10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Sept 29)

7. MVP's WWE Character Was Inspired By How Nice Top Athletes Are

The ego-driven world-class sports star MVP played in WWE was naturally inspired by arrogant jocks the man witnessed when working as a bouncer and bodyguard. Akin to an NFL star who believed his own hype, MVP was supposed to annoy fans because he was so cocky. It worked, but MVP had another source of inspiration.

During his time working the doors of various nightclubs in the South Beach area of Miami, Florida, MVP watched with great interest as genuine superstars like Shaquille O'Neal and Barry Sanders treated everyone with respect. That fascinated the future WWE star, because he realised that the mouthy players he had seen before were only shouting loud because they had to.

Meanwhile, the real stars didn't have to brag. MVP revealed this thought process to the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast, and also went on to say that WWE told him they'd never heard a pitch like that before. MVP's arrogance as a character was inspired by bluff rather than actually being able to back up what he claimed.