"F no, not interested" - Heel superstar rejected face turn before Triple H told him it was Vince McMahon's idea
Tyrus, formerly known as Brodus Clay in WWE, recently explained the full story behind Vince McMahon’s surprising decision to turn him babyface.
The 49-year-old initially appeared on the main roster as a heel bodyguard for Alberto Del Rio between March-May 2011. In November of the same year, WWE aired vignettes promoting his return as a villainous monster.
Speaking on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, Tyrus recalled how Mark Henry once filmed him making jokes at Yoshi Tatsu’s expense in the locker room. Henry shared the light-hearted footage with McMahon, who thought the six-foot-eight star had the right personality to portray a good guy.
“They approached me with being a babyface and my answer was basically, ‘F no, not interested. Maybe at some point, but not now,’” Tyrus said. “Basically, I rejected [the idea], but I didn’t know where it was coming from [McMahon], so it was frowned upon a little bit.”
New Episode! "Tyrus Says His WWE Gimmick Was A Punishment, FOX News Job, Winning The NWA Television Championship"
Tyrus Says His WWE Gimmick Was A Punishment, FOX News Job, Winning The NWA Televisio…
Player links & show notes: podcast.chrisvanvliet.com/tyrus-says-his…
After weeks of promotional material, Tyrus’ Brodus Clay character returned in January 2012 as a fun-loving dancer. Nicknamed The Funkasaurus, he was accompanied by The Funkadactyls (Cameron and Naomi) and often danced before and after his matches.
How Tyrus reacted when Triple H relayed another Vince McMahon memo
I wish I was “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay https://t.co/tSCLbBok3s
Although he wanted to perform as a heel, Tyrus accepted that he needed to follow orders from Vince McMahon. At first, he did not realize the instructions had come from the WWE Chairman until Triple H told him.
The Game informed Tyrus that McMahon also wanted him to dance. Lord Tensai’s former tag team partner disliked the abrupt character change and asked then-NXT coach Dusty Rhodes for advice.
“I immediately said, ‘Can I go see Dusty? Can I go deal with Dusty? He’ll know what to do,’” Tyrus continued. “The other caveat, he [Triple H] is like, ‘He thinks you should dance too.’ I was just like, ‘What? I don’t dance.’ Even when I was in the clubs bodyguarding I didn’t dance.”
In hindsight, Tyrus said he looks back on his run as Brodus Clay with fond memories. He received his release from WWE in June 2014 and now wrestles for the NWA.
Please credit Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.