WWE NXT star No Way Jose recently spoke with WWE.com and below are some interview highlights:
WWE.COM: Tell us, who exactly is No Way Jose?
NO WAY JOSE: If I wanted to be brief, you can say No Way Jose is a one-man fiesta! But since we have time, let’s dive into this a bit. The name itself is a nickname that stuck, because back in the day, my Latin temper was a bit more volatile. Would anyone want to mess with Jose back then? No way!
But with time, I grew up and tamed the fire once I started opening my eyes to the rhythm of life. There are so many people everywhere, all doing their own thing, but when they come to a show they want to smile. People want to have a great time. The way I see it, there ain’t no way you’re wiping this smile off of my face. That’s what I’m all about now: a nickname to remind me of where I came from, along with a smile and carefree attitude to show where we can end up.
WWE.COM: Let’s look down the road here in NXT. Who are some of the Superstars you look forward to facing?
JOSE: Everyone wants to face the champ, and right now that man is Samoa Joe. He’s been doing this for a very long time and the respect is there, but so is the opportunity to be the best. Then you have the longest-reigning NXT Champion in Finn Bálor, who’s shown the world for years what he’s made of, so to face him would be great. To wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura, my Twitter nemesis but a well-respected and very charismatic and talented competitor, would also be fun. I would like to see if The Drifter would ever play a few songs for me to dance to, but he’d probably say, “no way,” and a fight would ensue. Then there’s a fellow Latino that I’m sure we’ll all get to know very well in Manny Andrade. The brother is an international Superstar who’s sure to make a splash.
WWE.COM: We touched on it a little bit earlier, but tell us more about your upbringing.
JOSE: In the Dominican Republic, you see the resorts and such, but where I come from we didn’t have that kind of stuff. I grew up in the parts of the city you won’t put on a postcard, but it’s home. We struggled, but we survived. Seeing my father work from 2 a.m. to overtime, my mom work all day and then take care of three children who were a handful, the struggle was real, the bills were never ending, but we made it thanks to them. I was always taught to not let the tough moments beat you, but, instead, find a way to overcome. It was easy to be angry, but the toughest lesson to learn was that you can always smile and let the positive vibes win.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
