Trey Bearhill Details His Journey To WWE

Former "WWE NXT" star Trey Bearhill, began his dream of working toward becoming the next prominent WWE star after being recruited as part of the 2022 Performance Center class. However, in the past, Bearhill never thought he'd become a professional wrestler, as it wasn't on his radar. Thanks to one Hall of Famer, Bearhill shifted gears on where he wanted to go with his career.

"So, to tell you the truth, professional wrestling was never on my radar," Bearhill revealed on "Developmentally Speaking." "I watched it here and there growing up. My biggest fan or biggest star that I watched and I was a fan of was Rikishi...You know, being a little bit bigger...I was like, if he can go out there...people can go out there like me."

Working at the Tulsa Botanic Garden at the time of his tryout, Bearhill recalls being on pins and needles before hearing the good news that he had been recruited.

"It felt like an eternity, to tell you the truth, like afterwards," Bearhill said with a chuckle. "It was about a week. They reached out, and they were like, 'Hey, can we talk further?' I was like, 'Yeah.' I was at work, so I re-called them, and they asked me if I wanted to continue. So, at the time, I was like, 'Heck, yeah!'"

Of course, making the jump to Florida was quite a process for the former WWE star and his wife, as neither of them had family nearby. However, they took that leap of faith, with Bearhill working for WWE for two years before his release in May of 2024. Although moving down to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler was at the heart of their move, both he and his wife agreed they would make the best of this newfound journey, even though wrestling is not at the forefront at the moment. Bearhill has not competed in the sport since his departure.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Developmentally Speaking," with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.