AEW’s Big Bill put in years of effort to reach his current status, both in the ring and in his personal life, and he has recounted his early days training under the likes of Johnny Rodz, a WWE Hall of Famer known for coaching New York-based talent.
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“I was signed as a ball of clay,” Bill told his Learning Tree stablemate Chris Jericho on “Talk is Jericho.” “They didn’t look at me and say, ‘Oh, he could be on TV next year.’ I was signed as a project.”
Bill said he knew basic moves and bumping technique but admitted match psychology came slowly to him. He said his early matches in Rodz’s gym were “embarrassingly bad,” explaining he would often come in early to watch the tape and pick the brains of Dr. Tom Prichard and Joey Mercury. Bill also said he experienced issues with his physique that almost cost him his job.
“I always had decent size, but I can admit I wasn’t working as hard as I should on my body,” Bill said. “So they threatened my job, and they were like, ‘You have 30 days.’ I knew desperate times called for desperate measures. So I was eating one meal a day, and it was a Greek salad. I got in pretty good shape pretty quickly, and I guess that bought me time.”
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Bill said he was lucky to have Dusty Rhodes take notice of his charisma, despite his shortcomings in the ring. “My promos were always pretty good in Dusty’s eyes,” Bill said. “It was the wrestling. It took a lot of time.”
The AEW star eventually teamed up with fellow FCW signee Enzo Amore, which helped punch his ticket to the big time. However, his WWE run was marred by several incidents exacerbated by alcoholism, but he conquered his demons and debuted with AEW in 2022.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Talk is Jericho” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
