Ezekiel the Prophet
Ezekiel, as depicted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling
Prophet, Priest
Born	c. 622 BCE Jerusalem
Died	c. 570 BCE Babylon (?)
Honored in	Judaism Christianity (Roman Catholic Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Eastern Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church) Islam
Major shrine	Ezekiel's Tomb, Al Kifl, Iraq
Feast	August 28 - Armenian Apostolic Church July 21 - Lutheran Church

This article is about the main speaker in the biblical Book of Ezekiel. For a summary and analysis of the book itself, see Book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel ( /ɨˈziːki.əl/; Hebrew: יְחֶזְקֵאל‎‎, Y'ḥez'qel, Hebrew pronunciation: [jəħezˈqel]), Arabic:حزقيال Hazqiyal, 'God will strengthen' (from חזק, ḥazaq, [ħaˈzaq], literally 'to fasten upon,' figuratively 'strong,' and אל, el, [ʔel], literally 'God', and so figuratively 'The Almighty') is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.

In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet. In Judaism and Christianity, he is also viewed as the author of the Book of Ezekiel that reveals prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the Millennia Temple visions, or the Third Temple.

Ezekiel's life[link]

The author of the Book of Ezekiel shows himself as Ezekiel, the son of Buzi,[Ezekiel 1:3] born into a priesthood (Kohen) lineage ^[1] of the patrilineal line of Ithamar, and resident of Anathoth. The author dates ages, prophecies and visions by making references to the lengths of time King Jehoiachin of Judah was in exile. Under the direction of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylonian armies exiled three thousand Jews^[2] from Judah, deposing King Jehoiachin in 597 BCE. In reference to Ezekiel being in his "thirtieth year... during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile",^{[Ezekiel 1:1, 2]} it could be determined that he was born c. 622 BCE.

Living in Babylon[link]

Ezekiel, at the age of 25, was amongst 3,000 upper class Jews who were exiled to Babylon. On the bank of the Chebar River, in Tel Abib^[3] (Mound of the Deluge), Ezekiel and his wife dwelled in their own home where exiled Judaic visitors came to seek his prophetic insights.^{[Ezekiel 1:1,3:15]} There is no mention of him having any offspring, only that his wife died rather young, in the ninth year of exile, when Ezekiel was 34 years of age.^{[Ezekiel 24:1, 18]}

Prophetic career[link]

In July 592 BCE, at the age of 30, Ezekiel describes his calling to be a prophet, by going into great detail about his encounter with God who rode upon a chariot of four wheels guided by Cherubs.^{[Ezekiel 1]} For the next five years he incessantly prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which was met with some opposition and drama. However, Ezekiel and his contemporaries like Jeremiah, another prophet who was living in Jerusalem at that time, witnessed the fulfillment of their prophecies when Jerusalem was finally sacked by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, an event that is confirmed by most historians^[who?]. The date of the sacking did not coincide with Ezekiel's prophecy, however.^[4] Ezekiel was 50 years old when he began to have visions of a new Temple. He served as a prophet for at least 22 years until, according to scriptures, it is believed Ezekiel's last encounter with God occurred in April 570 BCE.^{[Ezekiel 29:17]} His time of death has not been recorded.

World views[link]

Jewish tradition[link]

Monument to Holocaust survivors at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The quote is Ezekiel 37:14.

Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, is said by Talmud^[5] and Midrash ^[6] to have been a descendant of Joshua by his marriage with the proselyte Rahab. Some statements found in rabbinic literature^[who?] (Radak – R. David Kimkhi – in his commentary on Ezekiel 1:3, based on Targum Yerushalmi) posits that Ezekiel was the son of Jeremiah, who was (also) called "Buzi" because he was despised by the Jews.

