Why WWE Rejected Tony Nese After His First Tryout
Tony Nese on WWE deciding not to sign him earlier in his career.
Tony Nese has revealed that WWE opted against signing him after his first tryout with the promotion, commenting that his lack of unique background meant he wasn't what the company was looking for at the time.
The former Cruiserweight Champion said as much during a recent interview with the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, which is due to be uploaded to their YouTube and Twitch channels later today (h/t Fightful Select).
Nese mentioned being "short and white" on the podcast, but has since hit Twitter to clarify the situation, noting that overcoming WWE's reasons for not signing became the "unique story" that proved he was worth a shot:-
Ugh....before this gets out of hand. It was referring to how I didn't have a unique background. Just a kid from Long Island who wanted to be a wrestler. But my overcoming of that by proving to them I'm worth a shot became my unique story. https://t.co/BnjINNXi6K— Tony Nese (@TonyNese) July 2, 2021
The EVOLVE veteran ended up signing for WWE through the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. Brought into the company's revived cruiserweight division in the aftermath, Nese joined the 205 Live roster when the purple brand debuted that November, staying with WWE until he was let go from his contract on 25 June 2021.
WrestleMania 35 hosted Nese's biggest moment in WWE, as he defeated Buddy Murphy to become Cruiserweight Champion on the Kickoff Show.
The 35-year-old is currently bound by a 90-day non-compete clause that will expire on 23 September.