Nowadays NXT is its own separate brand, but when NXT was first launched it was a game show style competition where up and comers competed for a spot on the roster. Each rookie had a pro who was assigned to work as their mentor, and Fred Rosser, formerly known as Darren Young, was paired up with CM Punk.
Rosser opened up about his experience working with CM Punk on the Insiders Edge Podcast and he noted that they didn’t talk all that much while working on NXT.
“I think at the time, maybe he was maybe under a lot of stress himself and being on the road more, [and] having to be on NXT. It was probably getting to him so he wasn’t into it. He probably said one, a handful of words to me during that entire season. So it was intimidating because I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers, and I was new.”
Rosser went on to say that after he came out CM Punk made it a point to let him know that he had his back when he added, “He came up to me in catering, and he was all iced up and he told me to stand up in catering. I stood up and he gave me a hug, and he told me after I had came out on television, that if I had any issues with anyone in the locker room to let him know, that he had my back. So I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was that minute that I realized that my story was a big deal, and that at the time he did have my back.”
Fred Rosser also recently noted that he’s pitched ideas for a possible WWE return and you can get more on that here. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
H/T Wrestling Inc.
