Levis Valenzuela Jr. proud to represent Dominican Republic in NXT
Every time Levis Valenzuela Jr. steps inside the ring, it’s his mission to draw the attention of anybody and everybody in earshot, and it might not be long before the NXT Universe finds that out firsthand. The energetic, big-bodied jolt of charisma, with bushy hair and an untamed beard reminiscent of wildman Pampero Firpo, was one of 11 signees who descended upon Orlando, Fla., in April as part of the WWE Performance Center’s rookie class.
Prior to breaking into wrestling in 2013, Valenzuela studied pre-law, won awards in collegiate ballroom dancing, and moved to South Korea to teach English. Now a member of WWE’s talent development system for a little more than a month, he spoke to WWE.com about his circuitous journey to the squared circle, what it means to be the first Dominican signee in recent memory and which Superstars he’d like to challenge — both in the ring and on the dancefloor.
WWE.COM: You’ve been at the Performance Center for a few weeks. How’s the adjustment been?
LEVIS VALENZUELA JR.: It’s been good. Initially it was a lot of working out, getting your body used to the different types of workout routines. They had us doing a couple rolls, work on our footwork, our mechanics and things of that nature. We’re on the road Thursday to Saturday most weeks and when we’re not, we’re here at the Performance Center all day and on the weekends. You go in in the morning and come home at 12 a.m. or 1 in the morning. It’s a long day, but it doesn’t compare to the main roster, because we come home back to Orlando. It’s an adjustment that needs to happen in order to prepare you. It’s just what life’s like now for us. I’m used to it now.
WWE.COM: You’re going from a part-time indie wrestling schedule to that of a full-time recruit. Has that immersive approach affected your game?
VALENZUELA: Being in here every single day is a huge benefit. You’ve got great coaches — Jason Albert, Robbie Brookside, Norman Smiley, Sara Amato. All these coaches are here to help you out, to nitpick at every single aspect of what you need to do, things you’ve learned in the past. They’re not necessarily telling you it’s wrong, but how to make it better. We’re part of a completely different thing here at WWE, it’s a new system. So our job is to adjust to the new system, no matter where we come from, and we have all the training staff here in order to make those adjustments. You get to perfect your craft. Every day we’re getting better and learning more.
WWE.COM: You broke into wrestling in 2013, and your path was a little uncommon. You taught English in Korea for a couple of years. How’d that transition work?
VALENZUELA: I always had the idea I wanted to be a wrestler, but my parents wanted me to get an education, so I went to college to pursue what, I wasn’t 100 percent sure. By the time I was done, I was studying for the LSAT because I ended up doing pre-law, and I didn’t feel like I’d done everything I wanted to by that point. Because I went to college for four years, I thought I should use that in some shape or form, because I had to pay the bills. That’s where the degree came in, because I always wanted to travel and explore different cultures.
The experience in Korea was magnificent. The people are awesome over there, but toward the end of my stay there, I started watching more and more WWE, and I just knew I wanted to do that. I was telling my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, how I felt and she had no idea what wrestling really was.Thankfully, she was on board. She left Korea the same time as me and we went to North Carolina to pursue the dream. It was just a passion that I didn’t know how to express, but I wanted to accomplish this goal, this dream I had since I was a kid. I was afraid of failure, but if you never try, you kick yourself in the butt your entire life. It becomes a “what if?” situation.
