WWE Superstar and member of the Raw brand, Braun Strowman, was recently a guest on family-friendly version of The Steve Austin Show with WWE Hall of Famer.
The two discussed strength and conditioning in depth, as Strowman comes from a background of weightlifting and Strongman competition, and “Stone Cold” is something of a mark for lifting and exercise. One of the many interesting notes from the interview is that the big man’s WWE billed weight of 375 pounds is not a worked number, and his body weight can fluctuate between 10 and 15 pounds on a daily basis. Strowman said that at his heaviest he was pushing 420 pounds, and that the experience was “miserable”.
Featured below are transcripts from the interview, which you can check out in full at PodcastOne.com.
How WWE tailored his training to match his size and strength early on:
“Starting out they didn’t really [tailor my training]. Everyone did the exact same stuff. They taught us to bump, to run the ropes, to roll. I was doing squats, standing on the top rope to work on foot work. A lot of stuff that, in the back of my mind, I thought to myself, ‘why am I doing this?’ Then down the road I see, because of all the bumping I did, and the rolls and a lot of things I thought were monotonous that I did over and over, it formed a callous and I just do these things automatically, and I don’t have to think about them.”
As a big guy, and someone who has put his body through numerous Strongman competitions, how did Strowman feel while WWE was teaching him the basics of the wrestling business:
“After the first week of practice, I remember waking up on a Saturday morning I had off, and I felt like I was 90-years-old. All hunched over, everything hurt. I sounded like Rice Crispies when you poor milk on them, when I get out of bed everything is snap, crackle and popping. That’s one of those moments where I’m going, ‘what the hell have I gotten myself into?’ And I had to take a step back and go, ‘is this worth it?’ But then you pop a couple Ibuprofen, and have a cold one, and it makes you rethink. I don’t think anything that’s easy to attain in life is worth having.”
On getting the opportunity to work with the Wyatt Family:
“For a long time there was talk that it wasn’t going to happen. They were talking about cutting my hair, my beard, giving me a different look, going with something else. And then the powers that be decided that’s not what they wanted, and they wanted me to be with the Wyatt Family. The little experience that I have had, coming up and wrestling, being put in with a group of guys like that to hide some of my weaknesses while I honed my skills, I couldn’t have been in a better spot.” … “Luke Harper is one of the best working big men that I’ve ever seen. Rowan’s the same way.”
How inspiration and important Bray Wyatt has been on his career so far:
“Bray and I have had a special connection ever since we met. He’s kinda wanted me since the first time he saw me. In real life it’s almost scary how much we are alike. He calls me ‘Evil Windham'” … “It was almost heartbreaking that they spit us up. We ride together, we roomed together, we eat together, we lift together, making towns, and he talks about wrestling, and tells me about what I did that night, what sucked, what I needed to throw away, what I needed to keep.”
Strowman also praised Big Show and Kane, and is extremely grateful for getting the chance to work against them on the live circuit as two big men who have done everything in the business over several decades. Check out the full interview with Braun Strowman and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on PodcastOne.com.
