Fandango

At 43 years old, Fandango has this physical status:

Curtis Jonathan Hussey (born July 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler.

He has been affiliated with WWE and appears under the brand name Fandango.Hussey began his professional wrestling career in 1999.

He began working in September 1999 and spent time in different professions.

He competed in many Independent promotions in New England, winning the PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship, the PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship, Damian Houston's Tag Team Championship, and the SCCW Lightweight Championship. Hussey signed a World Wrestling Entertainment (DSW) contract in 2006 and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), WWE's developmental zone.

He then moved to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he won the Florida Tag Team Championship with Tyler Reks and Derrick Bateman on more than one occasion.

Johnny Curtis, who appeared in the fourth season of NXT in December 2010, then became Fandango in March 2011.

WWE fans began singing and dancing to his entrance songs in April 2013, which gained a lot of attention on iTunes and mainstream media.

Early life

Curtis James Hussey was born in Portland, Maine, on July 22, 1983.

Hussey has a partial Cherokee ancestry.

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Professional wrestling career

Hussey debuted in September 1999 under Killer Kowalski's guidance and debuted under his own name. Over the next two years, he competed for various independent promotions in the New England area. He competed in Power League Wrestling (PLW), from 2000 to 2003, winning the PLW New England Championship. Since defeating Chris Blackheart at Power-fest 2002, from May 19, 2002 to May 18, 2003, he held the championship.

At the time, he appeared in the Premier Wrestling Federation, and he and Kenn Phoenix defeated the PWF Northeast Tag Team Championship from Fuzion (Mike Paiva and Blade) on October 28, 2002. They held the title until November 15, when Paiva and Kid Mikaze defeated them. Hussey and Phoenix defeated the championship on February 15, 2003, becoming The Talent Exchange. The Storm Brothers defeated Phoenix and Dean Ripley, The Talent Exchange's manager (who was forced to attend the game instead of a void Hussey), losing the championship to the Storm Brothers. He also competed for NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA), Chaotic Wrestling, and the NWA Wildside.

Curtis began a development contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2006 and was later assigned to the Deep South Wrestling (DSW) developmental territory. Curtis made his territory debut on November 9, where he lost to David Heath. Curtis' first victory in DSW came after losing consistently for the past two weeks as he and Robert Anthony defeated The Headliners (Shawn Shultz and Chris Michaels) on February 15, 2007. Curtis continued to play with Anthony, and after winning a few more games, the team met the DSW Tag Team Champions Team Elite (Mike Knox and Derick Neikirk) in a tournament for the championship on March 15, but they were unable to win the title. Curtis then became a singles player once more, and after losing two matches, he won his final match in DSW over Frankie Coverdale on April 12.

In June, WWE severed links with DSW, Curtis, and all other DSW performers were moved to the newly formed Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). Curtis made his FCW debut on June 26, defeating former tag team partner Robert Anthony. Curtis defeated Chris Gray on December 18 to become the top contender for the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship after mixed success as a singles and tag team wrestler. Ted DiBiase Jr. was battling for the championship on January 8, 2008, but he was disqualified. Curtis performed at the Smackdown/ECW tapings on September 18, where he defeated Armando Estrada in a dark match.

Curtis teamed with Tyler Reks to defeat The New Hart Foundation (DH Smith and TJ Wilson) for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on December 11, 2008. Curtis and Reks' team was very successful, and they won the title on several occasions. Curtis and Reks held the title against them on a few occasions before losing the title to Croft and Beretta on April 30, 2009 after Curtis did not appear for the title defense, leaving Reks to wrestle alone.

Curtis renamed himself Jonathan Curtis and became a villain after Reks was called up to WWE's main roster. Curtis was unable to win the Florida Heavyweight Championship on June 25, but they then met in Reks' Florida Heavyweight Championship, but Curtis was unable to win the title. Curtis was beaten in a triple threat match for the FCW Florida Championship, involving Alex Riley, but Reks maintained the title, but was unsuccessful. Curtis reverted his ring name to Johnny Curtis shortly after.

Curtis first appeared at house shows for the Raw brand in 2010, with his first match losing to Evan Bourne on January 8. Curtis wrestled his first dark match, which he lost to Kung Fu Naki on January 19 of ECW, after losing multiple matches to Bourne and Paul Burchill at house shows.

Curtis teamed with Derrick Bateman to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on August 12, 2010, defeating Donny Marlow and Brodus Clay's crew and the defending champions, Los Aviadores (Hunico and Epico), in a three-way tag team match. Curtis and Bateman lost the championship to Wes Brisco and Xavier Woods on November 4, after a near three-month reign.

