Konnor On How Landscaping For A WWE Legend Led To A Wrestling Career

While his 22-year wrestling career has been a "rollercoaster" of emotions, former WWE Superstar Konnor reflects on how a landscaping job led him to start training in the ring. On "Busted Open Radio," Konnor told the story of an unexpected interaction he had with WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter.  "I had a buddy who was doing landscaping and he said, 'Hey, man, come on over. And I was like, 'Yeah, I need a couple of bucks,' whatever. So we started doing landscaping. He looks at me, he says, 'You're never going to believe whose place this is.' Lo and behold, you see this massive man walk out and it was Sgt. Slaughter. I was like, 'Holy crap, I'm doing landscaping for Sgt. Slaughter. This is amazing.'"

For Konnor, the sight of Sgt. Slaughter unlocked a beloved memory he had as a fan of G.I. Joe growing up. At that moment, the opportunity to meet Slaughter seemed surreal. "He was always a hero of mine," Konnor said. Upon meeting face-to-face, Slaughter asked Konnor if he ever thought about stepping into the ring himself. While Konnor admitted that he hadn't considered it, he noted that professional wrestling had closely bonded his family, whether it be through watching pay-per-views together or acting out the wrestling moves themselves.

Eventually, Konnor decided to take a leap of faith. As such, Slaughter put him in contact with Rusty Brooks, who trained students at the School of Hard Knocks in Florida. From there, Konnor officially began his journey to becoming a professional wrestler. "To this day, when I see Sarge, he asks me if I'm ever doing any landscaping for someone's backyard," Konnor added.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.