Darren Young On His WWE Release, Hating The Original NXT, Being Paired With Bob Backlund
Recently on Cerrito Live, former WWE Superstar Darren Young gave his first post-WWE interview. Young talked about hating the first season of NXT, how his storyline with WWE Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund came about and where he imagined it going, and his WWE release.
According to Young, he hated the original NXT and he would have auditioned for American Gladiators or American Ninja Warrior if he wanted to compete in various challenges instead of performing as a pro wrestler.
"Honestly, the first season of NXT, I hated it." Young continued, "anytime they'd tighten up those yellow ropes, I'd have nightmares. If I wanted to do American Gladiators or American Ninja Warrior, I would've signed up for that, but with all these challenges, juggling and obstacle courses, I'm like, 'this isn't wrestling.' What NXT is now is incredible! They have great talent. They have so many great matches. NXT now is incredible, but for the first season of NXT? I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand it at all."
During the interview, Young indicated that he came up with the Make Darren Young Great Again storyline himself. Additionally, Young shared that he pitched the idea to Vince McMahon and WWE's Chairman was so taken by the concept that he called Backlund himself to set it up.
"Once I was done teaming with Titus," Young recalled, "again, nothing lasts forever, tag teams break up, I had done appearances with Bob Backlund and I envisioned [and I] said to myself, 'once I'm done tag teaming, I definitely see him managing me and being like a life coach.' And I kind of took the idea from Mike Tyson and his former trainer, Cus [D'Amato]. They were both opposites, but opposites attract. I approached Vince McMahon and I had the storyline. I talked to him one-on-one, and he was so into it that he called up Bob personally to see if he'd come along and be Fred Rosser's mentor. He was so happy to do it."
Young divulged that he remains very close to Backlund and the pair speak on a weekly basis.
"We were able to travel together. We were able to do the vignettes together. And backstage, one-on-one, he was great, but when that red light's on, he's unpredictable and that's what I love about him." Young shared, "I'm very close to his daughter. I'm very close to him. We talk every week. This wasn't something that was just a gimmick. This was a real life relationship and we're still in contact."
Young hoped to beat The Miz for the WWE Intercontinental Championship with Backlund in his corner, but it never came to fruition. Also, 'Coco Cena' noted that he hopes to work with Backlund on the indies in the near future.
"With Bob Backlund, I saw myself beating The Miz for the Intercontinental title because of Bob making Darren Young great again." Young continued, "but, like I said, I had so much fun with Bob and we're in the process of maybe doing some stuff, teaming up on the independent level, which I'm very excited about!"
On the subject of Young's WWE release, the former WWE Tag Team Champion said he had a great career with WWE, but nothing lasts forever.
"Hey, nothing lasts forever and I've had a wonderful career with WWE. I set my mind out to it. I'm not one of those guys that played football and bust through the front doors. I grinded from 2002 to 2009. In 2009, out of 75 guys and girls from all over the world, I beat them all out at a paid tryout in 2009. This was at a time when you had to pay to try out. Now you can just show up and get a contract. Back then, you had to pay to try out, but I had wrestled in arenas with no toilets and showers, so I knew what it was like and I knew what it took to be a WWE Superstar." Young added, "I've had a wonderful career and I'm very happy with a lot of the experiences and relationships that I've built through wrestling."
Check out the show here. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Cerrito Live with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Cerrito Live