Curtis appeared in R-Truth's fourth season as his mentor. On the season premiere of NXT, he made his in-ring debut defeating fellow rookie Jacob Novak in singles competition. Curtis was unsuccessful in the "Karaoke" challenge the previous week, but he was successful in the "Obstacle Course" competition, earning points towards exemption from elimination. Curtis failed the "Wheel Race" challenge on December 21, his first defeat to Jacob Novak in a rematch. Curtis was then defeated by pro Dolph Ziggler on the December 28 episode of NXT, and after that, they were crowned both the "Power of the Punch" challenge and a "Talent Show" competition. Curtis was defeated by Brodus Clay in a singles competition on January 4, 2011 episode of NXT. It was later revealed that he was unable to be eliminated that week. Curtis' rookie Brodus Clay failed to intervene on NXT's next week, losing both the "Slingshot Challenge" and the "Superstar Password" challenge, as well as his singles match defeating pro Ted DiBiase. Curtis was dissatisfied with the "How Well Do You Know Your WWE Profession?" I was up for a challenge on NXT's January 18 episode, but that was safe from being eliminated the following week. Curtis was dissatisfied with the "Out-think the Fink" challenge on January 25 and then went on to face Brodus Clay, Derrick Bateman, and Byron Saxton, with Clay winning the game.

Curtis won an "Arm Wrestling" challenge on February 1, but was also defeated in the "Talk the Talk" tournament against Derrick Bateman and Daniel Bryant, who lost in a tag team match along with R-Truth and Daniel Bryan. Curtis was unsuccessful in a "Rock 'Em Rookies" challenge, as well as in a singles competition against Brodus Clay on next week. Curtis lost the "Smash and Grab" challenge and the "Save Your Trivia" challenge on February 15, NXT's episode. Curtis was then able to compete in the "Grace Under Pressure Physical" challenge and a triple threat match against Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis. Curtis was crowned the winner of NXT on March 1st, beating Brodus Clay in the final at the end of the season.

Curtis debuted on SmackDown on June 3 in a strange backstage promo in the midst of R-Truth's latest villainous appearance in light of R-truth's recent villainous turn. In reference to the saying "don't cry over spilled milk," he began to sarcastically cries and proceeded to pour milk onto a plate and then over his head. Curtis made his SmackDown debut on August 12 episode, defeating Mark Henry in less than a minute, the only non-battle royal match on SmackDown in 2011.

Curtis made his NXT debut on September 2 as a heel. Curtis shifted his attention to wooing Maxine, whom he had previously dated and thereby reignited a rivalry with Maxine's storyline fiancée, Derrick Bateman. Bateman and Maxine finally broke up as Maxine gave a kiss to Curtis on the December 28 episode of NXT Redemption, cementing their friendship. Curtis and Maxine announced on NXT Redemption's January 4, 2012, that they would marry in Las Vegas in two weeks time during Bateman's match with Darren Young. Derrick Bateman interrupted Curtis and Maxine's wedding reception on the 100th episode of NXT. Curtis sent a clip of Curtis' iPad to Theodore Long (Maxine had dumped Bateman because he had reportedly sent a letter saying he did not need Maxine and wanted to keep her on NXT) when she wasn't able to find a job on Smackdown, but he didn't have a chance of getting a contract on Smackdown). After finding out that it wasn't true, Maxine slapped Curtis and reunited with Bateman once more. Curtis' new catch, "Let's Get Wiird," was also printed on his trunks. Maxine was dumped again by Curtis in the next two weeks. Curtis and Maxine were defeated in a mixed tag team match against Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn, who kissed at the end of the game, confirming their connection to Maxine's annoyance.

Maxine enlisted Curtis' assistance in getting close to Regal after William Regal was named NXT's power figure. Maxine and Curtis knocked out Matt Striker with chloroform on March 21 so that Maxine could join Regal on commentary. Striker was then kidnapped (kayfabe), who later revealed to be Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks, who had intended to blackmail Curtis and Maxine to flee Hawkins and Reks alone, but they were later discovered to be Curt Hawkins and Reks. On the 11th episode of "NXT Redemption," the Striker was rescued by Bateman and Kaitlyn. William Regal coerced Maxine to sign a deal as Curtis' boss on April 18, then handcuffed them together. Regal allowed Curtis and Maxine to be uncuffed on the May 9 episode of NXT Redemption.

