Braun Strowman, who recently returned to WWE, was a recent guest on the After the Bell podcast. On the show, they discussed the surprise return to WWE, how Braun Strowman got into incredible shape, the surprise release, always being plan B and more.
On the surprise return:
“You know honestly, as much as I don’t want to admit it, because I’m supposed to be this big giant tough monster, I had to swallow back the emotions. It was really really hard to stay in character. I heard that roar, I heard the place come unglued, and look I’m just giving myself goose bumps thinking about it. I’m home, a year and a half away from the business watching my friends go out to entertain. We came back through the pandemic of being able to be in front of the WWE Universe and I wasn’t able to be a part of that made me kind of jealous. But you know that same feeling walking out there Kansas City Monday night after a year and a half of the WWE Universe not seeing the Monster Among Men, Oh my God, the pop, that’s what we all work for that’s what everybody does this for. I mean, there’s no feeling that can mimic that energy. That excitement when you walk out in the entire building loses their mind because you’re there and you can see in my entrance when I was walking, walking out like it was everything I could do to keep that emotion inside of me of just like yeah, like I cried when I came back through the curtain. And once I got away from everybody, I finally was able to absorb it and let it in because I love this and I miss it. I’m home. It’s good to be back.”
On how Braun Strowman got into incredible shape:
Just nose to the grindstone everyday, you know, all this stuff doesn’t happen overnight, it’s day in and day out consistency. And it doesn’t just the last year that I’ve been working. I’ve totally revamped the way I train, eat, sleep, everything in life all leading up to this moment and it’s just constantly every day finding a way to better myself. I’m working with some of the top nutritionists in the world and top coaches and top trainers. You only get better by working with people that are better than you, so I reached out, I went out and used all my resources to find the best people in the world to help me achieve some of these goals that I wanted to outside of the wrestling industry. And now leading it back to full circle, here we are, I bought the best package that I could absolutely possibly bring back to the WWE to the fans, to the powers that be in the office to myself and my family. And Dammit, I’m proud of myself, you know, for a little fat kid from Sherrills Ford North Carolina, I was told he was never going to amount to anything, [to] getting liked to proving people wrong. And then having kind of that rug yanked out from underneath your feet and slipping back into that doubt of not knowing if you’re good enough? Well, there was a little bit of a time where I was, you know, beating on myself mentally Why did this happen? What did I do wrong? What didn’t I do right? And all it did was, you know, I did everything in my power that I could and you know, sometimes it’s not good enough in this business. So what did I do? I went out and did everything I could to get better. I refuse to take no as an answer. I’ve stepped into places that I was uncomfortable being you know, and putting myself out there being vulnerable to get better, you know, listening, adapting, absorbing everything that I could. And I’m just going to keep continuing to do that. You think I look good now? Wait til you see what I look like in six months from now watch when I walk out on that stage at WrestleMania, the biggest baddest son of a bitch you have ever seen.
On the WWE release:
You know, it was a really, really hard pill to swallow, probably one of the biggest pills I’ve ever had to swallow in life and a reality check. You know, it was disheartening to say the least, you know, stepping up through or at the beginning of the pandemic when other people couldn’t come to work and people didn’t come to work, not knowing what’s going on in the world and strapping this company to my back and going out there week in and week out doing everything in my power to get quality product out so I can take the fans and the people around the world mind off the crazy stuff that was going on. And I’m proud of those times when through the pandemic, not only myself, all the boys and girls, everybody in the back, you guys, everybody that’s a part of that. We were the only entity in the entire world that was getting content out other than playing reruns. So we were the only people in the world that were giving people the opportunity to escape reality by sitting down, whether I took you on an emotional journey for three seconds, or the whole three hours I was on Monday Night Raw. That was your chance to escape from reality and I’m really, really proud of that. But then coming to how business ended and things like that. And like I said, it’s always business. I have no hard feelings, business is business, but knowing that I kind of stepped up and did that and then had the feeling of well, I was just a stray dog and all of a sudden I was just kicked off the porch, it was a little hard pill to swallow and kind of like the same thing like I spoke on earlier. What didn’t I do? What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? All those doubts that you start to play into yourself? Because you literally it’s a cold call out of nowhere. I was making breakfast at nine o’clock in the morning and got the phone call. ‘Hey, sorry, we have bad news due to budget cuts we’re initiating 90 days and then your contracts will be terminated.’ I was just like speechless. I think all I said was that I guess it was Thank you and I just hung up the phone. And I just was like, literally what the f*ck? Yeah. And it was this. It definitely sent me to a bad place for a little bit. But I know that everything in life happens for a reason and everything is a test. I’m a firm believer in God never puts more on your back than you can handle without you breaking and he just tested my strength once again. And did I falter at times and want to give up? Absolutely. I’d be a liar if I said that. But I know still regardless I’m in the WWE where I am in life. I have millions of people around the world, kids, people with disabilities, people that have been through accidents, injuries that look up to me that lean on me and my character myself as a human being to help them continue to get through life and not giving up on myself. I’m not only giving up on myself, which is the most selfish thing you can do in the world, but you’re giving up on all these other people’s hope. And I want to continue to be that beacon that light of hope that people can lean to when they’re having these bad days. And or they’re sick or they’re hurt or their loved ones. Something bad has happened their life and you know, I watched Braun Strowman or I saw Adam Scherr do this. So I saw him do that overcome these obstacles in life and by seeing him do that, it gives me the strength to keep moving on. That’s why we talk about getting into shape that I’m in doing everything that I possibly can to be the best version of Adam Scherr so I can be the best Braun Strowman that can be in the WWE because I want to be that superhero that kids and people men, women, everybody around the world looks up to and goes damn, that dudes awesome.
On possibly going to wrestle for another company:
Nick, my agent is unbelievable. So we went and talked to everybody people reached out about stuff and you know I kind of played around with the ideas and I always said in interviews that people thought I was stupid for it, I said I would never put on a pair of boots for anybody besides WWE and I stuck to my word. I never put on another pair of boots I went out started my own thing, work for myself get young talent in place to come and work and make a living, hone their craft inside CYN and like I said I stuck to my guns I will never wrestle for anyone other than myself or WWE, and here we are, the monster’s home.
On it possibly being too much, too soon for Braun Strowman:
Sometimes, yes and sometimes no. I mean, here’s the thing, when iron is hot, you strike. Like I said, I’ll pat myself on the back again, I’m a once in a lifetime talent, you don’t see people like me walking around on this earth. I mean, that’s just what it is.
On being a plan B:
That’s it at the end of the day, like we’ve talked about it before in an interview that I’ve always been Plan B. And I had never had a problem being Plan B, because anytime they needed to call my number I was there and I delivered. It didn’t matter where on the card what I was doing if he needed to do comedy, you need me to do serious, you need me to be a monster, you need me to be a lover, I stepped up and I took the ball I ran with it. I have come to realise this analogy in my head or whatever not analogy or perception of what Braun Strowman is or what Braun Strowman should be. We have our established people that you see week in and week out, Roman and Bobby and Drew and these guys and they’re go to guys. But when you look over here, you see your main buttons that operate this machine, there’s this little panel over here, and underneath it there’s Braun written and above it it says in case of emergency break glass.
On what will be different this time around in WWE:
I think there’s a lot more knowledge of the business and whatnot per se in me as a whole. I learned I said coming in with zero wrestling experience, I had no idea what I was getting into, and then I get thrown in the deep end of the pool with all the big sharks and I got to figure out how to swim or get eaten. And I learned a lot with that, and then not only that, but then talking and being coming so close with so many of the great vets in the business, the powers that be before me Undertaker, Big Show, Kane, Mark Henry, working with Roman and you know, I’ve been in the ring with the best guys in the world I’ve been kindled a friendship with them. So being able to listen to them and understand the works and the insides and outsides of how this business runs. I think I have even better you know, foot through the door the second time coming back around. Plus at the same time like here we go pat myself on the back again, show me another company’s business, anything in the world that has one of these.
On goals in WWE:
Oh without a doubt, Bobby Lashley keep holding on to that US title tight because I’m coming for that one of these days and be Grand Slam Champion. So I’m gonna go ahead and say that. Like I said, I probably do that for a little appetiser and they go on and get ready for the main courses. You know, Roman and I are gonna butt heads again one of these days. There’s never been a better dancing partner for me, there’s never been a better dancing partner for him. What we do is magic and that’s out there and beat the hell out of each other.
Featured image: Wrestling News
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