In high school, Bray was an avid amateur wrestler, winning the state championship (Florida) in 2005. He also played football at the College of the Sequoias where he was a guard and defensive tackle for two seasons. In fact, during his sophomore year, he won second-team All-American honors allowing him to receive a football scholarship to Troy University. At Troy, he played football for two more years before leaving college to pursue a career in the pro-wrestling business. Between his family lineage and stellar high school and college athletic records, its fair to say the stage was set for his transition to WWE a few years later.