What’s the story?
In a recent interview with ESPN, current WWE NXT general manager William Regal spoke about how former ROH superstar Chris Hero (real name – Christopher Spradlin), who works with the WWE under the name ‘Kassius Ohno’, can succeed in his second run with the NXT brand.
In case you didn’t know…
Hero joined the WWE in 2011 and was assigned to the company’s former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, competing with the likes of Seth Rollins and Xavier Woods early on. When FCW was rebranded as NXT in 2012, he featured on the show as a ‘heel’ and engaged in a number of feuds including one with William Regal, too.
Chris Hero turned ‘face’ after losing to Regal and apologising to him post which he got embroiled in a long rivalry with The Wyatt Family which continued till he was released by the WWE in November 2013. However, the superstar revealed that he had been told while leaving about a chance of him being reconsidered in the future.
The heart of the matter
William Regal told ESPN that it is a big thing that a great talent like Hero has been re-signed by the WWE. He praised the 37-year old by saying that he has the ability to change things, perceptions and styles. Regal added that the current generation of wrestlers idolise Chris Hero and he is pleased that they hired him. Here’s what Regal stated:
“It's a big thing, Chris is an incredibly talented man. I've known him for a long time. He's one of those guys that changes things. He's changes perceptions, and he changes styles. This generation look up to him, so to have him back is great.”
On how ‘The Knockout Artist’ can be successful in his return to the NXT fold, the brand’s general manager opined that the foremost thing for him was to stay healthy because injuries can have a negative impact on careers. He said:
“It's entirely up to him. He's just got to stay healthy, that's the No. 1 thing, the hardest thing. It's the great thing that people have no idea about, because of the way we are now, that injuries stop you doing what you do.”
Regal reiterated that Hero should take care of his health and get therapy done for his troubling knees. The former British wrestler claimed that doing all this will ensure that he can carry on for a long time and hoped that things work out well because Chris Hero does have the wherewithal to succeed. William Regal was quoted as saying this:
“Chris needs to take care of his health and make sure he's doing all of his therapy in his knees and whatever else. If he does that, and he looks after himself, he can go all the way. He's got the height, he's incredibly talented, he carries himself well, and talks well. I hope it works out.”
What next?
Chris Hero confronted WWE NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on his return to NXT a couple of weeks back and we may see a feud develop between them in the near future.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Provided he can stay on top of his fitness as per William Regal’s advice, Chris Hero certainly has the required talent to be fast-tracked into the WWE main roster.
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