpha Academy Crowned New RAW Tag Team Champions". wrestlingattitude.com. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  10. ^ Powell, Jason (January 29, 2022). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs Doudrop for the Smackdown Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Powell, Jason (March 7, 2022). "3/7 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Chad Gable and Otis vs. Randy Orton and Riddle vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge explains his attack on AJ Styles, Jerry Lawler appears, Logan Paul and Miz hold a Homecoming Party". Pro Wrestling Do Net. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Clapp, John (April 3, 2022). "Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro def. Alpha Academy and The Street Profits (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Powell, Jason (April 3, 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Unified WWE Championship, RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (2023-03-13). "3/13 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs LA Knight, Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa in a Street Fight, Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green in a non-title match, Elias vs. Bronson Reed, Edge calling out Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar and Omos meeting face-to-face". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
  15. ^ Terror, Jude (March 14, 2023). "WWE Raw: Did Otis Just Join the Maximum Male Models?". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  16. ^ Quinlan, Olivia (2023-05-15). "WWE Raw Results (05/15) - Cody Rhodes Answers Brock Lesnar's Challenge, We Hear From Becky Lynch And More". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  17. ^ Alpha Academy eliminate the Maximum Male Models, 18 May 2023, retrieved 2023-06-20
  18. ^ Powell, Jason (2023-07-03). "WWE Raw results (7/3): Powell's live review of the MITB fallout show, Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya for the Women's World Championship, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  19. ^ Powell, Jason (2023-07-10). "WWE Raw results (7/10): Powell's live review of World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio, Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark, Logan Paul and Ricochet". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  20. ^ Powell, Jason (2023-07-17). "WWE Raw results (7/17): Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar's appearance in Cody Rhodes country, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  21. ^ Carrier, Steve (2023-08-01). "Maxxine Shines in Singles In-Ring Debut on Monday Night RAW". Ringside News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  22. ^ Powell, Jason (2023-07-31). "WWE Raw results (7/31): Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes final appearances before SummerSlam, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest, Logan Paul's appearance". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  23. ^ Defelice, Robert (2023-08-07). "WWE RAW (8/7/23) Results: WWE SummerSlam Fallout; Michael Cole And Wade Barrett Call The Action | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  24. ^ Miller, Gregory (August 21, 2023). "Chad Gable looks to master Ludwig Kaiser". WWE. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  25. ^ "Akira Tozawa Is The New Junior Member of Alpha Academy". Youtube. WWE. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  26. ^ Tessier, Colin (2023-10-23). "Akira Tozawa Joins Alpha Academy, Gets Cowboys WWE Title Despite Loss On 10/23 WWE Raw | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  27. ^ Tessier, Colin (2023-10-24). "Akira Tozawa Steals Noam Dar's NXT Heritage Cup At NXT Halloween Havoc Night One | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  28. ^ Tessier, Colin (2023-10-31). "Noam Dar Dresses As Scooby-Doo, Gets Spooked Into Giving Akira Tozawa Heritage Cup Match On 11/7 NXT | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  29. ^ Porter, Lovell (2023-11-08). "WWE NXT Results (11/7/23)". Wrestlezone. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  30. ^ Nash, Anthony (2023-11-20). "Tegan Nox And Natalya Earn Tag Title Shot On WWE RAW". Wrestlezone. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  31. ^ Powell, Jason (December 11, 2023). "WWE Raw results (12/11): Powell's live review of CM Punk's brand choice, Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Maxxine Dupri in a non-title match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  32. ^ "Royal Rumble Match stats 2024". WWE. January 28, 2024. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  33. ^ Duffy, John (April 7, 2024). "Sami Zayn Ends Gunther's Historic Intercontinental Championship Reign At WrestleMania". Inside The Ropes. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Nash, Anthony (April 15, 2024). "Chad Gable Turns On Sami Zayn After Intercontinental Title Match On WWE RAW". Wrestlezone. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  35. ^ Nash, Anthony (April 23, 2024). "Chad Gable Explains Why He Attacked Sami Zayn On WWE RAW". WrestleZone via Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  36. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 6, 2024). "Sami Zayn To Defend WWE IC Title Against Bronson Reed And Chad Gable At WWE King And Queen Of The Ring | Fightful News". Fightful. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  37. ^ Tessier, Colin (May 13, 2024). "Shayna Baszler Defeats Maxxine Dupri, Advances In WWE Queen Of The Ring Tournament". WrestleZone via Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  38. ^ "Cody Rhodes reigns supreme over Logan Paul at WWE King and Queen of the Ring". WWE. May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  39. ^ "Complete Clash at the Castle results". WWE. June 15, 2024. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  40. ^ Powell, Jason (June 17, 2024). "WWE Raw results (6/17): Powell's live review of Jey Uso vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor, and Iyo Sky vs. Zelina Vega vs. Kiana James in Money in the Bank qualifiers, Carlito vs. Dragon Lee". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  41. ^ Powell, Jason (July 15, 2024). "WWE Raw results (7/15): Powell's live review of Rhea Ripley's opening promo, Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov for the Intercontinental Title, Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  42. ^ Powell, Jason (July 22, 2024). "WWE Raw results (7/22): Powell's live review of CM Punk returns, Lyra Valkyria vs. Sonya Deville, Karrion Kross and AOP vs. Xavier Woods, Otis, and Akira Tozawa". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  43. ^ Powell, Jason (2024-11-26). "WWE Raw results (11/25): Powell's live review of Bianca Belair vs. Nia Jax in a WarGames advantage match, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser, New Day vs. Otis and Akira Tozawa". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  44. ^ a b "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2020 - the Internet Wrestling Database".
  45. ^ "WWE Raw Tag Team Championship history". WWE.
  46. ^ Meltzer, Dave (23 February 2024). "February 26, 2024 Observer Newsletter: 2023 Observer Awards issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
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