WWE: Tyler Breeze Discusses NXT, Character Development, Getting Called Up

New WWE main roster superstar Tyler Breeze was interviewed by Rolling Stone (which can be viewed here). Below are some highlights from the interview.

His thoughts on making the main roster

It was pretty cool. It was definitely a milestone for me. I’ve hit a lot of milestones, going from FCW to NXT, having that little taste of Raw and SmackDown doing those dark matches, all the NXT TakeOvers. I’ve been able to do a lot along the way. I think that at this point, one of the good things about NXT is that it prepares you for moments like this. We’ve had that match on Raw before, so it’s not the first time you’ve been there. You’re totally prepared for this. You get some slight jitters, but you’ll always have that. You’re just ready.

On finding out he was being called up to the main roster

I had heard some rumblings that they were looking to bring up someone. When you look at the roster of NXT, you kind of gauge yourself and figure out where you fit in, and I figured I’d be a possibility. Finally, I had a meeting with Triple H, and he said that I was given the green light, and we were going to start moving on it. We weren’t sure of all the details, but I knew it was happening. The next thing I know, I was sitting there, ready to go.

In the past, NXT talent have had their characters tinkered with before arriving on the main roster. Was he at all concerned that they would do that with Tyler Breeze?

No, not really. Given the time that I had been Tyler Breeze, and the reactions I had been getting, I really wasn’t too concerned. Now, there are so many great minds here, and if someone tosses an idea to me and we want to add it in, then I can make it work. But if there’s one thing about the character that I know, it’s that I have confidence in it. I can do something that other people can’t; anything that they want me to try, I can go out there and make it work. I’m really not too concerned with any changes that may be made. It will always come out entertaining as far as I’m concerned.

Being Mike Dalton in FCW, but soon after moving to NXT, he became Tyler Breeze. How did he create the character?

There are a few key players in it. Basically, it was one of those things where I was doing Mike Dalton for a while and it just wasn’t catching on. There wasn’t really anything for people to sink their teeth into – I was just kind of the faceless guy that was on the card. Finally it gets to a point where you’re either marketable or you’re not, and Mike Dalton just wasn’t marketable. So I had to come up with something that was marketable. I had the conversation about needing to come up with something else, and I immediately called Xavier Woods. I told him, “I don’t really know what to do, I need your help.” He said, “Let’s come up with 5 or 10 different characters and a bunch of different things at every end of the spectrum. We’ll have new names, we’ll have personalities for them, we’ll come up with bios for them. We’ll create videos and we’ll keep pitching until they like something.”

I came up with five characters right off the bat. There was a snowboarder, there was a darker version of what I was doing and then one of them was Tyler Breeze. At the time, he was a little bit different, but along the same lines of who he is today. We went over to Xavier’s house, and we started making videos. We actually had a lot of fun making the Tyler Breeze one, more than any of the others. We didn’t know if they would like it, but we really liked it. We ended up pitching it, and Dusty [Rhodes] was the first one to get back to me. He said, “Hey, there might be something to this model. Let’s have a talk.” From there, it just kind of snowballed and everyone started jumping on board. It was a totally different look from what I was doing. It was a totally different interview style from what I was doing. Everything about it was different. It was a fresh start that everyone was on board with, and a couple years later, here we are.

With talents like Finn Balor saying they’d like to stay in NXT, as opposed to moving up to the main roster, did you feel that way?

I’m always excited for every step along the way. My time in NXT was definitely fun though. If anything ever pops up and they want me back there, like for this U.K. tour coming up, I’m always on board to do anything with NXT, just because I’ve had so much fun with it. I’ve been almost like a pillar of NXT in terms of being there the whole time and now I’m moving on. It would be a cool thing if they brought me back for a few shows here and there, and I’d definitely be up for it.

What does he think the future holds for Tyler Breeze?

Right now, I’m thinking the future looks pretty bright. Even just the initial things that we’ve done, I don’t see any momentum stopping any time soon. I’m just excited for everything that’s coming my way.

Ski’s Take – From the off I want it known that I am a HUGE fan of Tyler Breeze. I have been ever since I watched the first episode of NXT , so it was a pleasure to read and summarize the article.

The thing I take away most from this is that Tyler seems to be a team player, a company man. The quote about being asked if he’s worried about any changes to his character now he’s been called up? His response is that of someone looking at the bigger picture. That whatever changes or curve ball’s management throws at him, he will adapt to them. That is definitely what WWE officials want to hear.

As for his call up, being thrust into a feud (or rivalry if Uncle Vince is reading) with a seasoned pro like Dolph Ziggler will do not only wonders with Breeze’s confidence but also showcase his talents. Dolph is known as one of, if not the best “bumper” in the business right now, and will make Tyler look even more better in the ring.

Winning or losing this feud (dammit, rivalry!) I think Breeze will be put straight into the midcard for a few months, maybe a continuation of his rivalry (got it right this time!) with Neville, and then US/IC title challenger. Or I could be completely off the mark entirely and Uncle Vince has other ideas. Anywhoooo….I still maintain that the future looks incredibly bright for Mr Breeze.