1. Overview
Babatunde Łukasz Aiyegbusi (Babátúndé Łukasz AiyégbùsìBabátúndé Łukasz AiyégbùsìYoruba) is a Polish-Nigerian professional wrestler and former American football player. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring names Babatunde, Dabba-Kato, and Commander Azeez. Prior to his professional wrestling career, Aiyegbusi had a significant sports background, playing basketball in Poland's top league and then pursuing American football, where he competed in the Polish American Football League (PAFL) and the German Football League (GFL), culminating in a stint with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL during their 2015 preseason. Following his departure from WWE, he began performing on the independent circuit under the new ring name Babathunder and is currently signed to Major League Wrestling. This article details his early life, extensive sports career, professional wrestling journey, in-ring style, and other media appearances.
2. Early life
Babatunde Aiyegbusi was born on May 26, 1988, in Oleśnica, which was then part of the Wrocław Voivodeship in South-West Poland (now part of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship). He is of mixed heritage, born to a Polish mother and an immigrant Nigerian father. His birth in Oleśnica establishes his Polish roots, and his mixed Polish and Nigerian parentage highlights his diverse background, contributing to his unique identity in his professional careers.
3. Sports career
Babatunde Aiyegbusi had a notable career in two distinct sports, basketball and American football, before transitioning to professional wrestling.
3.1. Basketball
During his school days, Aiyegbusi was actively involved in basketball. He joined Śląsk Wrocław, a professional basketball team participating in the PLK (Polska Liga Koszykówki), Poland's top professional basketball league. In 2005, he contributed to his team winning the Polish Junior Champions title. The following year, in 2006, he helped a team in the second division secure a championship. However, Aiyegbusi eventually decided to retire from basketball due to accumulating too many fouls, leading him to question his playing style.
3.2. American Football
Aiyegbusi's experience with American football during his basketball career led him to fully commit to the sport. In 2007, he began training intensively in American football and joined The Crew Wrocław (later known as the Giants Wrocław) in the PAFL (Polish American Football League) as an offensive lineman.
3.2.1. Club career
Aiyegbusi achieved significant success during his American football club career in Europe. With The Crew Wrocław, he won the PAFL league championship in his debut year, 2007. He secured his second league title with the team in 2011, and his third in 2013. The English source infobox also notes his participation in SuperFinał II, VI, and VIII, indicating consistent high-level performance in the league.
In April 2012, while playing for the Wrocław Giants (to whom he transferred in 2012), Aiyegbusi participated in the EFAF Cup (European Federation of American Football Cup), an international club competition organized by the European Football League (EFL). His team competed in Group C against the Suraeard Blackdiggers from Denmark and the Black Hawks de Praha from the Czech Republic, but they were defeated in both matches and did not advance to the final tournament. On September 1, 2012, Aiyegbusi was selected as part of the EFL representative team for the 2012 Euro-American Challenge, hosted by the EFL and the American NCAA. The EFL team lost to the NCAA representatives by a score of 7-34. In 2013, he was selected to represent the Polish American Football National Team.
In 2014, Aiyegbusi moved to Germany to join the Dresden Monarchs in the GFL (German Football League). In December of the same year, he transferred to the Warsaw Eagles.
3.2.2. NFL career
Aiyegbusi's performance in European American football garnered attention from the NFL in the United States. In March 2015, facilitated by Kevin Curtis, an assistant coach for the Texas Tech University American football team, Aiyegbusi traveled to the United States. He participated in a Pro Timing Day at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where the Minnesota Vikings showed interest in him. He was scouted and subsequently signed a contract with the Vikings, becoming the fifth Polish-born player in NFL history.
During the 2015 preseason, Aiyegbusi played in three games for the Minnesota Vikings. However, he was released on September 5, 2015, as part of the roster cuts before the regular season began, and he did not have an opportunity to play in a regular-season game. In an interview following his release, Aiyegbusi famously stated that his "purple dream ends up right here," referring to the Vikings' team colors.
4. Professional wrestling career
After his release from the Minnesota Vikings, Babatunde Aiyegbusi expressed interest in transitioning to professional wrestling. This attracted the attention of Canyon Ceman, then Vice President of Talent Development for WWE, who scouted Aiyegbusi and invited him for a tryout. He officially signed a contract with WWE on April 7, 2016.
4.1. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Aiyegbusi's WWE career spanned several years, during which he adopted multiple ring names and personas.
4.1.1. Debut and early appearances
On April 12, 2016, Aiyegbusi began training at the WWE Performance Center, the company's developmental facility. His professional wrestling debut occurred at an NXT house show in Orlando, Florida, on September 30, 2016, where he competed in a battle royal. He secured his first victory as a professional wrestler on January 14, 2017, at an NXT Live event, defeating Chris Atkins. In November 2016, he began incorporating an dashiki into his attire, a traditional African garment.
