Matthew Rehwoldt Explains the Origins of His Drama King Gimmick in WWE NXT

– During a recent interview with Developmentally Speaking, wrestler Matthew Rehwoldt (formerly Aiden English) discussed his current work during commentary, and he also revealed that he’s currently a free agent. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Matthew Rehwoldt on the origin of his drama king gimmick in FCW and WWE NXT: “That was something I wanted to do from the moment I got there. I knew that was going to be my angle. Knowing a lot of other people in the wrestling business, ain’t nobody was a theater geek… [They say] find something in your real personality and crank it up. Well, that’s legit. I have a legit background in [theater]. I do know a little bit of Shakespeare, I’ve worked in operas, I’ve done all this. [But also with] self-awareness, I know that’s not the wrestling audience. To many in the wrestling audience and probably in the locker rooms, it would come off as super pompous or pretentious, for sure. I always wanted to be a heel, [so] what if you had a wrestler who came out and admittedly [said], I am using this as a stepping stone to greater stardom?”

On developing the character in Orlando: “It took about a year after we got to Orlando before they finally were ready to go with that character, which was good, because it gave me time to get more confident and better in the ring.”