He is best known for his time with WWE, and also known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Between the three promotions, he is a two-time WWE United States Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Matt Hardy), and was the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion. He was trained by Soulman Alex G and Norman Smiley. Following the completion of his training, he began wrestling for numerous independent promotions, including a stint in TNA. During his time in these promotions, he won various championships in singles competition. He signed with WWE in 2005 and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), one of the company's developmental territories. After being promoted to the SmackDown brand, he made his WWE wrestling debut in October 2006. Following his departure from WWE in 2010, he joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in February 2011. He spent the next two years with the promotion, then left NJPW in 2013. Since then, he has returned to the independent circuit and made appearances in Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor (ROH), and WWE.