WWE NXT Star Scrypts Opens Up About Former Circus Career

WWE star Scrypts, formerly known as Reggie or Reginald and whose real name is Sidney Bateman, has been in the wrestling industry for just a few years, having previously led a life as a circus performer. In the past, Scrypts has been open about how he believes his job in the circus helped him avoid a path toward drugs and violence. During a recent appearance on "Grapple Glory" with "WWE NXT" commentator Booker T, Bateman went into further detail regarding his background.

By the age of 6 or 7, Bateman said that he could tell his life was on a downward trajectory. The WWE star said that a youth program that paired him up with an older woman as a mentor helped change his life. Though he was resistant to her help at first, the woman brought Bateman to the circus when he was 11 and, despite not fully understanding what he was witnessing at first, Bateman eventually grew passionate about the tumbling aspects. He then took a 10-week course to teach him the basics of acrobatics.

"We trained for nine weeks and then the 10th week, we put on a show," Bateman said. "That was probably the most fun I've ever had in my life. First time in my life, [at] 11 years old, I was able to be a kid, doing something I actually enjoyed doing. [I] didn't have to worry about no guns, no gangs, no drugs, no violence, no judging or nothing."

Following the class, Bateman was invited to join a group of youth acrobats called the St. Louis Arches. When Bateman learned that he could get paid to do the thing he loved to do, he signed up right away. Because of the ridicule he faced from peers, however, Bateman decided to stick with acrobatics during the summer only.

Years later, weary of the dangerous lifestyle he had been leading, another visit to the circus helped change Bateman's life. The future WWE star graduated high school and spent the following year training for the circus. Comparing the tryout for circus school to a WWE Performance Center tryout, Bateman said that he made it through the week-long process and heard back a month later that he had been accepted.

"I get to Montreal — three-year program," Bateman continued. "Struggles. Struggles, struggles, struggles. But ... I wasn't going back to St. Louis. And then, honestly, the rest is history."

After years as a circus acrobat, Bateman signed with WWE in 2020. Following onscreen partnerships with both Carmella and Dana Brooke, Bateman was sent to WWE NXT, where he would become Scrypts. The mysterious character's identity was not officially revealed until Scrypts had his mask forcibly removed months into his tenure. Last year, Scrypts joined up with fellow wrestlers Bronco Nima and Lucien Price to form a new stable, which was eventually given the name Out The Mud.