Curtis formed an occasional tag team with Michael McGillicutty for the remainder of 2012. Curtis teamed with McGillicutty on the last episode of NXT's fifth season on June 13, but the Usos lost to the Usos. NXT's fifth season ended, and the NXT's new name, Florida Championship Wrestling, came into play. Curtis returned to NXT on Sunday, where he captured his tag team championship shot from winning season four of NXT (Kane and Daniel Bryan), where he defeated champions Team Hell No.

Hussey premiered a new ballroom dancer character named Fandango in a dark match on October 23, 2012, with vignettes releasing by November. The character of Fandango debuted on SmackDown's March 1, 2013 episode after months of promotional footage. Fandango was depicted as tense, flamboyant, and sultry-voiced as part of his performance. He was also joined by a female dance partner, mainly a dark-haired and unidentified Andrea Lynn (a real-life dancer and a college student) and later Summer Rae, a developmental wrestler.

Despite his debut, Fandango refused to appear in his first match on several occasions because the ring announcers and his opponents were unable to pronounce "Fandango" to his delight. Chris Jericho mispronounced Fandango's name intentionally and repeatedly on Raw's March 18 episode, starting the first feud between Fandango and Fandango. Fandango scored what would be his biggest victory of his career in his debut on the main roster at WrestleMania 29, defeating Jericho. He then fought in his first Raw match against Kofi Kingston the following night. Despite Fandango's being a loser and winning via disqualification from Chris Jericho, he still received a roaring audience as they wildly performed his theme song and staged a dance for it as well. Not only did this happen during and shortly after his encounter, but it also happened long after the show began. As a result of many people going from #75 to #11 in a single day on the UK chart, the song has soared to #44 by the week's end, the song became a overnight hit. Despite the fact that WWE dubbed "Fandango-ing," the Fandango character continued to offend audiences. Fandango was defeated by Jericho in a match to bring an end to their feud at Extreme Rules. The WWE Intercontinental Championships champ Wade Barrett and fellow challenger The Miz clashed. When Miz was wrestling Barrett, Fandango distracted Miz by dancing at ringside; eventually, Miz was defeated by Miz, resulting in Miz winning a disqualification victory over Barrett. After Miz, the special guest referee, assaulted Barrett, Fandango pinned him in a non-title match. Payback, which Fandango was expected to win in a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship, was scheduled for a three-way match. However, he sustained a legitimate concussion while taping against Zack Ryder in June and was suspended from the match. Curtis Axel, his replacement, won the match and the championship.

On the July 1 Raw, Fandango returned to Sheamus by count out. In the Bank ladder match, Fandango competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money but was disqualified because Damien Sandow lost the match. Fandango had his nose broken during a match against The Miz, which he lost on September 2nd. The Fandango then lost a dance competition to The Miz, which also included R-Truth and The Great Khali, as well as losing another match to him at Night of Champions. His losing streak came to an end on the September 16 Raw, where he defeated R-Truth. Fandango and Summer Rae defeated Natalya and The Great Khali in a mixed tag team match at Hell in a Cell. On December 23, Fandango defeated Dolph Ziggler in a "Present on a Pole match" to earn a WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Big E Langston the following week, but he was eventually disqualified. Emma and Santino lost in a mixed tag team match on March 3rd, when Emma summoned Rae.

Fandango competed in the "André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal" match in a losing effort at Wrestlemania XXX. Emma and Marella were both defeated by Emma and Marella in a mixed tag team match on Raw, Fandango, and Summer Rae the following night, with Emma forcing Rae to forfeit. Layla converted Summer Rae as Fandango's dancer and valet, and soon became embroiled in a feud with Emma and Santino Marella. On May 19, Rae returned to Layla, a retaliation of the Layla. After Summer Rae started attacking Layla, Fandango lost by count out to Adam Rose on the July 11 episode of Smackdown. He gained a kiss from both women and began dancing, causing both women to attack him and dancing together. On WWE television, Layla and Summer Rae caused Fandango numerous losses.

Fandango's new dance partner Rosa Mendes has returned from a month of absence, defeating Justin Gabriel with a salsa dancer gimmick and new theme tune. Fandango was drafted out of the Royal Rumble match in which Rusev had disqualified him.

On the first time since 2010, Fandango brought back his old theme and dance, and broken his friendship with Mendes, returning to Stardust. Mendes then cost Fandango a match against Adam Rose, who appeared on his "Exotic Express" and sparked a brief feud between Fandango and Rose. On television and on house shows, Fandango received the majority of victories between the two groups over the next two weeks, putting an end to the feud in mid-2015. Fandango debuted on Superstars and Main Event, defeating Adam Rose and Heath Slater. On the episode of Main Event on August 17, Fandango suffered a defeat to Rusev.

