MVP on How His Royal Rumble Return Came About, What It Was Like Coming Back For WWE

– MVP spoke with Corey Graves on the latest After the Bell and discussed how his return at the Royal Rumble came about. MVP came out as a surprise entrant at #12 and while he didn’t last long at the hands of Brock Lesnar, he made another appearance on Monday Night Raw where he faced Rey Mysterio.

Talking about his return, MVP talked about how he worked the return out through Paul Heyman and did so to be able to perform in WWE in front of his five year-old son. Highlights are below:

On how his Royal Rumble return came about: “It arose from a conversation with Paul Heyman, as a matter of fact. My son is five years old now. And he’s become a massive wrestling fan, and as he calls it, ‘WW Wrestling.’ First it was Daddy Fight. ‘Oh, this is Daddy Fight.’ And then Daddy Fight became WW Wrestling, and I looked at him and I’m like, ‘Hey man, where are you getting this from? Where are you learning this?’ But he’s got you know, WWE rings and action figures. And so with the Rumble being in Houston where I reside. I’m from Miami, Miami’s always home but I live in Houston. I thought, ‘What a great opportunity to give my son the memory of a lifetime.’ And talking with Paul Heyman, it all came together.”

On what it was like being back at WWE: “Man it was, ‘The more things change the more they stay the same.’ I mean, it was some excitement, seeing lots of old faces and seeing some new faces. But being a surprise for the Royal Rumble is [laughs]. There’s a lot that goes with it. As you said, I was secreted into the building and then whisked away, and kept a relatively low profile. And then just preparing for that entrance when your number’s up and the buzzer sounds, and then there’s the countdown. And I’ve been in a number of Royal Rumbles so I know the nervous energy that comes with it. But this one was special. Because like I said, this one was for my son. So knowing that he was out there and caught up in all the energy and chaos that goes along with one of the biggest PPVs of the year, it was exhilarating.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE’s After the Bell with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.