Roderick Strong on How He Made it to WWE, Getting His Start in Wrestling, Where He Sees Himself in Two Years

January 20, 2017

Roderick Strong recently spoke with WWE.com and below are some interview highlights:

How he got started in pro wrestling:

“My father is the reason I’m a wrestler today. He was trained by Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and competed under the names Billy the Kid and Elvis Wesley on the Florida Independent scene. At the time, I was living with only my dad, so he brought me to training. From the first day I was around wrestling, I fell in love with it, but not in the way a lot of people do by just being a fan. Being in that environment and starting in the ring at the age of 12 gave me an escape from a pretty crazy life at the time, and it let me be whoever I wanted to be. It really became my happy place.”

Making it to the WWE:

“When I first got into wrestling, guys my size weren’t really being signed to WWE like they are today. But deep down, I knew if I worked as hard as I possibly could, it would eventually happen. Timing is everything, that’s for sure.”

Where he will be in two years:

“In two years, I see myself fighting those Superstars you mentioned earlier [Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins], this time on Monday or Tuesday nights, and continuing to show the WWE Universe why I am one of the best in this business.”

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.

Nick attended New York University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Drama.

Nick first entered the internet wrestling community back in 2004 when he became the co-host of The Voice of Wrestling Radio Show. From there, Nick made the transition from radio personality to editor when he began working with WrestleZone in 2008.

Nick is a member of two Off-Broadway theatre companies, Another Urban Riff, and the Drama Desk Award winning Godlight Theatre Company. Nick has appeared in over a dozen Off-Broadway plays since he moved to New York City, and has shot several short and feature length films. In 2010, he completed principle photography on a film titled "How to Score Your Life," which also features TNA Knockout ODB.

Inspiration in his life has come from many people including his family, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, and of course, Lassie.