Ezekiel was said to be already active as a prophet while in the Land of Israel, and he retained this gift when he was exiled with Jehoiachin and the nobles of the country to Babylon.^[7]

Rava states in the Babylonian Talmud that although Ezekiel describes the appearance of the throne of God (Merkabah), this is not because he had seen more than the prophet Isaiah, but rather because the latter was more accustomed to such visions; for the relation of the two prophets is that of a courtier to a peasant, the latter of whom would always describe a royal court more floridly than the former, to whom such things would be familiar.^[8] Ezekiel, like all the other prophets, has beheld only a blurred reflection of the divine majesty, just as a poor mirror reflects objects only imperfectly ^[9]).

According to the midrash Canticles Rabbah, it was Ezekiel whom the three pious men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Bible) asked for advice as to whether they should resist Nebuchadnezzar's command and choose death by fire rather than worship his idol. At first God revealed to the prophet that they could not hope for a miraculous rescue; whereupon the prophet was greatly grieved, since these three men constituted the "remnant of Judah". But after they had left the house of the prophet, fully determined to sacrifice their lives to God, Ezekiel received this revelation: "Thou dost believe indeed that I will abandon them. That shall not happen; but do thou let them carry out their intention according to their pious dictates, and tell them nothing".^[10]

Ezekiel's greatest "miracle" consisted in his resuscitation of the dead, which is recounted in chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel. Although the Hebrew Bible describes this event as an ecstatic vision rather than a historical occurrence, later interpreters speculated as to the fate of these men, both before and after their revitalization. Some say that they were godless people, who in their lifetime had denied the resurrection, and committed other sins; others think they were those Ephraimites who tried to escape from Egypt before Moses and perished in the attempt. There are still others who maintain that after Nebuchadnezzar had carried the beautiful youths of Judah to Babylon, he had them executed and their bodies mutilated, because their beauty had entranced the Babylonian women, and that it was these youths whom Ezekiel called back to life.

This miracle is said to have been performed on the same day on which the three men were cast into the fiery furnace; namely, on the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement (Cant. R. vii. 9). Nebuchadnezzar, who had made a drinking-cup from the skull of a murdered Jew, was greatly astonished when, at the moment that the three men were cast into the furnace, the bodies of the dead boys moved, and, striking him in the face, cried out: "The companion of these three men revives the dead!" (see a Karaite record of this episode in Judah Hadasi's "Eshkol ha-Kofer", 45b, at foot; 134a, end of the section). When the boys awakened from death, they rose up and joined in a song of praise to God for the miracle vouchsafed to them; later, they went to Israel, where they married and reared children.

As early as the 2nd century, however, some authorities declared this resurrection of the dead was a prophetic vision: an opinion regarded by Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed, II:46) and his followers as the only rational explanation of the Biblical passage.

Christianity[link]

Russian icon of the Prophet Ezekiel holding a scroll with his prophecy and pointing to the "closed gate" (18th century, Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Russia)

Ezekiel is commemorated as a saint in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church—and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite—on July 21 (for those churches which use the traditional Julian Calendar, July 21 falls on August 3 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). This date was chosen because it is the day after the feast day of the Prophet Elias. Ezekiel is commemorated on August 28 on the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Certain Lutheran churches also celebrate his commemoration on July 21.

The Church Fathers interpret Ezekiel's vision of the human likeness upon the sapphire throne (Ezekiel 1:26) as a prophecy of the Incarnation of the Logos from the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), who in many ancient church hymns is called the "living Throne of God".^{[citation needed]}

Ezekiel's statement about the "closed gate" (Ezekiel 44:2–3) is understood as another prophesy of the Incarnation: the "gate" signifying the Virgin Mary and the "prince" referring to Jesus. This is one of the readings at Vespers on Great Feasts of the Theotokos in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches.^{[citation needed]} This imagery is also found in the traditional Catholic Christmas hymn "Gaudete."

