FKA Mojo Rawley Details The Joys And Hardships Of WWE's Developmental System

For Mojo Rawley, leaving the gridiron for a pro wrestling ring wasn't an easy transition, but that's part of what drew him to it. 

On "Conversations with Brisco and Bradshaw," Rawley recalled his initial introduction to WWE, which began with an invite to "WWE Raw" and an impromptu promo crash course with William Regal.

"Regal was awesome," Rawley said. "He actually kept it very simple that day. His big thing was, 'Be authentic. Tell me your story. Tell me about yourself. Let's see a little bit of energy. Put you into this. Don't play wrestler, be a wrestler.' I tried to maintain that as much as I could throughout my entire career."

That small taste led to Rawley joining Florida Championship Wrestling [FCW], where he trained under head coach Bill DeMott, along with the likes of Joey Mercury, Terry Taylor, and Norman Smiley. Rawley acknowledged the unforgiving nature of WWE's developmental system but credited his football background for tempering him.

"Right away, I was like, this is for me," he said. "In the ring, performing, wrestling, the practices — I loved it. And it was not easy. They were killing us."

When FCW folded and moved its operations to Orlando, Rawley was part of the inaugural group at the WWE Performance Center.

"That was a game changer," Rawley said of the new facilities, noting that trainees in FCW often drove an hour off-site for an adequate gym. "Everything was in-house. We had cold tubs and hot tubs, and there was actual rehab going on. It was like Candy Land in there, man. It was awesome."

After six years on the main roster, Rawley was released in April 2021. His biggest achievement was winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, but he's probably best remembered for his association with the 24/7 Championship, WWE's now-retired title.