Ring of Honor star Moose (Quinn Ojinnaka) recently spoke with Andreas Hale for Yahoo Sports.
Moose talks about leaving the NFL to start his professional wrestling career, the reaction from his ex-wife and family, and more. The article also features quotes from WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, praising Moose’s athletic ability. You can read a few excerpts below:
Moose talks about his decision to leave football:
“The first person I told that I was retiring from the NFL to become a pro wrestler was my ex-wife and her reaction was that she hated it and that I was being selfish for retiring at a young age. One of the biggest reasons why we split up was because I was leaving all this money on the table for something that was just a maybe.”
Jim Ross praises Moose’s abilities:
“He’s a thoroughbred. He has that competitive edge from being in the NFL and you don’t check that at the door. He has a truly fascinating upside with his agility, physicality and competitive drive to be the best. He has special skills that you simply cannot replicate and I would be shocked if he’s not in the WWE in the next few years.”
Moose talks about anticipating his recent match with Okada:
“That was definitely the best match of my career so far but I have a tendency of saying this after every match. I have people tell me that I’m on a great pace for only doing this for three years but I don’t want it to mess with my focus. I just want to continue to get better.”
Moose explains why choosing wrestling was the right choice for him:
“Money doesn’t make you happy. I’m way happier doing this than playing football. Football wasn’t happiness to me. That was a job. This isn’t a job. This is me doing something I love.”
