They say all men are created equal, but you look at Bron Breakker and his Hall of Famer father & uncle, and you can see that statement is not true.
Born Bronson Rechsteiner on the 24th of October 1997, Bron Breakker is a professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), performing for WWE’s developmental brand, WWE NXT, where he is a former two-time NXT Champion. A second-generation American amateur & professional wrestler from Woodstock, Georgia, Bron Breakker stands at 6′ and weighs 230lbs. While Breakker has spent the better part of his entire wrestling career under contract for the WWE and has received the majority of his training from the coaches at the WWE Performance Center, his professional wrestling career is said to have begun just before his first contract was signed, so it would be fair to assume that he would have received training from the coaching staff at the promotion he started for, the American Wrestling Federation’s World of Wild out of Ringgold, Georgia, as well as his Hall of Fame father & uncle, Rick & Scott Steiner.
His professional wrestling debut listed to have taken place at AWF/WOW’s WrestleJam 8, a 2 day wrestling event that took place from Thursday the 22nd and Friday the 23rd of October, 2020, defeating Jamie Hall on Night 1 and Lex Lee, son of AWF promotor & wrestler Paul Lee on Night 2. While these are his only listed appearances in the independent scene prior to signing with the WWE in February of 2021, we can date his actual in-ring debut in professional wrestling to April 9th2016, as Bron’s mother, Jamye Rechsteiner, shared a post on her Instagram Page that was shared on Facebook the following day, noting that Bronson had debuted against Mr. O’Hagan for an unnamed promotion at a recreation center in Dalton, GA. While it is left only to speculation due to the lack of information available at present, Dalton Championship Wrestling features the same ring set-up that’s scene in the photos posted by Jamye Rechsteiner and often operates out of recreation centers in the area, making it the most logical answer as to which promotion debuted the future breakout star.
EARLY LIFE, AMATUER WRESTLING & FOOTBALL CAREER
Bron Breakker comes from a family with an immense legacy in professional wrestling with Robert & Scott Rechsteiner, collectively known as ‘The Steiner Brothers’. Breakker’s father & uncle held 11 world tag team championships across the world, including the International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) Tag Team Championships, the first tag team to do so. Their induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in April of 2022 further solidified their positions as one of the top tag teams in professional wrestling history. When Breakker showed interest in following in his family’s footsteps, his father Rick would oppose the idea, telling Bron & his brothers Hudson & Maveric that he’d “do everything in [his] power to stop you” from pursuing professional wrestling, telling them to focus on getting their degrees at Kennesaw State University.
Bronson would join Kennesaw State University after attending Etowah High School, winning varsity letters across 3 years through football, as well as winning the Georgia AAAAAA state championship in it’s 220 lb weight class in 2016. Joining KSU after graduating from Etoyah High, Bron majored in criminal justice while playing for the Kennesaw State Owls Football varsity team. He would play as part of the defensive & special teams line up in his freshman year in 2016, before moving to offense as a running back in 2017. Breakker would enter the NFL Scouting Combine in February of 2020, but would go undrafted until April, where he was signed to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent fullback, before being waived in August of the same year, opening the opportunity to pursue professional wrestling full time.
EARLY PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING CAREER, THE FACE OF 2.0
2 months removed from his short stay with the Baltimore Ravens, Breakker would be announced for American Wrestling Federation/World of Wild (AWF/WOW)’s WrestleJam 8, a show that took place across the 22nd & 23rd of October 2020. Competing under his real name, Bronson would defeat Jamie Hall on Night 1 with uncle Scott Steiner at ringside, as well as defeating Lex Lee on Night 2. These would be his last appearances in the independent scene prior to his signing with the WWE on the 24th of February, 2021.
While continuing his training at the WWE Performance Center based out of Orlando, Florida, Bron would make appearances at the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view as well as NXT’s weekly televised program. At WrestleMania Backlash he would portray a zombie during Damien Priest & The Miz’s heavily criticised ‘Zombie Lumberjack Match’, promoting the film ‘Army of the Dead’. He would also appear on NXT in early August of 2021, where he portrayed a security guard who would be locked in Samoa Joe’s Coquina Clutch before passing out.
In early September of 2021, Bron would change his social media handles to feature the name ‘Rex Steiner’, an indication that the WWE at one point intended for Breakker to carry the Steiner name onwards. After filing trademarks for the new name, the decision was made to instead have Breakker create his own legacy outside of the Steiner name, with Bron stating that the name ‘Bron Breakker’ came from his time playing football, where he “tried to hurt people or break people in half”. Debuting on the first episode of newly revamped NXT 2.0, which took place on the 14th of September 2021, Bron Breakker would defeat LA Knight before confronting the newly crowned NXT Champion, Tomasso Ciampa.