Since 1830 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has identified the Book of Mormon as the "record of the stick of Ephraim" ^[11] (Ezekiel 37:16) while the stick of Judah is identified with the Bible. According to Matthew Henry a Bible commentator who flourished in the 17th century, Ezekiel is also believed to have been known as Nazaratus Assyrius, a teacher to Pythagorus. However, James Ussher, in his writings of the Ussher chronology, republished as "The Annals of the World" claims that this is a mistake, basing his opinion on the writings of Clemens Alexandrinus. However, Sir William Smith, in his "Bible Dictionary," points out that John Selden, among others, consider it a possibility. In the book "Pythagoras: Greek philosopher" it states; "Nazaratus, the Assyrian, one of Pythagoras' masters, was supposed to be the prophet Ezekiel, and Thomas Stanley's Life of Pythagoras says that Ezekiel and Pythagoras flourished together.

Islamic tradition[link]

Ezekiel is recognized as a prophet in Islamic tradition. Although not mentioned in the Qur'an, all Muslim scholars, both classical^[12] and modern ^[13] have included Ezekiel in the prophetic pantheon.

The Qur'an mentions a prophet called Zul-Kifl. This prophet is sometimes identified with Ezekiel although Zul-Kifl's identity is disputed. Carsten Niebuhr, in his Reisebeschreibung nach Arabian,^[14] says he visited Al Kifl in Iraq, midway between Najaf and Hilla and said Kifl was the Arabic form of Ezekiel. He further explained in his book that Ezekiel's Tomb was present in Al Kifl and that the Jews came to it on pilgrimage. The name Zul-Kifl would mean "One of double", as Kifl in Arabic means "double". Some Islamic scholars have likened Ezekiel's mission to the description of Dhul-Kifl. When the exile, monarchy, and state were annihilated, a political and national life was no longer possible. In the absence of a worldly foundation it became necessary to build a spiritual one and Ezekiel performed this mission by observing the signs of the time and deducing his doctrines from them. In conformity with the two parts of his book, his personality and his preaching are alike twofold, and the title Zul-Kifl means "the one of double" Aside from the possible identification of Zul-Kifl with Ezekiel, Muslims have viewed Ezekiel as a prophet, regardless of his identification with Zul-Kifl. Therefore, two main views on Ezekiel are popular in Muslim theology:

• One views Ezekiel and Zul-Kifl as two different prophets.
• One views Ezekiel and Zul-Kifl as the same prophet.

Ezekiel appears in all Muslim collections of Stories of the Prophets.^[15] Muslim exegesis further lists Ezekiel's father as Buzi (Budhi) and Ezekiel is given the title ibn al-adjus, denoting "son of the old", as his parents are supposed to have been very old when he was born. A tradition, which resembles that of Hannah and Samuel in the Hebrew Bible, states that Ezekiel's mother prayed to God in old age for the birth of an offspring and was given Ezekiel as a gift from God.^[16]

Bibliography[link]

• Ibn Kutayba, K. al-Ma'arif ed. S. Ukasha, 51
  

  

  One traditional depiction of the cherubim and chariot vision, based on the description by Ezekiel.
• Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, 2, 53–54
• Tabari, Tafsir, V, 266 (old ed. ii, 365)
• Masudi, Murudj, i, 103ff.
• K. al-Badwa l-tarikh, iii, 4/5 and 98/100, Ezechiel
• Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary, Note. 2473 (cf. index: Ezekiel)

Secular views[link]

Possible epilepsy[link]

Altschuler has suggested that the person described by the Book of Ezekiel may have suffered from epilepsy. Specifically, it is claimed that Ezekiel himself may have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, which has several characteristic symptoms that are apparent from his writing.^[17] These symptoms include hypergraphia, hyperreligiosity, fainting spells, and mutism and often are collectively ascribed to a condition known as Geschwind syndrome.

