NXT’s Cezar Bononi recently spoke with WWE.com; you can read a few highlights below:
Bononi comments on winning the first Future Star of NXT Award:
Winning the award felt really good. I still have a lot of goals, but one was to be recognized with an award like that. I did not expect it to happen so fast, but it was great. I’ve got to say this: When I saw that I was one of the nominees, I knew that I could count on Brazilian fans. I knew already that I was going to win, because this is not just an award for me, it’s an award for my whole country. The fans in Brazil want so badly to be represented in WWE, just like I dreamt to be represented in WWE when I was a kid.
Cezar comments on getting noticed by WWE:
Yeah, it was really hard. We still struggle with that a lot in Brazil. The Brazilians … they don’t all understand wrestling. I was playing football for the Brazilian national team at the time, and then I got a call from the teacher at the wrestling school. He told me WWE was looking for Brazilians and that I had the size, experience and athleticism they were looking for.
[WWE] invited me back to be part of a show that William Regal was to attend. Just to see Regal over there was a great experience. Then, he invited me for a tryout, andI went. I couldn’t believe I was in the WWE Performance Center! After that, I got the email saying I was approved. What a good feeling and an honor it was.
Bononi praises Matt Bloom as his biggest influence:
My biggest influence is Matt Bloom, our head coach. He always cares about us. He’s the one that tells us what we have to do, what we shouldn’t do. He’s taught me not only about this business, but about life as well. He’s the one that I don’t want to disappoint, that I want to make proud.
Bononi comments on having a target on his back:
Having a target on my back is all I ever wanted. That helps me to improve; it takes me out of my comfort zone. Now, I must do more. I must work harder than anybody because I am the Future Star of NXT. I have to show that this award is something that truly matters. I am ready to represent my country, to represent all South America, and I will someday put my name in the history books as the first Brazilian to hold a title in NXT. I want to remind everyone that Brazil is so good at sports and that whatever we want to do, we can do it better than anybody else.
