Released WWE star Brodus Clay recently appeared on the Shining Wizards Podcast with hosts Tony Z, Eddie, and Matt. The complete interview can be heard at Shiningwizards.com, and below are some highlights:
On his release:
It's been a lot bigger of a reaction than I thought it would be. I thought I could go quietly into the night, but it's kind of cool to be relevant after the machine (WWE) steps away. I have more freedom and more opportunities, and when you don't have big brother watching you, you can pretty much do whatever you want, so I'm going to take full advantage of it.
On whether he was surprised by his release:
Not really. I don't really pay attention to the rumors and stuff like that. I've been kind of out of the loop for a little bit so, not being used, I would rather be on my own. I never wanted to be a guy who just works for the WWE and that's enough. If I'm not contributing and if I'm not able to do what I do, then I'd rather move on. And ultimately they felt the same, so it worked out.
On the origin of calling moves and "MY BAD" and why it disappeared:
Who came up with it was an angry fan in the third row. There was a guy who was dressed up like the juggernaut from Planet X… I shot (Curt) Hawkins into the corner or something like that, and when I was going to grab Hawkins, he yelled "you suck, Brodus Clay," but it was so heartfelt and so angry, and I just look at him and I was like "My Bad!" and the whole place just laughed. Then I asked, "Should I get him?" and then it was just on. But then I kind of got away from that, not necessarily on the house shows, but on TV, because some of the guys saw it as being disrespectful.
On the independent scene:
I think times are changing. I think the times of one company having the grip… having one company running everything… I think are changing. Small places are starting to become territories again. You never know. I think it's a good time for wrestling in general.
On his dolphin activism in Japan:
If you haven't seen the movie "The Cove," please check it out. It's an Academy Award winning documentary. There is a slaughter that goes on every year there where they herd dolphins behind a cove and they take the ones they are going to bring to Sea World and all of the other amusement parks around the world, and then the ones left over are slaughtered and sold for meat which is really a horrible thing. Next to us, the dolphin is the most family-oriented and intellectual animal on the planet. Their families are stronger than ours and their intelligence is still being measured. There's just no reason for it. So we're going out there to educate and get more eyes of the world to see that this is something that doesn't need to be happening… I'm a typical guy. I eat meat, I eat steak, but at the same time there are certain things that just don't make sense.
His storyline with Xavier Woods:
Honestly, I knew about as much as you guys did about the whole process, to be honest with you. I was already frustrated and the walls of communication had already broken down between me and creative. I don't think anyone really benefited from that angle. It was just confusing. It was just one of those things, and obviously it led to the release. It was just weird. The only good thing was that I got to get my hands on R-Truth, and getting a chance to work him, and my match with him was one of my favorites that I've had in a while, so I enjoyed that very much. But I didn't get a chance to have a big feud and I think the fans were confused and they felt that I was robbed. It was a weird kind of deal.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
