I write a wrestling column for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review every Monday and Friday on TribLIVE.com.
My latest piece is an exclusive Q&A with WWE Superstar Bo Dallas. We spoke about his dream opponent, the pressure of being a third-generation star, Tim Tebow and more.
The following is an excerpt:
LaBar: You are one of many who have come up from NXT in 2014, and it seems like there is a lot of momentum with that right now.
Dallas: The NXT development system and the way they prepare us is unbelievable. If you look at the current roster, it really feels like a new era.
LaBar: You had a quick stint a few years ago at the Royal Rumble with Wade Barrett and then on RAW, but then you went back to NXT and seemed to put everything together. What happened there?
Dallas: I got the opportunity in NXT to win the NXT Championship. I got a good eight months to a year. Without it, I knew I was ready from my experience in the Royal Rumble, but goodness gracious I learned so much more in that eight months and really developed and crafted. I’m a whole other performer that I didn’t think was possible that I got from that experience.
LaBar: Where did the creative input come from in the Bo Dallas character?
Dallas: It just kinda happened. It morphed into its own thing. People reacted, and I went with it. As I went with it, it developed and grew. I just kept on rolling with the punches and things kept happening. There was no one moment when this character was thought of. It just developed into what it is today, luckily.
LaBar: How do you come up with what you want to say? You’ve been real entertaining lately with these quick one lines. Recently when in Pittsburgh, the girls were fighting over Fandango, and you grabbed the mic and had the audience laughing when you started saying “woman.”
Dallas: A lot of it is just feeling it. When I step through the curtain, I am Bo Dallas. You can’t talk to me or hear anything except what Bo Dallas would say. I “BOlieve” who I am. So in that instance — “Woman, who gets them. I don’t get them, do you?”
LaBar: I know you’re a Florida boy and I gotta ask, are you thinking of Tim Tebow when you get down on one knee?
Dallas: I am. Tim Tebow is a big inspiration. Him staying so positive in his career, I look a lot at what Tim Tebow does.
LaBar: In this business, you have to evolve to stick around. How do you think you can evolve?
Dallas: Yes, you have to evolve. That’s what I did after the 2013 Royal Rumble. In the future, who knows where that’s going to be. If something comes along, I’ll grab it, catch it, use it and roll with it. You always have to be open minded and see what’s in front of you. I can never forget I have to stay relevant and come up with new things. There is no formula. I just have to keep my eyes open and stay alert.
CLICK HERE for what it’s like for him and his brother Bray Wyatt to be on the road, his dream opponent and more!
