Dean Muhtadi, formerly known as Mojo Rawley, is entering a new chapter in his career. Following his release from Vince McMahon’s promotion, Rawley has already landed on his feet, as he landed a role in the “Snake Eyes” film that comes out later this month.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, the seven-time WWE 24/7 company reflected on his run with the company. In one highlight, he explained how the lack of follow-up to his victory in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was a microcosm of the issues that plagued his time on the main roster, as Vince McMahon didn’t know what to do with him. (Transcription credit of Chris Van Vliet.)
“Honestly I think that was what my whole career boiled down to,” said Rawley. “It’s we got this guy, he is perfect for this one spot, high energy, hyped up dude. We are going to put him in this space and we don’t know what to do with him after. I remember meeting with Vince one time, I felt pretty boosted after it. He sat me down and went ‘Alright, you may be one of the best athletes in the company. You may be one of the strongest in the company. You have one of the best attitudes and one of the best work ethics.’ He literally went down the list of all these superlatives where I was number one or top three.
“Then he was like ‘We’ve just got to figure out what to do with you.’ I remember thinking to myself I think you just said it. How do we not use that? There are so many things you could do with it. But you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. All you can do is work your butt off. I was pitching things constantly, very seldom does that come to anything if at all.”
Whereas many people who get released by WWE express disappointment and/or heartbreak, Rawley admitted that he was ready for a change, given the way his WWE career had been going leading up to his release. He shared his belief that he got “pidgeon-holed” into his role as an energetic babyface and emphasized his excitement about his ability to move forward.
“All I can say is I’m grateful to have been with the company as long as I was,” said Rawley. “I mean putting in almost a decade, that’s a hell of a run. Truthfully I am happy it happened. It was time for a change. Sometimes you never want to be the one to necessarily initiate that, but you needed it to happen. It was a thought that was going through my head for a while. Let’s give this another year or two, if this amounts to nothing, or very little, then yeah it is time for a change. I am going to turn 35 shortly. If I am thinking about starting another industry, the more you wait, the less is on the table. I got pigeonholed a lot as being this big hyped up guy that very much did a lot outside of the ring.
“…But sometimes change needs to happen, whether it comes from you or them.”
The full interview is available here:
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