Fandango defeated Chris Jericho in a losing effort on the podcast episode on March 21, 2016. Fandango, the first participant to be disqualified from the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, was the first participant to be disqualified from the tournament.

Fandango teamed with Goldust in the WWE Tag Team Championship number one contender's tournament on April 14, replacing R-Truth; the two teams were defeated by the Vainites in the first round. A match pitting Fandango and Goldust against R-Truth and Tyler Breeze ended with a strange result when Fandango and Breeze turned on their partners, who had not agreed to fight each other on the May 12 episode of SmackDown. The Fandango team partnered with Breeze, adopting the word "Breezango" instead, bringing the person's heel back to the bottom. The new team defeated The Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth) a week later on Raw, but the Money in the Bank rematch ended the feud, ending the feud. Breezango defeated the Usos on July 24 at Battleground, after being drafted to the WWE draft as a result of the WWE draft. Breezango then qualified in the first round by American Alpha, who would determine the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Breezango qualified for Team SmackDown in the 10-on-10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match at Survivor Series on November 8, the first team to qualify for Team SmackDown, which was ultimately won by Team Raw. Breezango began to be branded "Fashion Police" during this period. Fandango competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which he failed to win at WrestleMania 33 years ago.

Breezango defeated The Ascension in a Beat the Clock Challenge match on April 25, 2017, becoming the top contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Breezango converted into fan favorites in the process during this period. Breezango unsuccessfully challenged The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash. At Battle of Champions, Breezango lost to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, as well as to the Bludgeon Brothers. In a six-man tag team match, Tye Dillinger and Mojo Rawley teamed up with Tye Dillinger to defeat Mojo Rawley, Chad Gable, and Shelton Benjamin on March 11, 2018. In the André the Giant Battle Royal, Fandango competed in the André the Giant Battle Royal, but was dissatisfied. Breezango's name was changed to Raw as part of Superstar Shake-up on April 16, which was part of Superstar Shake-up. They defeated Cesaro and Sheamus on the night. Fandango has suffered a left labrum tear in his shoulder, according to the report that he will be out of action for at least six months.

Breeze and Fandango were sent to NXT at the end of the year. WWE assigned them to work with the younger talent and assist with the brand's ranking during the All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite on Wednesday Night, according to Dave Meltzer. Fandango recovered from the injury a year later on the NXT episode of July 31, 2019, saving his tag teammate Tyler Breeze from a post-match assault by The Forgotten Sons' Jaxson Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake). Breezango began a feud with The Forgotten Sons, defeating them in tag team competition and also in a six-man tag match with Isaiah "Swerve" Scott as their partner. However, Fandango was out of action with another injury in December after he announced that he had undergone Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery), resulting in a six-month recovery.

Fandango returned to NXT's world on June 3, 2020, defeating Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, and The Undisputed Age (Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong) in a number one contender's match for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Breezango failed to win the Imperium titles (Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel), after assisting Lorcan and Burch and Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav). Breezango defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, and Legado del Fantasma in a triple threat tag team match, putting them in the top candidates for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Breezango won the titles on August 26, marking Fandango's first title in WWE, nearly ten years since he made his NXT debut. Breezango lost the titles to Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan on NXT's October 21 episode, bringing an end to their reign at 56 days. They failed to recover the titles from Lorcan and Burch in a rematch on November 11 of NXT.

Breezango participated in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in early 2021, but they were defeated by The Undisputed Age (Adam Cole and Roderick Strong) in the first round. They defeated Imperium in what would be their last match in WWE on June 15, which was their first match in the series. Fandango and Breeze were both suspended from his WWE deal on June 25, bringing an end to the company's 15-year tenure.

On the independent circuit, Fandango now goes by the name Dirty Dango as of July 15, 2021. In Schenectady, NY, Mike Skyros defeated Immortal Champion Wrestling Dirty Dango on July 16, 2022.

Dango made his National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) debut at the Hard Times 2 pay-per-view in December 2021. The Dirty Sexy Boys, he formed, formed a tag team with JTG. They competed in the Crockett Cup and became involved in a feud with The Commonwealth Connection in 2022.

Dango made his Impact Wrestling debut at the 2022 Bound for Glory, where he accepted Brian Myers' open challenge for the Impact Digital Media Championship, ultimately losing.

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