# Hank Walker
**Hank Walker** is the ring name of Joseph Sculthorpe (born 1998), an American professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he performs on the NXT brand. A former security officer who entered wrestling through NXT's on-screen security team, he is best known as one half of the tag team Hank & Tank with [Tank Ledger](https://www.edgepedia.org/tank-ledger), with whom he has held the [NXT Tag Team Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-tag-team-championship) and Japan's GHC Tag Team Championship.[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hank_Walker) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name / born | Joseph Sculthorpe, 1998, Hampstead, North Carolina[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hank_Walker) |
| Billed stats | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm); WWE lists 290 lbs, other databases 306 lbs[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hank_Walker) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker) |
| Debut | June 11, 2022, NXT live event; first televised loss to Channing Lorenzo on NXT Level Up, July 1, 2022[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) |
| Contract | Defeated Javier Bernal on the NXT 2.0 One-Year Anniversary show (September 13, 2022); Shawn Michaels offered him an NXT contract[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) |
| Tag team | Hank & Tank with Tank Ledger[2](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker) |
| Championships | NXT Tag Team (April 19, 2025, with Ledger, defeating Fraxiom); NOAH GHC Tag Team (November 8, 2025); ROW Tag Team (August 9, 2026)[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) |
| Background | In the Atlanta Falcons' training squad in 2021 before signing with WWE[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&name=Hank+Walker&nr=25516) |
## Background and signing
Before wrestling, Sculthorpe was an athlete in [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football): CAGEMATCH records him in the training squad of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in 2021.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&name=Hank+Walker&nr=25516) He then joined WWE and was first seen on NXT television as part of the brand's security detail, keeping order between Superstars and drawing attention with a no-nonsense attitude.[2](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker) • [5](https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/hank-walker-superstar-bio)
His in-ring career began on June 11, 2022, at an NXT live event in a match against [Myles Borne](https://www.edgepedia.org/myles-borne) that ended in a no contest, with Von Wagner also defeating him that night.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) His televised debut followed on the July 1, 2022 episode of NXT Level Up, a losing effort against Channing Lorenzo.[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hank_Walker) A running rivalry with Javier Bernal gave him his breakthrough: on the NXT 2.0 One-Year Anniversary show on September 13, 2022, Walker beat Bernal, and [Shawn Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/shawn-michaels) offered him an NXT contract on the spot.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) • [5](https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/hank-walker-superstar-bio)
## Early singles run and the Gulak alliance
Through late 2022 and early 2023 Walker wrestled a losing schedule against established NXT names, including [Carmelo Hayes](https://www.edgepedia.org/carmelo-hayes), Xyon Quinn, [Charlie Dempsey](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-dempsey-wrestler), and Axiom.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) In December 2022 he began appearing alongside [Drew Gulak](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-gulak), the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, who took him on as a technical mentor; the pairing ended in February 2023 when Gulak joined forces with Dempsey against him after a match.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) • [5](https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/hank-walker-superstar-bio)
## Hank & Tank
From spring 2023 Walker was paired with Tank Ledger, another collegiate athlete who came to WWE through the NIL program, and the two formed the team Hank & Tank, presented as NXT's hard-hitting, party-loving duo.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) • [6](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/tank-ledger) The team's early record was mixed: they lost to Gallus, The Creed Brothers, and Axiom and Nathan Frazer through 2023 and 2024, including a first-round exit in the [Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/dusty-rhodes-tag-team-classic) in January 2024, while picking up wins on Level Up and at live events.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/)
**Championship run.** After a slow start to 2025, Hank & Tank won a gauntlet match in April 2025 and then dethroned the dominant champions Fraxiom to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship on April 19, 2025, at Stand & Deliver.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker) During the reign they successfully defended against teams including Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura and Chase U.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/)
**Excursion to Japan.** In late 2025 the team went on excursion to Pro Wrestling NOAH, where on November 8, 2025, they defeated [Team 2000X](https://www.edgepedia.org/team-2000x) (Masa Kitamiya and Takashi Sugiura) to win the GHC Tag Team Championship, one of NOAH's principal tag titles.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/) They returned to NXT television on December 9, 2025, as former NXT Tag Team Champions after the Japan stint.[7](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2025-12-09/hank-tank-return)
## 2026 activity
In 2026 Hank & Tank remained a fixture of the NXT tag division, mostly positioned in the upper half of the card. They lost a title number-one contender fatal four-way to The Vanity Project in February, beat Channing Lorenzo and [Uriah Connors](https://www.edgepedia.org/brogan-finlay) on June 23, 2026, and were part of the winning five-on-five side at Stand & Deliver on April 4, 2026.[8](https://d1ppoy4pjmghru.cloudfront.net/wrestlers/nxt/2081/hank-walker/matches/) In singles competition Walker lost to [Keanu Carver](https://www.edgepedia.org/keanu-carver) on the July 21, 2026 episode of NXT, a match built as payback for Carver's attack on Ledger.[8](https://d1ppoy4pjmghru.cloudfront.net/wrestlers/nxt/2081/hank-walker/matches/) • [9](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2026-07-21/walker-carver) The team also added a third tag title, the ROW Tag Team Championship, defeating EJ Nduka and Sam Holloway on August 9, 2026.[3](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/)
## Reception
Fan ratings on CAGEMATCH have tracked his improvement: the average rating rose from 3.00 in 2022 to 5.00 in 2026, with an overall average of 4.32 from 59 votes.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&name=Hank+Walker&nr=25516) Statistical profiling of his NXT work over a 52-week span shows a .400 win rate across 15 qualified matches, with an average win probability of .480, meaning he was booked as the underdog in most of his matches.[10](https://wrazzlin.com/wrestlers/nxt/2081/hank-walker/)
## References
1. [Hank Walker, Pro Wrestling Fandom](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hank_Walker)
2. [Hank Walker: Bio and Superstar Stats, WWE](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/hank-walker)
3. [Hank Walker, Online World of Wrestling](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/hank-walker/)
4. [Hank Walker, CAGEMATCH](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&name=Hank+Walker&nr=25516)
5. [Hank Walker Bio Information, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/hank-walker-superstar-bio)
6. [Tank Ledger, WWE](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/tank-ledger)
7. [Hank & Tank return to NXT, WWE](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2025-12-09/hank-tank-return)
8. [Hank Walker match record, WWE NXT database](https://d1ppoy4pjmghru.cloudfront.net/wrestlers/nxt/2081/hank-walker/matches/)
9. [Hank Walker throws down with Keanu Carver, WWE](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2026-07-21/walker-carver)
10. [Hank Walker 52-week stats, Wrazzlin](https://wrazzlin.com/wrestlers/nxt/2081/hank-walker/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestlers and stables › American wrestlers › Modern era wrestlers › NXT wrestlers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license