NXT’s Roderick Strong recently spoke with Jim Varsallone for the Miami Herald; you can read a few excerpts below:
Roderick Strong comments on being familiar with the Florida towns that NXT tours in:
“A lot of the towns are very similar. Some I haven’t wrestled in seven years, and I go there, and I’m like. ‘Oh my God.’ Dejavu. It’s awesome to see that the crowds are thriving, and they’re getting an opportunity to see a lot of these younger [NXT Superstars], who are eventually going to make their way to NXT TV and possibly the WWE main roster. So it’s awesome to be a part of that.”
“I wrestled in Miami quite a few times. I was doing shows there before I really got my break, before going to the Northeast quite a bit. I wrestled a lot in Davie. It makes me just think of that and how much of a good time that was. The crowds down there are always fun; so I’m excited to go to Miami with the WWE NXT brand.”
Strong comments on getting to work at the WWE Performance Center:
“It’s amazing. Every single day that I go there, I learn something new. From the position I came from, you didn’t get advice or constructive criticism as often as probably necessary to help you grow as a performer. The guys and the girls who are here are so lucky to have a staff that just wants you to be good. They want everybody in here to eventually make it to the main roster and be as successful as possible. Just to be in that environment is infectious to push me everyday to be better.”
Strong comments on how he got his big break with WWE after being a mainstay in Ring of Honor:
“I had been wrestling all over the world for 15 years, and I had been a mainstay in Ring of Honor for almost 13 years. I had a tryout with WWE before in 2014. I’ve communicated with [William] Regal. Just the timing of everything. I got a phone call from them. They were interested, and obviously I was interested, and here I am today [chuckles].
The timing couldn’t have been better for both I believe.”
