Who is Cameron Grimes? Meet the new SmackDown star who created history in first main roster match

Cameron Grimes was the last pick during WWE Draft 2023 when he got called up from NXT to SmackDown. Interestingly, WWE turned this situation into a storyline that kickstarted his first feud on the blue brand.

The former WWE NXT Superstar's first feud on the main roster commenced against Baron Corbin. On May 6, 2023, Adam Pearce welcomed Grimes to SmackDown, but Corbin interfered in that conversation by referring to him as "Mr. Irrelevant." Grimes used this as an opportunity to challenge Corbin this week on SmackDown (May 12, 2023) and took him down within six seconds.

Grimes (real name: Trevor Lee Caddell) was born on September 30, 1993, in Cameron, North Carolina. He grew up under the guidance of his father, who was a single parent. It wasn't until his father's passing in 2018 that he spoke to his mother.

While his accomplishments on SmackDown are just beginning, Cameron Grimes has achieved multiple accolades during his time with WWE NXT.

Due to his father’s pro-wrestling career, Cameron Grimes was introduced to the industry at an early age. His WWE journey began in 2019 when he started working in the Performance Center in February.

Grimes was swiftly put on the path toward the NXT titles when it was announced he would compete in the inaugural NXT Breakout Tournament. He made it to the final round but lost to A.C.H.

His attempt to secure an NXT Championship was successful at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 2, 2022, where he defeated Solo Sikoa, Carmelo Hayes, Santos Escobar, and Grayson Waller for the North American Championship. His title reign lasted for 63 days before he lost it to Carmelo Hayes at NXT In Your House.

Apart from the WWE NXT North American Championship, Grimes secured the Million Dollar Championship as well. In 2021, he adopted a new gimmick as The Richest Man in NXT. In this storyline, Grimes feuded with LA Knight and won the Million Dollar Championship from him at NXT Takeover 36.

During his time with WWE NXT, Grimes feuded with many superstars such as Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dexter Lumis, and others. His last feud in NXT was against Joe Gacy, who claimed he could be a father figure in Grimes’ life. A debuting Ava Raine cost Grimes his final match against Gacy on November 8, 2022.

Prior to WWE Draft 2023, he stopped appearing on WWE TV. During the time he was absent from WWE programming, Grimes appeared on certain WWE Raw tapings, indicating that he was the main roster bound at WWE Draft 2023.

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Cameron Grimes is carrying forward his father's legacy

Grimes is the son of OMEGA Championship Wrestling (founded as East Coast Wrestling Federation in 1992) co-founder, the late Tracy Caddell. Caddell founded the ECWF alongside former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy. It was Hardy who revealed how immensely proud Tracy Caddell was of Cameron Grimes.

As a second-generation OMEGA wrestler, Grimes was always determined to cross any obstacle that stood in his way, just like his father wanted. Prior to making his WWE debut, The Alpha of OMEGA used to work with IMPACT Wrestling under the name Trevor Lee.

Currently, it’s unknown what exactly WWE has in store for the young superstar. Considering he added to Corbin’s "not-so-great" run in WWE at the moment, he will possibly feud with Baron Corbin for a while before being moved to another storyline involving other SmackDown Superstars.

The fact that LA Knight and Cameron Grimes are on the same brand now definitely opens doors of opportunities for the superstars to reignite their feud once Grimes and Corbin conclude.

As of now, Cameron Grimes has shown potential as a 29-year-old superstar who was just called up to the main roster.