In April 2018, Aiyegbusi started accompanying Lio Rush to the ring at NXT live events until Rush was called up to the main roster. Aiyegbusi made his televised debut at the Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27, 2018, entering the 50-man Royal Rumble match as the 37th entrant. Under the ring name Babatunde, he delivered a powerful shoulder block to Bobby Roode but was ultimately eliminated by Braun Strowman, who entered as the 41st participant. In 2019, Babatunde also had several matches for Evolve, a WWE-affiliated promotion, and even challenged for the Evolve Championship.
4.1.2. Dabba-Kato (2020)
On August 3, 2020, Babatunde made his return to television and debuted on Raw as part of a new segment called Raw Underground. He adopted the ring name Dabba-Kato for this role. He quickly established a winning streak on Raw Underground, defeating several local wrestlers, before being defeated by Braun Strowman on the September 21 episode of Raw. As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, Dabba-Kato was drafted to the Raw brand in October. However, he did not make any further appearances on the brand after the draft.
4.1.3. Commander Azeez (2021-2023)
Aiyegbusi reappeared on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, 2021, under a new persona, Commander Azeez. In this role, he helped Apollo Crews defeat Big E to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The following Friday on SmackDown, Crews formally re-introduced him as Commander Azeez, with no mention of his prior Dabba-Kato persona, signifying his transfer to the SmackDown brand. During the 2021 WWE Draft, both Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews were drafted back to the Raw brand. In June 2022, both performers were sent to NXT, where Commander Azeez reunited with Apollo Crews at NXT Vengeance Day in 2023.
4.1.4. Return to NXT and release
In 2023, Aiyegbusi returned to performing as Dabba-Kato on NXT. However, on September 21, 2023, he was released from his WWE contract.
4.2. Independent circuit (2024-present)
Following his release from WWE, Aiyegbusi continued his professional wrestling career on the independent circuit. On February 4, 2024, he made his debut for Prime Time Wrestling (PTW) and later revealed his new ring name to be Babathunder. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling.
5. In-ring style and persona
Babatunde Aiyegbusi is known for his immense size and strength, standing at 81 in (206 cm) and weighing around 344 lb (156 kg), though some reports indicated a weight of 390 lb (177 kg) at various points in his career. His various ring names and personas have reflected different aspects of his character, from the imposing 'Babatunde' to the intimidating 'Dabba-Kato' and the managerial 'Commander Azeez'.
5.1. Finishing and signature moves
Babatunde Aiyegbusi has utilized a variety of powerful moves throughout his professional wrestling career, leveraging his significant physical attributes.
His finishing moves include:
- Nigerian Nail - A high-speed thumb thrust to the throat, similar to Umaga's Samoan Spike.
- Chokeslam
- Kato Slam - A powerslam variation, specifically a running powerslam.
- Kneeling Spinebuster
- Running jumping splash
- Scoop side slam
- Sitout two-handed chokeslam
- Swinging leg hook belly to back suplex
His signature moves often emphasize his power and striking ability:
- Body slam
- Clubbing forearm smash
- Canadian backbreaker
- Coconut crush
- Foot choke
- Jumping dropkick
- Jumping elbow drop
- Mongolian chop
- Multiple suplex variations:
- Delayed double underhook suplex
- Spinning back suplex
- Vertical suplex
- Overhead chop
- Rebound Elbow Smash - A pendulum elbow smash.
- Running big boot
- Scoop side slam
- Shoulder claw
- Snake eyes
- Stinger splash
- Thunderous chop
5.2. Ring names and entrance themes
Aiyegbusi has used several distinct ring names during his time in professional wrestling:
- Babatunde (used early in his WWE career, including his Greatest Royal Rumble appearance)
- Dabba-Kato (used during his Raw Underground stint and later upon his return to NXT)
- Commander Azeez (used during his alliance with Apollo Crews on Raw and SmackDown)
- Babathunder (his current ring name on the independent circuit)
His entrance themes have included:
- "Africa by Any Means" by Jay Karas (used in WWE from 2020 to 2021)
- "To the Top (Nigerian Royalty Remix)" by CFO$ feat. Supreme Madness (used in WWE from 2021 to 2023, in conjunction with Apollo Crews)
- "Africa By Any Means" by Def Rebel (used in WWE NXT in 2023)
- "The Lion's Den" by Def Rebel (used in WWE NXT in 2023)
6. Other media
Beyond his athletic and wrestling careers, Aiyegbusi has made appearances in other forms of media. He made his video game debut as Commander Azeez in WWE 2K22, appearing in "The Whole Dam Pack" DLC. He reprised the role in WWE 2K23. In 2020, Aiyegbusi also appeared in the film The Main Event, where he portrayed the villainous character Samson.
7. Personal life
Babatunde Aiyegbusi is married and has a son.