After unsuccessfully challenging for Ciampa’s NXT Championship at NXT Halloween Havoc 2021, main eventing his first NXT television special, Breakker would begin his ascent as the face of NXT’s new era and would serve as the captain of ‘Team 2.0’ at NXT WarGames on the 5th of December 2021. As part of Breakker and fellow new NXT 2.0 stars Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller & Tony D’Angelo would defeat Tomasso Ciampa’s ‘Team Black & Gold’, featuring Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne and LA Knight in a WarGames match that ended with Breakker picking up the pinfall victory over the NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa. This would be the first NXT event to not carry the ‘NXT TakeOver’ name as part of the 2.0 restructure, as well as the last event to air in the traditional PPV format, as they would begin using the term ‘Premium Live Event’ at their next major event, WWE Day 1.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP REIGNS, MAIN ROSTER APPEARANCES
Receiving his 2nd opportunity at the NXT Championship after pinning Ciampa during the WarGames match, Bron Breakker would defeat Tomasso Ciampa by submission at the NXT New Year’s Evil Premium Live Event on the 4th of January 2022, using the Steiner Recliner that his uncle Scott Steiner prominently used. This would be not only his first championship win within the WWE, but his first professional wrestling championship in his career. After successfully retaining his championship against Santos Escobar at the NXT Vengeance Day Premium Live Event a month later on the 15thof February, Breakker would make his first appearance on the WWE’s Main Roster, appearing on the 7th of March episode of WWE Raw. He would team with the former champion Tomasso Ciampa, who Breakker had begun to tag with after their feud; a mutual respect was built Ciampa helping the new upstart navigate the main event scene of NXT. Breakker & Ciampa would defeat ‘The Dirty Dawgs’ Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. This was done to build interest in Breakker’s next NXT Championship defence which would take place the following night at NXT Roadblock on the 8th of March, 2022.
Breakker would face Dolph Ziggler and Tomasso Ciampa in a Triple Threat Match for the NXT Championship, with his first NXT Championship reign ending after 63 days after Ziggler pinned Ciampa to claim the victory. Breakker would appear during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on the 1st of April, where he inducted his father Rick Steiner and his uncle Scott Steiner into the Hall of Fame in the Class of 2022. Appearing at the WWE Raw broadcast after WrestleMania, Breakker would recapture the NXT Championship by defeating Dolph Ziggler with his gorilla press powerslam finishing manoeuvre. After a successful defence on the following episode on WWE NXT against Gunther, Breakker began feuding with Joe Gacy in a feud that would introduce Rick Steiner as Bron Breakker’s father for the first time on television.
Joe Gacy, along with his associate Harland, would start his feud with Bron Breakker by abducting Rick Steiner following his main event championship defence over Gunther. The build towards their match at NXT’s Premium Live Event Spring Breakin’ on the 3rd of May 2022 featured Gacy releasing Rick Steiner whilst stealing his Hall of Fame ring. Gacy would offer a trade of Steiner’s ring to Breakker in exchange for an NXT Championship opportunity at Spring Breakin’, which Breakker would accept before he was pushed by Gacy off of a large platform to the ground below. Rick Steiner would make another appearance on NXT 2.0 to reveal that Breakker was cleared to compete at Spring Breakin’, where Bron Breakker would defeat Joe Gacy by pinfall after a spear. The feud would continue to NXT’s next Premium Live Event, NXT In Your House on the 4th of June 2022 as Gacy would goad Breakker into a rematch with the stipulation added that Breakker could not be disqualified or he would lose the NXT Championship. This was due to the build-up during the weekly WWE NXT broadcasts, which featured Breakker in anger-inducing situations involving Gacy’s hooded henchman, with Gacy claiming that Breakker was unable to control his anger when he needed to the most. Breakker’s patience was tested throughout, but he was successful in defending his NXT Championship after another gorilla press slam & pin combination on Joe Gacy, ending the rivalry for good.
NXT UK UNIFICATION, VARIOUS FUEDS
Breakker continued to reign as NXT’s champion, and would face a plethora of talent that were vying for his championship. Cameron Grimes would be the next one to step up to Breakker, claiming that it was his family that got him in the door while Grimes had to pay his dues. Grimes would then challenge Breakker to a match at NXT’s Great American Bash on the 5th of July, which Breakker would accept. Breakker would go on to defeat Grimes, with the story heavily focused on the arm injury that Breakker had self-inflicted during the June 28th edition of WWE NXT after slamming Grimes heavily into the turnbuckles. Breakker would retain over a game Cameron Grimes by countering a top rope dive into a spear, but by the end of the night Bron’s next challenger was evident, with JD McDonagh hitting the ‘Devil Inside’ back drop driver through a picnic table near the stage.
