Quinn Ojinnaka (born April 23, 1984), better known by his ring name Moose, is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
He has also worked for Ring of Honor (ROH), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Noah, Evolve Wrestling, and Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW). In 2016, Moose signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) which would later be known as Impact Wrestling. Moose would go on to become a two-time Impact Grand Champion, one-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2020–2021), one-time TNA X Division Champion, and two-time TNA World Champion.
As an offensive lineman, Ojinnaka played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He went on to play for the New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts.
Early life Quinn Ojinnaka was born on April 23, 1984, the son of Pete Ojinnaka and Rebecca Ojinnaka. Born in Seabrook, Maryland. He attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he earned All-Prince George’s County offensive lineman honors as a senior when his team had an 110 season that included the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship.
College career Ojinnaka attended Syracuse, where he played in 44 games with 23 starts in four years. In 2005, he started 2 games as a junior. He was part of an offensive line that blocked for the first Syracuse duo to each run for 800 yards (Damien Rhodes and Walter Reyes) since 1979. The team allowed 199 sacks, the second-most in the Big East Conference. In 2006, Ojinnaka played in the 2006 Las Vegas All-American Classic for the East squad after starting all 11 games as a senior.
Professional football career
Atlanta Falcons Ojinnaka was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. As a rookie in 2006, he played in 11 games. He saw playing time on special teams in Weeks 1–4 and 8–13. He played on the offensive line for the first time in his professional career when he replaced Wayne Gandy who had been injured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2007, Ojinnaka played in 11 games, and had seven starts at left tackle. His first career NFL start at left tackle was against the San Francisco 49ers. He played in eight games in 2008. In 2009, he played in nine games, and started the final five games at right guard in place of an injured Harvey Dahl.
New England Patriots On August 23, 2010, Ojinnaka was traded to the New England Patriots for a seventh round pick in the 2011 NFL draft. After serving his one-game suspension in Week 1, Ojinnaka was inactive for the team's next two games. He was released on September 30, 2010. The Patriots re-signed Ojinnaka on October 7, 2010. In total, he was active for eight games in 2010, all as a reserve.
St. Louis Rams (first stint) Ojinnaka signed with the St. Louis Rams on August 6, 2011. He was released on September 3.
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts signed Ojinnaka on October 5, 2011.
St. Louis Rams (second stint) Ojinnaka signed with the Rams on March 22, 2012. He was waived on September 2, 2012.
He was re-signed on September 12, 2012, when Scott Wells injured his foot and Robert Turner moved from left guard to center. However, he was released again on October 22, 2012.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2012–2014)
Ojinnaka started his professional wrestling training in 2012 under Mr. Hughes at WWA4, and attended WWE training camps. On February 22, 2014, he made his debut for Dragon Gate USA, working alongside the Bravado Brothers in a bodyguard role. On May 6, 2015, Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced Ojinnaka as part of their roster. Because he was signed to a Ring of Honor (ROH) contract, Ojinnaka only worked GFW's house shows and not television tapings.
Ring of Honor (2014–2016) After Ojinnaka appeared at ROH's Best in the World 2014 event on June 22, 2014, and the promotion announced two days later that it had signed him to a contract. Ojinnaka then adopted the ring name Moose and formed a partnership with R.D. Evans and Veda Scott. On December 7, 2014, at Final Battle 2014, Moose, accompanied by Prince Nana and Stokely Hathaway, defeated R.D. Evans. On March 1, 2015, at the ROH 13th Anniversary Show, Moose defeated Mark Briscoe in a singles match, marking his first major win within Ring of Honor. Moose beforehand "squashed" wrestlers, such as Colby Corino. Moose's undefeated streak ended on May 16 at Global Wars '15, when he was defeated by Cedric Alexander. On June 19 at Best in the World '15, Moose's manager Veda Scott turned on him and formed a new partnership with Alexander. At the PPV, Moose lost a three-way match against Roderick Strong. At Final Battle, he lost against Michael Elgin. At Best in the World '16, Moose teamed with War Machine but lost against Bullet Club. Ojinnaka left ROH on July 8, 2016, with reports linking him to both WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2015–2016, 2021) From 2015 to 2016, through ROH's relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Moose sporadically wrestled for NJPW. On August 3, 2021, Moose was announced for Resurgence, as part of a partnership between Impact and NJPW. At Resurgence on August 14, Moose lost to Tomohiro Ishii. On November 13, at Battle in the Valley, he defeated Juice Robinson.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling
Impact Grand Champion (2016–2017)
Moose made his TNA debut on the July 12, 2016, Destination X edition of Impact Wrestling, interrupting the main event match between TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley and TNA X Division Champion Eddie Edwards, aligning himself with Mike Bennett and Maria, establishing himself as a heel. Ojinnaka reportedly had signed a two-year exclusive deal with the promotion. On the July 28 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose made his in-ring debut, defeating indy wrestler David Starr. On the August 11 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose and Bennett defeated Eddie Edwards and Ethan Carter III. On the August 19 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose defeated Edwards.