Supposed indication of spacecraft[link]

Erich von Däniken and others who believe the Earth has been visited by natives of unknown places out in universe have been excited, to a considerable degree, by Ezekiel's vision.^[18] That Ezekiel endeavors, differently than others of the Bible's authors who describe mystic visions, to report about as many details of the design of what he has perceived as possible nourishes doubts that his account can usefully be interpreted merely on a mystical basis and strengthens tendencies to explain certain passages of the book as descriptions of sightings of a spacecraft.^[19] The Austro-American NASA engineer Josef F. Blumrich tried to reconstruct a spaceship that Ezekiel may have flown in.^[20]

Tomb of Ezekiel[link]

The tomb of Ezekiel is a structure located in modern day south Iraq near Kefil, believed to be the final resting place of Ezekiel.^[21] It has been a place of pilgrimage to both Muslims and Jews alike. After the Jewish exodus from Iraq, Jewish activity in the tomb ceased although a disused Synagogue remains in place.^[22]

See also[link]

• Al Kifl
• Apocryphon of Ezekiel
• Babylonian captivity
• Book of Ezekiel
• Dhul-Kifl, an Islamic prophet likened to Ezekiel.
• List of names referring to El
• Taw

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Broome, Edwin C., Jr. (September 1946). "Ezekiel's Abnormal Personality". Journal of Biblical Literature 65: 277–292. 
• Eissfeldt, Otto (1965). The Old Testament: An Introduction. Peter Ackroyd, trans. Oxford: Blackwell. 
• Gottwald, Norman K. (1985). The Hebrew Bible : a socio-literary introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. ISBN 0-8006-0853-4. 
• Greenberg, Moshe (1983). Ezekiel 1–20 : a new translation with introduction and commentary. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-00954-2. 
• Greenberg, Moshe (1997). Ezekiel 21–37 : a new translation with introdution and commentary. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-18200-7. 
• Klein, Ralph W. (1988). Ezekiel : the prophet and his message. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-553-1. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ezekiel

• Catholic Encyclopedia article
• Prophet Ezekiel Orthodox icon and synaxarion
• Ezek.org: The Seraphic Order Auxiliary

The view towards Cambridge from Magog Down

On the horizon can be seen the southern outskirts of Cambridge, with the tall chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The Gog Magog Downs (also known as the Gog Magog Hills or simply the Gogs) are a range of low chalk hills, extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge in England. The highest points are marked on Ordnance Survey 1:25000 maps as "Telegraph Clump"^{[map 1]} at 75 m (246 ft), Little Trees Hill^{[map 2]} and Wandlebury Hill,^{[map 3]} both at 74 m (243 ft). The area is undefined but is roughly the elevated area lying north west of the 41 m (135 ft) col at Worsted Lodge.^{[map 4]}

Unlike the nearby hills of the Newmarket Ridge, which have steep sides but very flat tops, these hills have large drops between summits and as such have quite a distinctive appearance; Little Trees Hill looks particularly good from Huckeridge Hill near Sawston. The hills therefore have relatively high topographic prominence. Other tops include: Limepit Hill 56 m (184 ft)^{[map 5]} — Mag's Hill^{[map 6]} — Copley Hill^{[map 7]} — Meggs Hill^{[map 8]} — Fox Hill^{[map 9]} — Clarke's Hill^{[map 10]} — White Hill^{[map 11]}

History[link]

The earliest mention of the biblical name Gog and Magog for this region is found in a decree of 1574, forbidding students to visit the Gog Magog Hills on pain of a fine.^[1] Random excavations around the hills revealed the remains of defences at Copley Hill and Cherry Hinton, not older than the Iron Age but the sites themselves are now known already to have been occupied in the Bronze Age.^[2] The better-preserved hill fort known as the Wandlebury Ring, which is now situated in a public park, had several concentric ditches and earthen walls, which were kept in place by wooden palisades. It was already inhabited in the Bronze Age^[3] and archaeological findings include bronze and iron objects and pottery, including "Knobbed Ware", dating from the Bronze Age.

"Telegraph clump" functioned as one of the locations for the semaphore line, an optical telegraph system, between London and Great Yarmouth from around the 1820s to around 1850.

The dowser and archaeologist Thomas Charles Lethbridge claimed to have found some ancient hill figures buried in the chalk under the surface of the hills. These purported to represent a sun-god, a moon-goddess and a warrior-god. Lethbridge's claims, however, were controversial and are not widely accepted.

