Brady Booker, formerly known as Bodhi Hayward, looks back on his WWE run and looks ahead to the future.
Booker made his WWE debut in January 2022, and he was featured on NXT as a member of Chase University alongside Andre Chase and later Thea Hail. WWE released Hayward, among multiple other NXT Superstars, on November 1.
Speaking with Steve Fall on Ten Count, Booker reflected on his time in WWE. He noted that he was very green when he first started out, but he’s come a long way. He stated that he made good connections, and he’ll use them as he enters the next chapter of his career. Booker also thanked Chase for teaching him along the way.
“I’ve been lucky enough that, in the short time that I was introduced to the business and went from greener than a tree frog, as they might say, to where I am now,” Booker said. “I’ve made a lot of good connections. So I’m going to use those connections to try to figure out what is next for me, you know? There’s talk of promotions all over the country, there’s promotions internationally. I was only [in the UK] for 10 days with NXT UK, but I was able to make great friends over there as well, from Trent Seven, all the way down. He’s a great guy, he contacted me right away. We stayed pretty close.
“Mr. Chase, of course, I just want to go out and say, just because he gave me that opportunity. Andre allowed me to be in on something that he kind of put together and made into something, and we were able to evolve it into something that I thought was more, and I just can’t be more thankful for everything that he taught me, because although we played it on the screen, behind closed doors he was number one to me. He was the last person I got approval from, everything…I ran all my questions by him, from the business, to how to do stuff, to the in-betweens and the gray areas with plenty of those, to cutting promos, just everything in between.”
Booker also expressed his gratitude for the opportunities he’s had, but he wondered whether he got too comfortable in WWE. He stated that he performs best when he’s under pressure, and he stated that WWE might want him to become a star on his own.
“I mean, I can’t be more thankful every time I look back, from football to wrestling, alright Brady, you know, we got really close to what we wanted,” Booker said. “The NFL, the main roster, and I feel like I look at the negatives, but…I feel that I got too comfortable, maybe, and that life said ‘Screw that and let’s get uncomfortable again,’ because that’s where I performed best. Fight or flight, under that type of pressure, is where I performed best, and that’s why I’m going to be able to make the most out of myself.
“I feel that maybe they want me to create my own following, maybe they want me to become my own star, and then they, you know…you think many things. So, if that’s what I have to do, I can show that I can do all those things, from guys like Chase helping me out. I just I want to say that I can’t thank him enough. I love him for letting me be able to do that, and unfortunately out of left field, it was cut short. Because I was very surprised when I got the phone call.”
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