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Many wrestlers transition into behind-the-scenes roles in WWE once their in-ring careers are over. In a recent interview, Alex Shelley shed light on why he chose not to accept a coaching position while still performing as an active wrestler.
Shelley is best known for appearing in New Japan Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and TNA. In 2019, the 40-year-old spent a week coaching at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, shortly after graduating from med school.
On Developmentally Speaking, the former TNA World Champion said he turned down an offer to coach regularly because he wanted to continue wrestling:
"They kind of asked me if I would be interested in doing this [coaching] more," Shelley stated. "And I said, 'I appreciate the offer but, at the same time, I still wanna wrestle.' By that point, I was only 34, 35, so I just got back into wrestling, this was so cool, and I loved seeing how everything worked, and I hope I helped some people. But, yeah, I still wanna work." [29:15 – 29:37]
After rejecting the offer, Shelley teamed up with Kushida in a losing effort against Grizzled Young Veterans on NXT. He also competed at two NXT live events in January 2020.
Alex Shelley reflects on his WWE experience
Although he only made one televised appearance, Alex Shelley has nothing but good memories from his brief NXT stint.
The veteran wrestler was particularly impressed with how the company dealt with its superstars:
"I had such a great time," Shelley continued. "WWE treated their athletes so well. I don't have a cross word to say about it. It was just such a great experience. It really was." [30:50 – 31:02]
Shelley added that he held more talks with WWE around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he opted against joining the company because he did not think the time was right to make a major life-changing decision.
Do you have any favorite Alex Shelley moments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Developmentally Speaking and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