In 1989 the Magog Trust,^[4] a charity and registered company created for the purpose bought 163.5 acres (66.2 ha) of the downs for £330,000 so it could be returned to chalk grassland and opened to the public.

However the bulk of the chalk downs have been converted to a golf course since 1901 by the Gog Magog Golf Club.^[5]

See also[link]

• Army Manoeuvres of 1912
• Beechwoods nature reserve
• Chalk Group
• East Cambridgeshire
• Guildhall, London for the characters Gog and Magog. How their names came to be attached to these hills is unknown.

References[link]

1. ^ Once Around Wandlebury, W. Clark,1985,Cambridge Preservation Society, p.4.
2. ^ Wandlebury Hillfort Cambridgeshire, P. Pattison and A. Oswald, 1995, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, Archaeological Field Survey Report, p.12.
3. ^ Over the Hills to Cherry Hinton, H.C. Coppock, 1984, Plumridge, Linton, Cambridge,p.14.
4. ^ Magog Trust
5. ^ History of the Gog Magog Golf Club

Mapping[link]

1. ^ Telegraph Clump, 52°09′44.02″N 000°11′12.04″E / 52.1622278°N 0.1866778°E / 52.1622278; 0.1866778 (Telegraph Clump)
2. ^ Little Trees Hill, 52°09′15.59″N 000°10′25.07″E / 52.1543306°N 0.1736306°E / 52.1543306; 0.1736306 (Little Trees Hill)
3. ^ Wandlebury Hill, 52°09′28.04″N 000°11′00.72″E / 52.1577889°N 0.1835333°E / 52.1577889; 0.1835333 (Wandlebury Hill)
4. ^ Worsted Lodge, 52°08′39.31″N 000°14′02.52″E / 52.1442528°N 0.2340333°E / 52.1442528; 0.2340333 (Worsted Lodge)
5. ^ Limepit Hill, 52°10′24.89″N 000°12′17.23″E / 52.1735806°N 0.2047861°E / 52.1735806; 0.2047861 (Limepit Hill)
6. ^ Mag's Hill, 52°09′55.88″N 000°12′10.53″E / 52.1655222°N 0.202925°E / 52.1655222; 0.202925 (Mag's Hill)
7. ^ Copley Hill, 52°09′20″N 000°12′24.55″E / 52.15556°N 0.2068194°E / 52.15556; 0.2068194 (Copley Hill)
8. ^ Meggs Hill, 52°08′56.96″N 000°12′44.46″E / 52.1491556°N 0.21235°E / 52.1491556; 0.21235 (Meggs Hill)
9. ^ Fox Hill, 52°09′22.83″N 000°09′52.04″E / 52.1563417°N 0.1644556°E / 52.1563417; 0.1644556 (Fox Hill)4
10. ^ Clarke's Hill, 52°09′33.31″N 000°09′10.43″E / 52.1592528°N 0.1528972°E / 52.1592528; 0.1528972 (Clarke's Hill)
11. ^ White Hill, 52°09′46.82″N 000°08′39.5″E / 52.1630056°N 0.144306°E / 52.1630056; 0.144306 (White Hill)

External links[link]

• Ritual activity at the foot of the Gog Magog Hills
• Fortean Traveller: The Gog Magog Hills, Cambridgeshire

Coordinates: 52°09′55.66″N 000°10′48.58″E / 52.1654611°N 0.1801611°E / 52.1654611; 0.1801611 (Gog Magog Downs)

Ezekiel Jackson
Ring name(s)	Big Ryck Hytz[1] Ezekiel[1] Ezekiel Jackson[1] Ricky Atlas[1] Rycklon[1] Rycklon Stephens[1]
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Weight	280 lb (130 kg)[2]
Billed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3]
Billed weight	280 lb (130 kg)[3]
Born	(1978-04-22) April 22, 1978 (age 34)[1] Linden, Guyana[3][4]
Billed from	Harlem, New York[1][3] Guyana, South America
Trained by	Homicide[1] Tom Prichard[1] Steve Keirn[1]

