Richard Aiden Thomas (born April 17, 1988 in Glendale, Arizona), better known by his ring name Ricky Aiden, is an American professional wrestler currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. He also trains in WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, or FCW. Aiden, along with several other young Superstars and Divas, debuted in early 2012 as a part of Vince McMahon's "Attitude Era: Reloaded" initiative.

Early Life

Thomas was born April 17, 1988 in Glendale, Arizona to high school sweethearts Mark Thomas and Debra Thomas (nee McDonald). He has a younger sister, Danielle. When Thomas was five, his family moved to neighboring Phoenix, Arizona. Thomas attended Mesa Vista High School, where he was an amateur wrestler, football player, and basketball player before graduating in 2006. Thomas had received a wrestling scholarship to Arizona State University, but turned it down to pursue a professional wrestling career.

Florida Championship Wrestling (2010-present)

After wrestling on the Arizona indy circuit in cities like Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Scottsdale for almost four years, Thomas caught the attention of WWE scouts. He signed a developmental contract in March 2010 and was sent to FCW for training. He made his debut as a face on the May 2, 2010 edition of FCW TV under the name 'Ricky Aiden', defeating Byron Saxton in quick fashion. In the subsequent weeks, Aiden racked up several more impressive victories. On the July 18 edition of FCW TV, Aiden turned heel when he bailed on his tag team partner Percy Watson during their match against Leo Kruger and Eli Cottonwood. Aiden's promos in the weeks to follow made him out to be cocky and arrogant. He became so confident in his abilities that he challenged then-Florida Heavyweight Champion Mason Ryan to a title match on the August 22 edition of FCW TV, but failed to win the title. Aiden challenged Ryan again on the September 5 edition, but lost again. It was soon after this that he joined forces with then-Florida Tag Team Champions Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis. The three of them would defend the titles under the Freebird Rule until losing them to Xavier Woods and Wes Brisco on November 4 at an FCW Live Event. Aiden suffered a broken ankle when he was knocked off of the ring apron and disappeared from FCW TV for almost four months. On the March 6 edition of FCW TV, Aiden made his return by attacking then-Florida Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon following a match. The two would trade victories over each other in singles and tag team matches for almost two months. On the May 19 edition of FCW TV, Aiden defeated Cannon to win the Florida Heavyweight title, and would hold it until September 1, when he would drop it to Leo Kruger at an FCW Live Event. For the remainder of 2011, Aiden would tour with the main roster and work at house shows. In December 2011, he was called up to the main roster.

SmackDown debut; The Apocalypse; Tag Teaming with Maxine (2012-present)

After weeks of cryptic vignettes proclaiming "It All Begins Again" and "A Brand New Attitude", Aiden and several others made their debuts on the January 2 and January 6 editions of Raw and SmackDown. On Raw, Mr. McMahon explained that his new initiative was called "Attitude Era: Reloaded". The new Superstars and Divas would bring back the TV-14 rating, edginess, shock value, and in your face mentality of the original Attitude Era. Many of the new arrivals would link up with Superstars and Divas previously on the roster, as McMahon later announced that the WWE Mixed Tag Team Championships would soon be introduced; Aiden would go on to align himself with a fellow FCW talent, Maxine. By the January 13 edition of SmackDown, Aiden and Maxine had been absorbed into the heel faction Apocalypse, which also included then-Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Kaitlyn, and two other 'Attitude Era: Reloaded' talents, Belle and Jason Alexander.

Personal Life

Thomas is the oldest of two children, with a younger sister named Danielle (better known as FCW Diva Elle Daniels). He has had a well-documented romantic history, and has been linked to Maxine, Caylee Turner, Audrey Marie, Aksana, and AJ during his time in FCW. He has been friends with fellow wrestlers Dolph Ziggler and Briley Pierce prior to signing with WWE, as they both lived in Phoenix for a period of time.

In Wrestling: Finishing moves and Signatures

Blackout (Swinging neckbreaker slam)

Endgame (Leaping reverse STO)

Pretty Boy Powerslam (Running powerslam)

Enzugiri

Multiple kicking combinations

Elevated Boston crab

Spinebuster

Multiple suplexes

-German

-Bridging Northern Lights

-Belly to belly

-Belly to back

-Gutwrench

In Wrestling: Entrance music

"In the City" by Kevin Rudolf—2012-present

"On the Next One" by Jay-Z-2012-present (used as a member of Apocalypse)

"Out to Kill (Remix)" by Billy Lincoln/Jim Johnston—2010-present (FCW)

"Gasoline Upcharge—2010 (FCW; Used while teaming with Johnny Curtis and Derrick Bateman)

In Wrestling: Championships and Accomplishments

Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time, with Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis)

In Wrestling: Managers/Valets

Maxine, Kaitlyn, and Belle (as a member of Apocalypse)