NXT’s resident “knockout artist” Kassius Ohno, recently sat down with ESPN. During the interview, Ohno reflected on his second-run in NXT, goes over what it is like seeing the superstars who he competed with in other promotions in the WWE & much more.
Here are the highlights:
Ohno On His First Run In NXT:
“I was just so excited to get out and start traveling again. In my time in NXT, the first time, the independent and international wrestling scene just kind of started to explode and there were just more shows, bigger shows.”
Ohno On His Evolution & His Experience In The Indies:
“It was really cool to see my personal evolution from the different people I was [facing]. I’ve got a target on my head; I’m at these shows and I’m taking on their best talent, night in, night out. Sometimes, that’s Friday in Los Angeles and Saturday in Chicago and then Sunday in Toronto, so it’s a lot of travel, a lot of high expectations and I just got into such a good groove. I was bringing out the best in my opponents; they were bringing out the best in me. I had, arguably, the best year of my almost 19-year career last year. To cap that off, by coming back and taking care of some unfinished business here, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. I feel like both myself and NXT progressed in those three years, but in different ways.”
Not Having Much Success During His First NXT Run:
“I didn’t attain the level of success that I anticipated my first time around and I felt like I was better equipped this go-around to just come in and tear stuff up and also to fill a gap. There’s so much talent here, there was an exodus. You had Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, then you had Samoa Joe and Finn Balor. We just lost The Revival, Tye Dillinger, Shinsuke. To be able to step in and immediately start producing right away, whether it’s these travel shows or going on the tour to England or just in television matches, it’s really cool to represent this new era of NXT.”
His Thoughts On Guys Who He Competed With In Other Promotions Here In The WWE Along With Him:
“You have guys like Eric Young and Bobby Roode…. our paths had crossed a handful of times, but not to the extent that they have now. You also have guys like Roderick Strong who I’ve known since maybe 2003, 2004 and there’s Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe. I know those guys from overseas. There’s Hideo Itami, then you’ve got a guy like Aleister Black who; the first time I met him, had zero tattoos. It’s like my career has been put into a blender and when you pour it out, it’s just a little bit of everything here.”
Ohno’s Overall Thoughts On His Time In NXT & The Brand In General:
“It’s a level playing field here in NXT and he and I…. we have the same goals. We’re going after the same thing, so we have to put that friendship, that mentor-ship behind and go out there and show them what we’re all about. It’s a pleasure for me to be able to do that on this level, on this stage, with someone that I know that well. I just want, every time I’m out there, to have the best match on the show. Every time I’m in the ring with an opponent, I want to get the absolute best out of that opponent and in turn, [he’ll] get the best out of me because what’s a victory if you beat someone that’s a scrub?”
“My goal is the NXT championship. I want to be the guy that is the representative of this brand and I want to take it to places it hasn’t been before. It started off the way it started off and it’s gotten to the point it is now, but why can’t it get even bigger? Why can’t NXT be a brand that is on par with RAW and SmackDown? It’s exciting for myself and the other guys and girls to take it forward and to push it in that direction. That’s my goal in wrestling, I always want to leave it better than I found it.”
If you are going to use any of the quotes above, please give credit to ESPN with an H/T to eWrestlingNews for the transcriptions.
