Enzo Amore Reveals How He Got His Start in WWE, Talks Triple H Getting His Athletic Trainer, His WWE Payback Concussion and More

August 11, 2016

By Nick Paglino

WWE star Enzo Amore recently spoke with FOX Sports to promote WWE SummerSlam, and below are some interview highlights:

On how he got his start in WWE:

“My athletic trainer when I was playing high school football, college football was a guy named Joe DeFranco out of New Jersey and Triple H, you know he’s got the craziest schedule in the world, he was looking for a new athletic trainer that could work with him around his schedule, and Joe was a guy near the area – probably, if not the best, one of the best in the country,” Enzo said. “And I knew Joe since I was growing up, man, about 14 years old.

So when he first came to me and said ‘hey do you know this guy named Paul Levesque?’ My jaw nearly hit the ground. I mean, you’re talking about a kid who used to train at DeFranco’s and talk about becoming a WWE superstar his entire life and walked around in this persona. Enzo Amore, the guy you see on TV, existed in a gym in New Jersey long before he ever took to a TV screen. Here he is saying ‘hey do you know who Paul Levesque is?’ Call it destiny, call it whatever you want, basically what I was given was the opportunity of a lifetime to try out in WWE NXT – and by my saving grace I was given the opportunity to talk to Dusty Rhodes. I was handed a microphone and told ‘go, kid.'”

On his WWE Payback concussion:

“Well, the process began when I was sitting in a hospital and I went ‘what’s going on?’ and I looked up and I saw Big Cass and Sami Zayn standing there. And the doctor looked at me and said ‘you got hurt in your wrestling event.’

I had no idea what had happened, but luckily for me I work for the WWE, and by God’s saving grace I never had any post-concussion symptoms, no ill side-effects of this concussion that was almost a freak accident. But what we do in the ring is not ballet, this is dangerous. People have their fair share of injuries, but luckily for us in WWE some time off doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be taken care of or you’re not going to be getting paid or you’re not going to see the best doctors. I honestly believe that the WWE is the leader and/or ahead of all the other sports in concussion awareness and understanding what it does to guys. Understanding how serious an injury can be. They go by the right protocol, they set a parameter of what is a healthy brain and what isn’t. And while they’re learning so much more, I believe the WWE is leading the way in gaining that knowledge so that we can better prevent these things from causing ill side-effects in the future and so that our guys remain healthy and taken care.”

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.

Nick attended New York University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Drama.

Nick first entered the internet wrestling community back in 2004 when he became the co-host of The Voice of Wrestling Radio Show. From there, Nick made the transition from radio personality to editor when he began working with WrestleZone in 2008.

Nick is a member of two Off-Broadway theatre companies, Another Urban Riff, and the Drama Desk Award winning Godlight Theatre Company. Nick has appeared in over a dozen Off-Broadway plays since he moved to New York City, and has shot several short and feature length films. In 2010, he completed principle photography on a film titled "How to Score Your Life," which also features TNA Knockout ODB.

Inspiration in his life has come from many people including his family, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, and of course, Lassie.