Bull James Shoot Interview
When your a kid growing up and your a fan of the business you just want to do one thing with your life and that’s to become a professional wrestler. Well ever since former NXT supe rstar Bull Dempsey AKA Bull James, got addicted to our business, he wanted that dream and he wanted it so bad that he pursued it at a young age until his family finally allowed him to chase that dream and join a local wrestling school in NJ. During this interview you will hear about the rise of a local indy wrestler to becoming a national superstar with WWE’s hottest new creation NXT!! James sat down with RFVIDEO on his first ever exclusive interview as he discusses what it was like meeting Matt Bourne at a local indy show and how Matt took him under his wings because he saw the potential that he had. We discuss his early gimmicks and what it was like to work with the local indy stars from the trip state area. How did he become Baby Hughe and how did that gimmick help him down the road. What advice did Matt Bourne give James and what are his thoughts on the passing of Matt Bourne. It was not long before James got noticed by some legends in the business like Taz as you will hear how James joined his finishing school and how Taz helped him get to the next level. James talks about what it was like to work WWE dark matches and what happened back stage when he was supposed to break up a pull apart and missed his cue because he was too busy talking with the Miz. James was a standout in one of the classes that tried out for a spot with the WWE and he will take us behind the scenes of his WWE try outs. You will hear what it was like to get signed by the WWE and the process that he had to go thru. Everyone has heard about the horror stories on Bill Demotts classes and as a head trainer. Was he as bad as everyone says he was? What did he make his class do during his time there, as James gives his views on the situation. Want to know what it’s like on the road when your down in NXT? What is a typical week like for the crew when they are training in NXT and how did the entire first NXT network special come together. You will hear all about the trainers of NXT and how they helped mold Bull into a NXT superstar. What role did the American Dream Dusty Rhodes play in his career. You will hear a ton of Dusty Rhodes stories that will crack you up. What is HHH like behind the scenes and was he easy to get along with and talk with if you needed to. James has amazing NXT backstage stories as well as he shared the locker room with all the stars you see on NXT right now including Kenta, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin just to name a few. Don’t worry we talked about everyone. What was it like for the NXT superstars when they started to bring in established guys into the company like Somoa Joe and other indy darlings and give them pushes in front of their own talent? Was there any hard feelings amongst the boys. Bull takes us thru his entire run in NXT and he talks about all of his ups and downs as it seemed like after the Brooklyn live show they dropped the ball with him. What was going thru his mind when he changed from heel to babyface and his gimmick started to slowly change into a modern day Playboy Buddy Rose. Why did the WWE release him and how did they go about it. Where will Bull James end up next as he looks into the future of his career and it looks promising. During this 2 hour shoot interview you will learn who the man really is and why in the future you will be chanting BULL BULL BULL!!!! By the way we have a very special guest that stops by and who has some questions of his own. He is a former ECW superstar and you will get to watch this as a special bonus on this very fun DVD!!! If you love NXT, your going to really enjoy this interview as he has a lot of fun stories from his time in NXT. What are your first memories of professional wrestling growing up? Who were your favorites as a kid? What led to you first decided to get into the business? Talk about your earliest experiences training at the ECPW school? Give us an idea of what it’s like starting to get yourself out there on the independent circuit in the Northeast? Who were the best and worst promoters to work for? Ricky O memories? What veterans really helped you? Talk about your old “Baby Hughie” gimmick? You were mentored by Matt Borne for quite some time. Talk about what he brought to the table as a teacher and why you think he took an interest in you? What were you favorite memories or lessons that he passed along? How do you feel about his family suing WWE? What led to you going to Taz’s Finishing School in Long Island? Explain what the school was like beyond just a place to go and train? What insight did Taz give you in terms of fixing your weaknesses? How do you rate him as a creative mind for the business? What other talents were under Taz’s advice that you think have done well? You were promoting indy shows before signing with WWE- what led to you running your own shows? How much of a headache is it to run shows? Do you see yourself wanting to come back and run more? Memories of your appearances in HOH before you signed with WWE? Memories of working NYWC and teaming with Bill Carr? Do you think WWE missed the boat with him? Talk about what the WWE tryout process is like for you as a wrestler? How do you get