On Being Signed (And Released) By The Green Bay Packers:
I get a call from my agent that the Packers are gonna bring me out to mini-camp with their team. They’re gonna have the entire team, all their new draft picks and signees, and they’re gonna bring out like thirty guys trying out for the team and I went out there and I just had a feeling I was gonna make it the whole time, just because of my path at Maryland, being this underrated guy, this guy that never got a shot. I know how to operate in situations. I’m gonna go out there. I’m gonna be vocal. I’m not gonna get tired when everybody else is and I’m gonna stand out. At the end of the day, they signed three of us out of thirty and that was my way into the NFL. That’s how I got my contract. Worked hard through camp. Really balled out, I felt like. Even my last pre-season game, I only got 11 plays, but in 11 plays I had 6 tackles, 2 for losses, and a forced fumble. I thought I had a good shot to make the team, but the writing was on the wall. I wasn’t one of their draft picks and got released. At that point, I had a feeling I wasn’t done. I played really well. It’s a matter of time before someone signs me. I was encouraged. I thought there was a possibility for me to go back to Green Bay, if an injury happened. I sat at home the entire season with no call. It was tough.
On The Difficulty Of Controlling One’s Own Destiny In The WWE:
I think it’s a little harder here to be in control of your situation. I’m not using that as a cop out at all, because when I look around and look for someone to blame as to why I haven’t achieved more than I have, I only look at myself. I don’t make excuses. I’m not one of these guys that looks around the locker room and points fingers. That’s never been me; but, hanging in there and getting better, becoming a smarter entertainer, as opposed to maybe one that just hangs his hat on work ethic, using my brain rather than my body. Doing all this hard training, maybe I need to sit back and evaluate myself from a mental standpoint. I watch a lot of tape. Anytime I have a match on TV, I watch it back 10-20 times that night alone, let alone the rest of the week. I’m nitpicking everything I can, but it’s coming together. I feel like we’re making some strides. I can actually physically feel that. I can see it in my work. I think good things are on the horizon, but you work your ass off praying for those opportunities because you might only get one and whenever that comes, you never get a heads up…The day before you’re gonna think you might not even be on the next day and an hour before the show starts, there’s your opportunity. Are you gonna make an excuse about it because you weren’t prepared?
On Being Relegated To WWE’s ‘No Man’s Land’:
I’m in no man’s land right now. I wish I did know [why] so I could fix the problem, if there is one. The fact of the matter is, of course, there’s a talented locker room. There’s a lot of guys fighting for a very increasingly limited number of spots. That’s kind of been the path of my career. It’s very stop and go. The second I feel now’s the time we’re gonna get going, boom, I disappear from TV for months. We had this awesome moment at WrestleMania, which I had a Mania moment. It was awesome. I am aware of what the critics are always gonna say. They’re gonna think that I only won that match because of Rob [Gronkowski’s] interference. Do I think that’s the case? No. You gotta think maybe a little bit, but you never know. I think it was a really cool thing with my best friend getting involved….you know what the critics are gonna say. I get motivated by that though. I check Twitter. I read the blogs. I want to know when people are talking trash because it motivates me more. It’s been stop and go. I wish I did know why it’s been that way, but things happen and you gotta adapt and I’m gonna find a way to get back on TV. That’s for damn sure. It’s gonna have to happen. I think I can bring something to the table that no one else can. I think my background has prepared me for that. I swear to you, I think the WWE Universe hasn’t even seen 5% of what I can do. They haven’t had an opportunity. Why would they?
Rawley also talked about his experience in The Hype Bros with Zack Ryder and opened up about what their relationship was actually like. Readers can listen to Lilian Garcia‘s full interview with Rawley:
