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JAWBreaker chatted with Alex Riley on Nov. 16.
When WWE’s Florida Championship Wrestling started consistently airing on the Brighthouse channel, I watched it often.
I thought Riley was a future Superstar when I first saw him wrestle and speak on television, and I even mentioned his name to a few buddies of mine.
Sure enough, after an FCW run from 2007 to 2010, he advanced full time to WWE.
WWE was scheduled to visit the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Sunday, Dec. 4 for a house show. Sadly, late Wednesday afternoon, WWE postponed the show and rescheduled it for Sept. 14, 2012 (Friday, 7:30 p.m.).
Fans who purchased tickets for the Dec. 4 Raw World Tour live event can attend the Sept. 14 show. Fans that cannot attend Sept. 14 can get refunds from their point of purchase.
Here’s my interview with Riley:
Q: Any memorable trips to Daytona Beach?
A: I don’t think I ever went to Daytona. I went to Panama City for a couple of days, for Spring Break. It was exciting.
Q: How important do you think FCW was in helping you get to WWE?
A: “I think it was a huge deal. I really knew nothing about the wrestling business. I was a fan of it growing up as a kid. I was playing football and following it back and forth. I got really, really into it. It was a second dream of mine to become a WWE Superstar. When I was done with football, I started pursuing wrestling immediately. I really had to learn the craft. I had never been in a wrestling ring before. I had to learn what it takes to be a wrestler. It’s a lot more physical than what it comes across as on TV. I owe a lot to Dusty Rhodes — the speaking part and the character part of the business.”
Q: Talk a little bit about your gimmicks (Carson Oakley, university jock, Abraham Washington’s cabinet) in FCW.
A: “I wanted to be Kevin Kiley (Alex Riley’s real name), a real strong, athletic babyface. That wasn’t working — it was too soon. I wanted to grow. I didn’t know who Carson Oakley is or what he stood for. Steve Keirn wanted everyone to have a ring jacket. I had no idea what to do. We had just got home for Christmas break, and I saw my old letterman jacket stuffed in the closet. I said, ‘I’ll give this a shot.’ I cut this promo wearing the jacket. Dusty said, ‘That’s who you are,’ and I continued to wear the jacket. Kiley became Riley, which is my mother’s maiden name, and that’s how Alex Riley was born.”
Q: Your name is one of the few that come up as one of the young Superstars in the business. What’s that mean to you, and who do you consider to be some of the other young Superstars (Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Mason Ryan, Tyler Reks, etc.)?
A: “I take that as extremely complimentary. I was surrounded with so many talented people that for some reason didn’t make it. I don’t think people understand how talented you have to be in numerous directions to make it in WWE. You have seven live cameras on you at any time. I work extremely hard. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and when I go to bed. I really try to always make an impact.”
Q: Favorite manager: Beverly Mullins or The Miz?
A: “(laughs). Beverly. I’ve got to go with Beverly. She didn’t yell at me that much. She was a very talented performer.”
Q: How important was The Miz to your wrestling development?
A: “Huge. I think on NXT, I think I had something to offer, but you never know. I didn’t know what was going to get thrown at me. They would throw us out on live TV, and we didn’t know what was going to happen. It was truly like live TV — anything can happen — and it took a lot of preparation. I was very confident to have The Miz — it really solidified everything, his presence. It amplified any promo I cut.”
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