The contender formally known as Jordan Devlin had made his transition from the NXT UK brand, while the WWE continued to finalise the closing of the United Kingdom brand of their developmental system. A contract signing was set up between Breakker and McDonagh, with the Irish Ace claiming that the champion showed fear during the attack. Breakker claimed that the match will end with blood, and after signing the contract McDonagh would cut his finger open and sign the contract with his own blood in retaliation. After a back-and-forth contest at NXT’s following Premium Live Event NXT Heatwave on the 16th of August 2022, Breakker would defeat McDonagh after multiple spears and his Military Press Powerslam. As it occurred at Great American Bash, another one of Breakker’s upcoming opponents would appear, this time signalling the NXT UK Invasion and in turn the end of NXT UK.
Tyler Bate, who had just recently reclaimed the NXT United Kingdom Championship in a tournament held to crown a new champion after Ilja Dragunov was forced to vacate due to injury, would confront Breakker after his match with McDonagh. As both champions held their respective titles up, it was clear that the next chapter of Breakkers story would be a historic one. With a contract signed on the 23rd of August 2022, Bate and Breakker were to battle for both the NXT Championship and the NXT United Kingdom Championship, with a championship unification match made official for the next PLE. WWE’s World Collide Premium Live Event, held on the 4th of September 2022, would see the end of NXT’s ‘2.0’ era; as they would return to their black & gold theme that they have been synonymous with, as well as the end of the NXT UK developmental brand. A hiatus for the brand was announced by the WWE as they targeted a late 2023 rebranding as NXT Europe. At World’s Collide, Breakker would defeat Bate in a well-touted match that ended with Breakker’s signature spear, with Breakker being crowned the Unified NXT Champion. While Breakker defeated Bate for his championship, Breakker has never been recognised as the NXT United Kingdom Champion, as Bate is listed as both the inaugural and the final champion.
To find a new contender for Breakker’s championship, JD McDonagh and Tyler Bate would battle on the September 20thepisode of WWE NXT, with McDonagh coming out as the victor. Breakker would appear to confront his challenger before Ilja Dragunov would return from injury and confront them both. With another confrontation between the three occurring, with Dragunov’s claim to an opportunity focused around the fact that he was never defeated for the previously sanctioned NXT United Kingdom Championship that Breakker unified with his NXT Championship. Breakker suggested that they settle the issue with a triple threat match made official at NXT’s next PLE. Breakker would have a memorable entrance at NXT Halloween Havoc, held on the 22nd of October 2022, as he would take a shovel and destroy tombstones that featured the names of both McDonagh and Dragunov. In a hard-hitting contest that looked like it could go either way, Breakker would intercept a Torpedo Moscow from Dragunov with his spear to retain his championship once more.
His next challenger was Apollo Crews, who had recently returned to WWE NXT in order reinvent himself. A match was set for NXT Deadline on the 10th of December 2022 aftera confrontation between the two following Crews’ match with JD McDonagh. The match was designed to be a battle between two ‘good guys’, with a vignette between the two highlighting their respect for one another as they went fishing prior to the Premium Live Event. Breakker’s spear would be his most valuable asset once again as he’d put Crews away by pinfall, however Bron’s next challenger was already set earlier at the night. Grayson Waller would appear and perform an Ace Crusher on the NXT Champion, as the new number one contender had won the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge earlier in the night, holding up the NXT Championship over a downed Breakker.
At New Year’s Evil, NXT’s PLE on the 10th of January 2023, Bron Breakker defeated Grayson Waller via countout. A faulty 2nd rope that had fallen apart earlier in the match was the cause of the eventual loss for Waller when he would attempt his signature diving elbow drop when the rope would snap once again, causing Waller to take a rough fall to the outside and gifting Breakker the victory. Shawn Michaels would announce a rematch for NXT Vengeance Day during the post-show press conference, this time inside a Steel Cage to make sure this wouldn’t occur again. Breakker would win once again after a superplex and two consecutive spears. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams would confront Breakker after the match, making it clear that Hayes would soon be coming after the gold.
