Diamond Mine has revitalized Roderick Strong‘s run in WWE NXT.
Alongside Tyler Rust, Malcolm Bivens and Hachiman (Hideki Suzuki), the group has quickly become a prominent part of the black-and-gold brand, and it might only be a matter of time before Strong’s new momentum brings him some championship gold. In the meantime, Strong will continue to help his stablemates however he can.
In an interview with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, “The Messiah Of The Backbreaker” explained how he enjoys working with people like Rust and Bivens, who just needed an opportunity to showcase their skills. He also stated that he likes giving them some of the spotlight because it allows him to give back to the industry.
“Rust is a guy that just needs opportunities, and that’s how we grow, and being aligned with me creates opportunities,” said Strong. “So he’s gonna have that chance to grow at a faster rate than he would have by himself. And Bivens, unbelievably talented and he needed a chance to have the spotlight on him too, and that’s what this brings. And it’s nice, from all my time in wrestling, one of the biggest things I love to do is give back, and it’s opportunity just to do that for people that have a ton of potential but just need an opportunity like people helped me get.”
Additionally, Strong noted that he has already learned a lot from Suzuki and Diamond Mine has truly become a team behind the scenes.
“And then Hideki [Suzuki] has been…he is a beast and a huge influence on me now. Just being able to train together and really just have, he gives me a ton of great insight, honestly, and it really has turned into a team exactly [like] what we wanted it to be.”
The formation of Diamond Mine was precipitated by Strong’s decision to walk out on NXT earlier this year. Some fans thought this twist would lead to his arrival on the main roster; instead, Strong eventually returned to the black-and-gold brand with a fresh mindset. In the interview, Strong shared how he played off his departure from NXT in real life, as he told his family that he was “done.”
“I told my mom I quit, like I was done,” said Strong.”My dad, my family, I was just like we’ll see what happens down the road.”
Strong looked back on the context surrounding his exit from the brand and stated that there was at least some level of frustration because his Undisputed Era stablemates, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, were getting pushed prominently and he wasn’t. But by leaving the brand, Strong ultimately got the chance to start over with a new stable that could help him add to his legacy.
“It’s one of those situations where the highlight was obviously on Kyle and Adam, but the competitor in me wants to be a part of all of that,” said Strong. “But there’s just not an opportunity at that time. So for me, this gave me a chance to distance myself, decompress and really think about what I wanted to do.
“Thankfully I was gone for a while and this opportunity that was coming about, it was with the right people, and I could obviously get the spotlight for myself, which I feel I deserve and I’ve worked very hard for. But along that, I can bring some other guys into that spotlight and get that on them and pass it onto them and transfer a lot of this stuff, so it gives more value to my career than just my matches.”
Moving forward, Strong, refreshed and recharged, is excited to see how Diamond Mine grows, as they’re still figuring out what the group is all about.
“We’re excited to see where this thing goes because it’s still, it’s so new,” said Strong. “We’re still, week by week it’s changing from our conversations, what we’re trying to do with it and how we’re trying to perform. It’s interesting. It feels so, so new and refreshing for me.
The full interview is available here:
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