On the August 25 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship but was eliminated by Mike Bennett. The following week, Moose refused to help Bennett during his World Heavyweight Championship match against Lashley and attacked him after the match, dissolving their partnership and turning face in the process. On October 2, Moose defeated Bennett at Bound for Glory. On the October 13 episode of Impact Wrestling, he defeated Ethan Carter III for having a match against Lashley to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. However, on the October 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was defeated by Lashley. On the November 10 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose lost to Bennett by countout, thus not qualified for the four-way match the following week to determine another new contender number one for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
On December 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose answered Aron Rex's Open Challenge and defeated him for the Impact Grand Championship. Moose successfully retained his title against Rex in a rematch the following week. After the match, he had a confrontation against the returning Drew Galloway. On the January 5, 2017 episode of Impact Wrestling, he successfully retained his title against Mike Bennett by decision. After the match, Moose was challenged by Bennett for a No Disqualification match at One Night Only: Live!, which he won once again. On January 19, Moose lost the Impact Grand Championship to Galloway. At Genesis, Moose was defeated by Galloway in a rematch and failed to regain the title. On the February 9 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose saved Cody's wife Brandi Rhodes from an attack by Rosemary and Decay. The following week, Moose and Brandi defeated Abyss and Crazzy Steve. On the March 23 episode of Impact Wrestling, Cody thanked Moose for helping Brandi Rhodes while he was away. However, after learning Brandi had Moose's phone number, Cody attacked Moose. On the March 2 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was attacked by Cody and brawled with him, resulting in Cody running away from Moose. The same night, Moose defeated Galloway to regain the Impact Grand Championship. On the March 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose retained his title against Cody.
After successfully defending the Impact Grand Championship against Randy Reign at Border City Wrestling, Moose was attacked by Chris Adonis. At Turning Point, Moose challenged Lashley for the Impact World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated. On the April 27 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose defended his title against Davey Richards but the match ended in a no-contest. After the match, DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge, who were on Moose's side during the match, attacked Richard. On the May 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose challenged Lashley for the Impact World Heavyweight Championship once again, but was ultimately defeated. On the June 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose retained his title against Eli Drake. After being challenged for a tag-team match at Slammiversary XV by Adonis and Drake, Moose revealed his tag-team partner on the June 22 episode of Impact Wrestling, who was DeAngelo Williams. At the event, Moose and Williams defeated Adonis and Drake. On the July 13 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose retained his title against Naomichi Marufuji when the match ended in a no-contest, after an attack by Ethan Carter III. On the August 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose lost the Impact Grand Championship to Carter.
Championship pursuits and various feuds (2017–2020) On the August 24 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was involved in the 20-man gauntlet match for the vacated GFW Global Championship which was won by Eli Drake. On the September 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley called Moose during his last Impact Wrestling night and the two brawled against each other on the Impact Zone. However, Moose was attacked by Lashley's MMA team, the American Top Team, with the help of Dan Lambert. On the October 12 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose reveals that his partner against Lashley and the American Top Team will be Stephan Bonnar. Then, the duo vandalized the ATT Dojo and stole many of Dan Lambert's belts and trophies. Two weeks later, Moose defeated Lashley by disqualification after being attacked by Lambert. At Bound for Glory, Moose and Stephan Bonnar were defeated by Lashley and King Mo in a Six Sides of Steel match. On the November 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose was saved by James Storm during a beatdown of the American Top Team. Then, on the December 7 episode of Impact Wrestling, Moose and James Storm were defeated by Lashley and Dan Lambert. The following month, Moose, teaming with Eddie Edwards, was defeated by Lashley and KM. However, during the Impact special episode Genesis, Moose defeated Lashley. After the match, Lashley turned face and both him and Moose attacked Dan Lambert and an American Top Team member. After the beatdown, Moose and Lashley shook each other's hands, thus ending the rivalry.