their attention and what do you do to stand out from everyone else? How many times do you go through the tryouts before you are called to go down to Florida? What sort of guidance do they give you in terms of what they want for you to improve on? When do you finally learn they want to sign you? What do you think were the qualities that made them want to sign you? There’s so much talk about the medical testing WWE puts talents through before actually signing them. Talk about what that process is like and what it’s like waiting for the results? When do you get word that you are being signed and how long is it before the company publicly announces it? You had a few sendoffs on the indies. How did it feel seeing guys like Dan Maff putting you over on the way out on the mic? Memories of your salute and sendoff in NYWC? You move to Florida for WWE developmental. What are your first impressions of FCW/NXT, especially since you come in just as they are preparing to officially open the Performance Center? What were your expectations coming into developmental and were those expectations correct? Did you reach out to indy veterans before going to get advice as to what you were getting yourself into? Did any of that advice turn out to be correct? Where did the Bull Dempsey name come from? Was there any issue with using “Last of a Dying Breed” since Eddie Kingston had used it? First impressions of the following coaches: Bill DeMott Matt Bloom Norman Smiley Terry Taylor Steve Keirn Billy Kidman Dusty Rhodes First impressions of HHH as a boss and dealing with him personally? What do you think his vision is for the future of WWE? For anyone who hasn’t been inside the Performance Center, walk us through a tour of what the facility is like compared to your average wrestling school? Give us a rundown of the average week working out in the PC – break down the different classes that go on there. How specialized is the training program per talent? Take us through an average week in NXT? Is it basically starting over and starting to establish your name on the indy scene? Do you think indy “names” come in with an ego and have to find their humility again once they are in the system? Memories of the official Performance Center opening with the Governor of Florida in attendance? Did it feel like a big deal? Talk about what it’s like going to Promo Class in the Performance Center? Memories of working with Dusty Rhodes? What was the best advice you received from Dusty when it came to promos and the psychology of the business? We’ve heard Dusty was a huge fan of yours and really pushed for you in the company. What did that mean to you? Did Dusty ever let on that he was sick to the boys? What are the best memories of what he brought to NXT and the Performance Center? How do you think NXT and the PC changed after he passed away? What do you miss the most about Dusty? Do you think they can ever find someone to replace what he brought to the table or is that impossible? What made him so amazing? Which coaches do you think you bonded with the most? Was there someone you felt never “got” you and why do you think that was? NXT is presented publicly as being a family of guys and girls working together to get better and get to the main roster. How different is it behind the scenes? There was a lot of talk about how grueling Bill DeMott’s training drills were – how bad were they really? Do you think that sort of training has to be done excessively or does it get to the point where it’s actually hurting the talent? Were you surprised when all the letters knocking DeMott came out and he quit? What was the reaction of the wrestlers when he quit? Were the letters known about and discussed by NXT talents privately? How does the PC change once Matt Bloom becomes in charge of training? Do you feel WWE went out of their way to change the way trainees were treated post-DeMott? Who are the unsung heroes of NXT? Compare the difference between backstage at NXT shows and main roster events? Thoughts on what Adam Pearce and Sara Del Rey have brought as Coaches? What names were brought in as Guest Coaches and Trainers that you feel really added to the system while they were there? There was talk Undertaker was going to take a greater role at the PC and then it never happened. What was the story there? Is it true that Vince McMahon was laughing at the NXT stars when he visited the Performance Center? When did you first learn NXT was going to be on the WWE Network? Talk about what it meant to the crew to be the first live special on the Network with Takeover? Do you think people in the WWE main office were shocked by how successful NXT has become over the last several years? Do you think there is jealousy from the main roster or even the main creative team? Why do you think so many talents make it to the main roster and then find themselves being yo-yo’d back and forth creatively? Who is the most underrated person in the developmental system right now that works the hardest and probably doesn’t get the attention they deserve? Was there ever any heat among the boys because WWE started bringing in non-signed talents for TV, like Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa? WWE told the NXT talents that they would not be receiving percentages from the tours and house shows they work – do you think that is fair to the NXT talents? Is it