Cedric Alexander comments on potentially joining The Hurt Syndicate in AEW
Former WWE star Cedric Alexander did an interview with Chris Van Vliet and here are the highlights courtesy of ChrisVanVliet.com…
On the WWE release: “Everything’s fine. You know, once I got that news, I wasn’t even mad. I kind of felt like a pressure was lifted off my shoulders. Oh wow, I’m free to do other things, cool, all right, let’s see what happens.”
On getting the release call: “I was expecting to be angry and frantic. Actually, funny enough they called Friday night. I was in the middle of a leg workout. I’m doing squats, and my phone starts ringing. So I put the weight down, because I have a gym in my house so for me I’m just working out all hours of the day. So I pick up the phone, and I received the dreaded 203 number. I’m like, Okay, what’s gonna happen? I don’t remember the guy’s name. I think he said it was Will from TR. And I was like, Yeah, sure. What’s up? He goes, ‘Sorry, we’re gonna release you from your contract.’ My initial reaction was okay, cool. He goes, ‘Yeah, sorry to get this news on a Friday.’ So I had an NXT house show tomorrow, so I don’t do that anymore. That was my first question, too. He goes, No, you’re all good, just the 90 days and if you need anything else let us know. I was like, okay, cool.”
On if he was expecting the release: “I wasn’t expecting it, but it was the thing of I wasn’t surprised. I guess I kind of saw the writing on the wall after a while.”
On his immediate reaction: “So I immediately thought to myself when I was released, I was like, Okay, that’s a job. Wrestling is my career. I may be out of a job, but I still have a career. All thanks to [Mustafa] Ali, he’s one of the guys that called me within the hour of me being released and was immediately like, hey dude, it’s all good. Just being super positive as you know Ali is, but yeah man, it sucked because it’s a dream job. It’s one of those jobs that I’m a kid and I’m like oh my god, I’m gonna wrestle for WWE. Then when it ends, it just ends. You just move on.”
On what’s next: “I felt like I was completely started all over again, because I don’t know what’s wrestling outside of WWE for the last eight and a half years. Who’s hot on the indies? I don’t really know that much anymore, who’s a good place to get work? I am just completely lost, because being in WWE for nearly a decade, eight and a half years, you’re like okay, I don’t have to do anything, bookings just come to you, you get paid, and it’s like you almost get complacent because you’re like, Oh, something will pop up. They have all my booking information. They’ll put me in something eventually.”
On if he is interested in joining The Hurt Syndicate in AEW: “100%. That’s a big chapter of my career that I really felt was never fully explored and I think it’ll be great to finish that out.”
On The Hurt Business suddenly ending: “I knew something was wrong when Bobby won the title on that episode of Raw, and Vince made a very direct comment to not have me and Shelton get it in the ring and celebrate with him. That was when I was like, Oh, that’s not good news. Whatever’s happening next I’m not gonna like it. Then, slowly but surely, think was it two or three weeks later that we did the full breakup the first time of the three times we did.”
On there being more to The Hurt Business storyline: “I think so, definitely. There’s so much meat on the bone that I would like to get to. But if I don’t, then that’s fine too. I’m game to go to New Japan, Mexico. So I’m just ready for things to happen. It’s one of those things where I’ve been sitting so long and I feel like I’m getting a little itchy, something’s gotta happen soon.”