Former WWE star Fred Rosser (fka Darren Young) has recalled his time under CM Punk on NXT.
Back during the brand’s rookie-pro days, CM Punk served as Rosser’s pro in 2010. At the time, Punk was also wrestling full-time on SmackDown, leading the Straight Edge Society stable.
On the Insider’s Edge podcast, Rosser revealed that he and Punk didn’t interact much off-screen, noting:
“I think at the time, maybe he was maybe under a lot of stress himself and being on the road more, [and] having to be on NXT.
“It was probably getting to him so he wasn’t into it, he probably said one, a handful of words to me during that entire season. So it was intimidating because I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers, and I was new.”
Rosser recalled a heartwarming moment between him and Punk in 2013, after he publicly came out as gay. Noting that CM Punk had his back, Rosser said:
“He came up to me in catering, and he was all iced up and he told me to stand up in catering. I stood up and he gave me a hug, and he told me after I had came out on television, that if I had any issues with anyone in the locker room to let him know, that he had my back.
“So I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was that minute that I realized that my story was a big deal, and that at the time he did have my back.”
Rosser currently wrestles for NJPW on the US-based ‘STRONG’ brand. He is currently the NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, after winning the gold at STRONG: Collision in Philadelphia in June.
Transcription via Wrestling Inc.
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