Leon Ruff is GCW bound! The former NXT North American Champion will make his debut for the popular indie promotion at the Evil Deeds pay-per-view in Detroit on Nov. 12 -- a little over three months after he was released by WWE.
GCW took to social media to announce Ruff's involvement at Evil Deeds on Monday, November 1. Ruff's opponent is yet to be revealed, but GCW continues to build a dynamic roster of exciting independent talent, so there's little doubt it will be someone worthy.
As most GCW cards have been of late, the Evil Deeds card is pretty stacked. Ruff will join fellow former WWE stars Matt Cardona, Chelsea Green, and Alex Zayne.
Ruff signed for WWE in October of 2020 after a few years performing on the independent scene, predominately for WWE's then-ostensible feeder promotion EVOLVE. Ruff's WWE tenure was short but eventful. As you might recall, he pulled off a shock upset back in November when he defeated Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.
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As we previously reported, Ruff was released by WWE on Friday, August 6, alongside Bobby Fish, Mercedes Martinez, Jake Atlas, Bronson Reed, Asher Hale, Tyler Rust, Giant Zanjeer, Zechariah Smith, referee Stephon Smith, Kona Reeves, and Ari Sterling (Alex Zayne). Ruff's last match took place on July 21 when he defeated Grayson Waller on an episode of 205 Live.
Following his release, Ruff took to Twitter to commemorate the occasion and look to the future. “I was able to compete against and earn respect from wrestlers I looked up to,” Ruff captioned an image of himself with his real-life partner, NXT referee Aja Smith. “Make an impact in/and inspire the WWE universe. And everyday I got to go to work with my best friend. Thank you all for the love -Leon," he finished.