Rycklon Stephens^[1] (born April 22, 1978)^[1] is an American bodybuilder and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson.^[3] He is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion. He is also a former one-time world champion, having won the ECW Championship in February 2010, and is recognized by WWE as the final ECW Champion.^[5]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2008)[link]

Stephens in FCW

Stephens signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in March 2007 and debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in late June.^[1] In his debut match on June 27, he teamed with Keith Walker to defeat Kofi Kingston and Eric Pérez.^[1] He continued to compete in the promotion in both tag team and singles matches. On February 8, 2008 he competed in a match with tag partner Bryan Kelly in a losing effort against Steve Lewington and Heath Miller in a mini-tournament to face WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz.^[1] On May 6, 2008, Stephens wrestled his final match in FCW before being called up to WWE's main roster.^[1]

SmackDown (2008–2009)[link]

After being trained in FCW, Stephens debuted on the July 18, 2008 episode of SmackDown under the name Ezekiel, as The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard.^[6] On the August 8, 2008 edition of SmackDown, his ring name was tweaked to Ezekiel Jackson, and he was revealed as being Kendrick's "advisor". He then began interfering in Kendrick's matches against Jeff Hardy, Finlay, and WWE Champion Triple H. On the October 17 episode of SmackDown, Jackson made his official in-ring debut by quickly defeating Super Crazy, after replacing a supposedly sick Kendrick.^[7] In late 2008, Jackson began teaming with Kendrick and both began feuding with the WWE Tag Team Champions The Colóns (Carlito and Primo), although Kendrick and Jackson failed to win the championship.^[8][9][10] He suffered his first defeat on the February 13, 2009 episode of SmackDown, when he lost a singles match to R-Truth.^[11] Jackson made his final appearance on the SmackDown brand in a losing effort against Jeff Hardy on the April 3, 2009 episode.^[12]

ECW and ECW Champion (2009–2010)[link]

On April 15, 2009, Jackson was drafted to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, therefore breaking up the team of himself and Kendrick.^[13] Jackson returned to FCW for further training, however, without making an immediate appearance for the brand.^[14] He made his ECW debut defeating Jack Meridol on the July 9, 2009 episode.^[15] Jackson then began an angle with Vladimir Kozlov in which, week after week, after one of them had squashed a local competitor, the other would come out and hit their finishing move on the fallen opponent in a game of one-upmanship.^{[16][17][18][19]} On the August 18 episode of ECW, Jackson formed an alliance with Kozlov and William Regal after betraying the ECW Champion, Christian, during a tag team match to side with them, and attacking Christian at Regal's request.^[20] Kozlov and Jackson aided Regal in his feud with Christian over the ECW Championship, but Regal was unable to capture the title.^[21][22]

On the November 24 episode of ECW, Jackson attacked both Regal and Kozlov after Kozlov accused Jackson of costing Regal a match.^[23] The following week, Jackson once again betrayed Kozlov and Regal by walking out on Kozlov during a tag team match against Christian and Shelton Benjamin.^[24] Jackson, however, realigned himself with Regal, when he was aided by Regal in defeating Kozlov on an episode of ECW. On the January 12, 2010 episode of ECW, Jackson won the ECW Homecoming battle royal to earn a match for the ECW Championship.^[25] He faced Christian for the ECW championship at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view but was unsuccessful.^[26] On the final episode of ECW on February 16, Jackson defeated Christian to win the ECW Championship in an Extreme Rules match.^[5][27] He is credited by WWE as the final ECW Champion.^[5]

Brand switches; The Corre and Intercontinental Champion (2010–present)[link]

