Hold the presses, folks! Levi Cooper, the man who once held the most hot-potatoed title in WWE history—the prestigious 24/7 Championship—has officially retired from professional wrestling. That’s right. Tucker, formerly of Heavy Machinery fame, has stepped away from the squared circle to embark on a new journey: shaping the future of America’s youth as a high school wrestling coach.
The news broke when Dr. Chris Featherstone, aka the scoop-master himself, shared on X (formerly known as Twitter): “I just spoke with former WWE star Tucker… He said he has retired from professional wrestling and does not plan to return. He currently is a high school wrestling coach & raising his two kids.”
The story of Tucker’s wrestling career is like a finely aged tale of brotherhood, betrayal, and a championship reign that lasted, well… just seconds. Back in WWE, he teamed up with Otis, becoming the lovable big-guy duo Heavy Machinery, where they bulldozed their way into fans’ hearts and onto our TV screens. Tucker even had the distinction of being the first Heavy Machinery member to grab a singles title. Sure, the 24/7 Championship reign was so short you could’ve missed it on a coffee run, but hey, it counts!
Following WWE’s release of Tucker in April 2021, he hit the independent scene for a while, but now he’s all in on this next chapter—no chair shots, no five-counts, just whistles and pep talks. This new career shift marks Tucker as a true American hero. As his tag partner Otis crushes it on WWE Raw with Alpha Academy, it seems Tucker is ready to grapple with a whole new kind of drama: the high school gym.
And so, while Otis lifts grown men over his head, Tucker will be lifting the spirits of teenagers who are absolutely thrilled to have a former WWE star as their wrestling coach. Because if there’s one thing every high schooler loves, it’s a teacher with a pro wrestling backstory. Tucker’s journey is an inspiration to all of us who’ve ever thought, “Is it too late to reinvent myself?” Answer: Nope! Just grab that whistle and get to work.