Barri Griffiths is a Welsh actor and former professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Mason Ryan. Griffiths studied construction management at Cardiff University, before working as a trainee carpenter and in his family's funeral home. He also played as a centre back for Porthmadog FC, but a knee injury curtailed his career. He appeared as "Goliath" on Gladiators in 2009. Griffiths began training to be a professional wrestler in 2006, and competed around Europe for the next three years. In 2009, he signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and debuted as Mason Ryan in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In July 2010, he won the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship and held the championship until February 2011. He made his main roster debut in January 2011, where he aligned himself with The New Nexus.