On the February 19 episode of SmackDown, a video package aired, promoting Jackson's return to the brand.^[28][29] He made his return on the March 5 episode of SmackDown without Regal, who instead joined Raw, and defeated Jimmy Wang Yang.^[30] On April 10, 2010 at a house show in Glasgow, Scotland, Jackson suffered a tear in his right quadriceps muscle during a match against Kane, and was expected to be inactive for approximately six months.^[31]

During his injury, Jackson was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2010 WWE Supplemental Draft.^[32] Jackson made his return to the ring on September 13, 2010, defeating Zack Ryder in a dark match prior to the Raw tapings.^[33] He returned to television on the October 18 episode of Raw, where he was revealed as a member of Team Raw for the Bragging Rights pay-per-view.^[34] At Bragging Rights, Jackson was one of the final two remaining members of Team Raw, but they lost to Team SmackDown.^[35] On the November 22 episode of Raw, Jackson qualified for the 2010 edition of the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Alex Riley, who replaced Jackson's original opponent The Miz.^[36] He faced Drew McIntyre in the quarter-finals, but the match ended in a double countout, so neither advanced.^[37]

In December 2010, Jackson returned to the SmackDown brand.^[3][38] On the January 12, 2011, taping of the January 14 edition of SmackDown, Jackson joined Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater in assaulting The Big Show, appearing to form an alliance with the three.^[39][40] The following week the group was named The Corre.^[41] On the May 6 episode of SmackDown, Jackson defeated Big Show in a singles match, but refused to celebrate with the other members of The Corre afterward. Backstage, the other members of The Corre attacked him in retaliation.^[42] Jackson went on to face Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship at Over the Limit, and won by disqualification, which meant that Barrett retained the championship.^[43] Jackson continued to feud with the other members of The Corre, winning against Barrett by disqualification and countout respectively.^[44][45]

On June 19, at the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view, Jackson defeated Barrett to win the Intercontinental Championship.^[46] Jackson retained the championship in a rematch against Barrett on the following episode of SmackDown and also successfully defended it against Ted DiBiase on the July 15 episode.^[47][48] On August 12 episode of SmackDown, Jackson lost the Intercontinental Championship to Cody Rhodes.^[49] He went on to feud with both Rhodes and DiBiase. On the August 19 episode of SmackDown, he lost a rematch for the championship to Rhodes.^[50] Jackson was part of a ten man battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship and was eliminated by Rhodes.^[51]

On January 29, 2012 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Jackson entered the Royal Rumble match as the thirteenth entrant, but was eliminated by The Great Khali.^[52] Jackson started a losing streak losing to the likes of Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, and even David Otunga. Jackson finally ended his losing streak by teaming with The Great Khali to defeat Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks on the May 16th edition of WWE NXT.

Personal life[link]

Jackson is a graduate from the University at Buffalo .^[53] He is of Guyanese descent. He is married and has two children.

In wrestling[link]

Jackson performing his "Torture Rack" (Backbreaker rack) on Drew McIntyre.

Jackson with The Brian Kendrick in 2009

• Finishing moves
  • Book of Ezekiel (Ura-nage)^[54][55] — 2009-2011
  • Chokeslam^[56][57] — 2008
  • Running Clothesline,^{[55][58] [59]} with theatrics — 2011
  • Torture Rack (Backbreaker rack)^[59][60] — 2008, 2011–present

• Signature moves
  • Clothesline,^[55][58] sometimes to a cornered opponent^[59]
  • Multiple scoop slams^[60][61]
  • Shoulder block^[54][62]

• Managers
  • William Regal^[26]

• Nicknames
  • "The Guyanese Goliath"^[63]
  • "(Big) Zeke"^[62]
  • "The Personification of Domination"

• Entrance themes
  • "Domination" performed by Evan Jones and composed by Jim Johnston (July 2009–present)^[64][65]
  • "End of Days" by Emphatic^[66] (January 2011–May 2011)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #93 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010^[67]

• World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
  • ECW Championship (1 time)^[5]
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)^[46]

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ezekiel Jackson

• WWE profile
• Online World of Wrestling profile