Samuel Shaw, formerly known as WWE Superstar Dexter Lumis had a lot of great moments in WWE NXT, and he’s thankful for everything the company has done for his career.
WWE released Lumis in a wave of cuts on April 29, ending his memorable run with the company. He had been featured as an adversary, and later a member, of The Way.
Shaw was the latest guest on the House of Hardcore podcast with Tommy Dreamer to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about his time in NXT, Lumis reflected upon the three-year journey there and how much that place did for his career.
“Three plus years at that place really did so much for me,” Shaw said. “And it’s afforded me the luxury of being able to go out to a Spokane Washington and get a nice payday and be received by those fans. Like I was something special, like they remember those moments and the way I presented my character. I can’t tell you how many people just came up and we’re like, your stuff was just so different and your approach and you’re always staying in character and this and that. That means so much to me that I was able to do that and give that reaction to the fans.”
When asked what his favorite moment was in NXT, Shaw named the wedding with Indi Hartwell and described how he’s very proud of it.
“I gotta go with the wedding,” Shaw said. “Because to me, that was just like — it seems like in our business, especially these days, it’s like every match is like let’s have a banger of a match. That’s been seemingly what the fans are always expecting. And that’s what they want. They want a banger of a match. They want two great wrestlers to just have a great match, and we got a main event spot. Ten minutes, a wedding that went totally right, there was no thwarting the wedding, there was no swerve. It just went off, and it was a happy thing. But there was so much craziness shenanigans happening within that 10 minutes, and told so many stories. Indi Hartwell is so good at just off-the-cuff reactions and timing on saying things at the right time. Johnny Gargano is great at that as well. Candice LeRae with her facial expressions throughout the wedding. Me flashing the hatchet was just; it lived on. It’s like a meme and a GIF. It’s just something I’m very proud of.”
Shaw went on to recall the moment where Triple H called him an attraction for the NXT brand and how much that meant to him.
“One night, I had a match with Damien Priest, and it was the main event on TV one night,” Shaw recalled. “Hunter came up to me after the match and was like, ‘Great job.’ And I just asked him, ‘Are you comfortable putting me in that position more often?’ And he’s like, ‘Dude, you’ve proven that you are an attraction here, and if we need you to step up and be in a main event, you’re a guy we can rely on.’ Him telling me that I was an attraction, that’s all it’s always been in the back of my mind like so cool to be an attraction and like if you’re not on TV for a few weeks, and then people somewhat forget about you and then you just pop up out of nowhere. That’s like the coolest stuff.”
“It’s just those are things that I think back on very fondly. A great relationship with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and I owe those guys a lot, and we still text to this day, and I have good, just great relationships with those guys. And I learned so much from them. It’s insane again, another thing that just made that three-plus years at NXT such a useful thing for me.”
READ MORE: Indi Hartwell Looks Back On In-Dex’s ‘Perfect’ Wedding, Explains Why She’s Proud Of It
What do you make of Shaw’s comments? Do you hope to see him get another chance in WWE under the new management regime? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the House of Hardcore podcast with a link back to this article for the transcription.
