"Like who gives a s*** if he does it" - Former WWE star explains why his moveset was restricted because of Rey Mysterio
While Rey Mysterio's high-flying style has been a trademark for him in WWE for the larger part of his career, it has been replicated and performed by multiple stars that came in after him.
However, his uniqueness with the style was established when he was one of the only ones performing such moves on a regular basis on the roster. Former WWE star Mike Knox recently shared his experience following his WWE tryout.
Knox explained that while he was easily able to perform moonsaults and high-agility moves, he was told to exclude those maneuvers from his moveset. His restrictions upon arrival to the main roster were done for a very particular and seemingly valid reason.
In an interview with Colin Tessier of WrestleZone, Mike Knox explained how his agile style being restricted tied into one of WWE's biggest stars' appeal:
"This is why, and they’re right, I’m some dips*** coming out of developmental, big guy, nobody knows who I am," Knox said. "If I do something at 6’7, whatever they were billing me at, 275, if I sit there and do a standing moonsault, and then Rey Mysterio does it, and he weighs 150 pounds, like who gives a s*** if he does it? This guy sells five million dollars a year in masks and three million in shirts. [The fans] wanted to see Rey Mysterio, they didn’t want to see dips*** Mike Knox out there doing backflips.” [H/T Wrestle Zone]
Mike Knox found some freedom following his WWE and IMPACT Wrestling Days
In the same interview, Knox further elaborated that he was being held back either performance wise or character wise while he was in WWE and IMPACT Wrestling. However, his current run in NWA allows him to be himself:
"But now I get to be natural, instead of having to figure like, ‘Oh gee, what would a circus man do?’ Or a biker man can’t do a move here, he just gotta kick and punch. I’m old, I’m a little beat up, but what I do now, I do very well and very violently, and I’m pretty damn proud of this little run that I got going on here." [H/T Wrestle Zone]
Mike Knox Finally Gets To Be Himself In NWA, And He’s Loving It bit.ly/3CtD6ek https://t.co/HiuqNqQZud
Mike Knox made his return to professional wrestling last year when he debuted in NWA in November 2021. He has since been a prominent part of the roster and is enjoying his run with the company.