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One of the people that had mentioned it before was Dezmond Xavier. He actually name-checked you in the interview as well and said that you were one to watch and said he would love to work with you. Who do you think is going to have maybe the biggest year of their career this year?
Now I kinda feel obligated to say him. Don't get me wrong, Dezmond is a tremendous wrestler and he is definitely one to watch. His charisma and in-ring talent is nothing to be messed with, man. He is on top of his game right now.
Not to mention he's the only person who really stands up and screams with me at the monitor when we're watching matches. People need to see how excited he gets over pro wrestling. That man is one of the most passionate guys I think pro wrestling has.
When it comes to me and comes to my size and my ability, what I can bring, I really want to test what I've got against the likes of Michael Elgin. As big man in pro wrestling, it's always been one of my goals to be a monster, to be a giant. My favourite wrestler growing up was Kane. I idolised him, I wanted to be him. I want to have a career as long as him. As a big man, he's the guy to beat, and I think the first step in that is proving my mettle against the likes of Elgin.
You mentioned before about the kind of transformation of IMPACT coming from TNA. I feel like you're someone who's your own transformation. You always seemed to have immense potential and that's been unleashed in IMPACT. What do you put that down to?
For me, it's confidence. NXT can teach you a lot. They can help you out. They can show you all these things, but there's always... Whether it's real or not, or it's all in your head, there is a feeling of walking on egg shells, there's a feeling of, "Am I going to be good enough?"
In NXT, you're competing against 200 people. You get stuck in that bottleneck and, when there is no avenue for to you to travel up, you get complacent, you begin to doubt yourself and those feelings creep in.
When I was released, I went out on the independent circuit and it no longer becomes, "How do I get up there?" The cheque is gone. It quickly becomes, "How do I get good enough to eat? How do I get good enough to make more money? How do I get good enough to give myself a better life?"
I think when I started going down those roads, where I was getting a response from people in the smaller crowds, it builds your confidence a little bit, and a little bit. When promoters are calling you from out of the blue because they saw a clip on YouTube, it builds that ego, that pride in you, and I think that was something that, for me, personally, was lacking in NXT.
The more I get an opportunity to stand out there now, the more I realise that I do have this ability and I do have this potential, and there is the goal of mine to not only be a great professional wrestler but bit to be a notable big man in pro wrestling, and it's not only obtainable but I think it is definitely a path I'm on. I think it's that confidence that really moves me through to becoming a bigger and better performer.