true WWE told the boys they run NXT at a loss? Do you believe that to be the case? Either way, explain why? WWE filmed the last season of Tough Enough at the PC. How separate were the Tough Enough talents kept from the NXT talents? Which of the talents who were signed after the season do you think will do the best? (those signed were: ZZ, Josh, Daria, Sara Lee, Mada, Amanda) Thoughts on The Breaking Ground reality series? Why were you never featured as part of it? Do you find it odd that WWE is breaking kayfabe on their own Network? Thoughts on the crazy fan who was shot outside the Performance Center – were you there that day and did you witness any of his antics leading up to it? Were the boys aware that there was someone stalking one of the Divas? How did you feel about NXT starting to hire “established indy brand name talents?” (Examples – Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, etc.) Do you feel that the company stagnated some of their talent by letting these talents leapfrog the existing, signed talents? For example, they obviously began to focus on Owens and you were not receiving as much of a push at the same time. Do you feeling one is connected to the other? How do you feel about WWE building a relationship with EVOLVE? Why you you think they are paying so much attention to the independent scene? Do you feel like if they were signing you now, when being an indy talent has a higher premium in their eyes, you’d have been in a better position in NXT? Is there some frustration to that? Memories of your debut against Aiden English? Early on, NXT had you working enhancement roles – were you ever worried about being pigeon-holed as a low level talent? Memories of the feud with Mojo Rawley after you attacked him for losing your match in the NXT Tag Team title tournament? Thoughts on him as a worker? Why do you think he hasn’t found his way as a singles star? Thoughts on the feud with Baron Corbin and how he’s doing in the company? Where did the idea of each of you fighting to destroy the enhancement talents faster than the other come from? Memories of the Takeover match you had, which at that point, some felt was the best either of you had looked? Memories of working AXXESS and the entire Wrestlemania 31 week – take us through what that week is like for NXT? When did they decide to give you the himmick where you were out of shape? Did you worry it was going to be a career killer? Tell us how the Bull-Fit gimmick came about and whether it was hard getting a handle on being a babyface after working on being a heel? Memoies of NXT Takeover in Brooklyn? Do you think that was the highlight of your NXT run? What did it mean to work that venue with your family in the front row? Why did it seem they stopped pushing you after that match? When did you realize your momentum was slowing down? When you are only being used on TV in secondary roles, what can you do to voice your concern? Can you go to a HHH about it and ask what’s going on? Your last TV appearance was against Tomasso Ciampa? Do you think it’s fair you didn’t know they were writing you out? When you received word you were being released, were you surprised? Who told you and where were you? On Breaking Ground, it seemed like they escort guys right out when they are cut – was that what happened to you? Were you angry that you were let go? Looking back, was there anything you could have done differently while under contract that might have changed things? Did you ever consider just leaving the business when you were cut? Have you had a chance to speak to Triple H or any other officials since being released? Thoughts on some of the talents you worked with in NXT – Favorite memories of working and traveling with the following? Kalisto Sylvester LeFort Samoa Joe Finn Balor Tye Dillinger Jason Jordan Chad Gable Charlotte Enzo & Cass Bayley Tyler Breeze Sami Zayn Becky Lynch Kevin Owens Neville Bo Dallas CJ Parker Devyn Taylor Chris Hero Angelo Dawkins Elias Sampson The Ascension Solomon Crowe The Vaudevillains Sasha Banks Hideo Itami Dash & Wilder Mojo Rawley Was there anyone you wanted to work with that you didn’t get a chance to work with? Anyone you wish you had punched before you left? Any WWE regrets? Thoughts on your return to the independent scene, attacking Tony Nese at NYWC? What made you use the Pedigree? What sort of message do you hope it sends to WWE and Triple H personally? What would you say to HHH right now if he asked for ways to improve WWE developmental Could ROH or TNA be possibilities for you? CJ Parker aka Juice Robinson moved to Japan to live in the New Japan dojo and work there – do you think you’d ever want to do the same? Where do you expect Bull James to be if we sit down a year from now? What advice do you have for indy talents who want to get signed by WWE? How much do you think the indy scene has been changed by the popularity of NXT? Thoughts on how social media has changed wrestling? Do you like interacting with fans? Thoughts on the online websites covering the business? Have you ever wanted to smack a reporter/writer? Is it impossible to be a legitimate old school heel in 2016? Any favorite road stories? What was the best part about working for WWE? What’s the best part of being an independent talent again? Any final words for everyone watching?
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