Before Breakker and Hayes could battle it out, however, Indus Sher and the recently returned Jinder Mahal got involved in both the NXT Tag Team & NXT Heavyweight Championship scenes, which included an NXT Championship match between Bron Breakker and Jinder Mahal on the 21st of February 2023, in which Breakker was victorious by countering a Khallas attempt into a devastating spear for the win. This would lead to a 6 man tag match pitting Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher’s Veer Mahaan & Sanga against Breakker and NXT Tag Team Champions, Julius & Brutus, The Creed Brothers. The collective of NXT Champions would defeat Mahal & Indus Sher, with Bron Breakker calling out Carmelo Hayes shortly after, with a championship match being set for NXT’s Stand and Deliver Premium Live Event.
END OF REIGN, HEEL TURN
In a match between two of NXT’s newest stars, a pair that defined the 2.0 Era as well as the newest era of black & gold NXT, was set for NXT Stand & Deliver 2023 on the 1st of April. Another feud forged out of mutual respect for one another, Carmelo Hayes would defeat Bron Breakker after hitting the Nothing But Net top rope Scissor Kick to capture the championship. Hayes would be the first person to win the NXT Championship at an NXT PLE since Samoa Joe at NXT Takeover 36 in August of 2021, ending Breakker’s second reign 3 days short of a calendar year at 362 days. At the following WWE NXT Broadcast on the 4th of April 2023, Bron Breakker appeared to congratulate Carmelo Hayes on his victory, before attacking Hayes and turning heel for the first time in is career. He would follow this up by having a miniature feud prior to his attempt at reclaiming the NXT Championship, as he would berate Chase University and the NXT audience before attacking Andre Chase on the 11th of April edition of NXT. Breakker would defeat Chase at NXT Spring Breakin’ 2023 on the 25th of April, as the Steiner Recliner would make it’s return to Breakker’s moveset.
Carmelo Hayes would challenge Breakker to an NXT Championship rematch at NXT Battleground after he successfully defended his championship against Grayson Waller in the main event. Breakker would lay out both Hayes and Williams, accepting their challenge the following week on the 2nd of May broadcast of WWE NXT. The rematch between Hayes and Breakker ended with Hayes retaining the title, after delivering multiple superkicks, a tornado DDT as well as the Nothing But Net scissor kick to finally put Breakker away.
Seemingly unsatisfied with his lack of championship gold, Bron Breakker would appear on the June 6th episode of WWE NXT, challenging WWE Raw’s Seth “Freakin” Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins would accept the challenge after appearing on the TitanTron during the June 13thedition of NXT, confirming that Rollins’ 2nd ever defence of the newly revived World Heavyweight Championship during week 1 of NXT Gold Rush, which occurred on the 20th and 27thof June 2023. Rollins would defeat Breakker after 2 consecutive Curb Stomps finally put Breakker away.
After going unannounced for NXT Heatwave on the 22nd of August 2023, Bron Breakker would interfere in Von Wagner’s match with Baron Corbin, a match that hadn’t officially started due to a pre-match assault lead by Corbin. Breakker would spear Wagner, with the intention clearly being to take Wagner out for good. Breakker would follow this up on the September 6th episode of NXT where Breakker would ‘crush’ Wagner’s head in between sets of steel steps, an angle that was done so well that there was legitimate feat for Wagner’s welfare after reports of the spot going wrong circulated the internet. Breakker would continue displaying his aggressive side by sparking a feud with Baron Corbin, including a brawl that spilled across the entire NXT arena as well as through a wall into the office of Shawn Michaels on the 26th of September broadcast of WWE NXT prior to their match at NXT No Mercy. Bron would go on to lose his match against Corbin on the 30th of September Premium Live Event thanks to a distraction from Von Wagner’s manager, Mr. Stone.
CHAMPIONSHIPS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AMATEUR WRESTLING
• Georgia Class AAAAAA State Championship – 220lb weight class (2016)
PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
• WWE NXT Championship (2 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI)
• Rookie of the Year (2022)
• Ranked #26 in the PWI 500’s top 500 singles wrestlers in 2022
• Ranked #37 in the PWI 500’s top 500 singles wrestlers in 2023
PERSONAL LIFE & FAMILY TIES
Immediate family members
• Partner: Brianna Coda (aka Cora Jade, July 2022 – present)
• Father: Robert Rechsteiner (aka Rick Steiner)
• Mother: Jamye Rechsteiner
• Brother: Hudson Rechsteiner
• Brother: Maveric Rechsteiner
Non-immediate family members
• Uncle: Scott Rechsteiner (aka Scott Steiner)
SIGNATURE & FINISHING MOVES
Finishing moves
• Military Press Powerslam
• Spear
• Steiner Recliner
Signature moves
• Frankensteiner
• Diving bulldog
Tag teams & stables
•
Entrance music
• “The Call” by def rebel
Nicknames
• “The Big Bad Booty Nephew” – coined by Johnny Gargano
