4 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE Talking Smack (Jan 10)
1. Up - Finding His Mojo
Probably the strongest night of Mojo Rawley's entire WWE/NXT career, his scaled-back reintroduction on Talking Smack was a revelatory look into the background of the man behind the 'hype'.
Explaining how a frank discussion with recently-injured partner Zack Ryder had set him away on an unexpected new singles journey in WWE, Rawley spoke candidly of his background in both Finance and the NFL, explaining how only injuries had kept him out of a career with the Arizona Cardinals, and that as the proud owner of an MBA in Business he'd actually turned down job offers on Wall Street to make a fresh start in NXT.
Diplomatically describing the raft of options he had on the table, he revealed a lifelong friendship with New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski, and how a prior friendship between Gronkowski's father and Mike 'IRS' Rotunda was what initially forged his path to WWE.
Bringing his story back around to present day, and gently turning up the intensity, Rawley put Smackdown Live on notice, advising the roster than the goofy Mojo in the zubaz shorts from the Hype Bros was gone, replaced by the 'true' him, increasing the anticipation for his in-ring return in the near future.