Former WWE Star D'Lo Brown Reveals Why He Was Included In The Nation Of Domination

The Nation of Domination largely ended up being The Rock's launchpad into the main event and the massive wave of success he enjoyed during The Attitude Era, but the faction was filled with key members who also remained mostly relevant in the era. D'Lo Brown is largely remembered for his run with the European and Intercontinental Championships, but the veteran recently recalled his time with the NOD.

According to Brown, during an interview on "The Wrestling Classic," the NOD was getting a ton of heat on babyfaces, but because none of them could bump, the babyfaces couldn't get their licks back in. 

"I was just gonna go out there to be the first guy to get bumped by the babyfaces," he explained. "I was brought in to be the bump guy for the Nation so they could heat on me, and as we're going around the country...and as their trust grew with me, then they're like: 'Okay, we can move this kid up from just being in the background, let's bring him into the foreground now!'"

According to D'Lo Brown, Ron Simmons was instrumental in his growth in WWE, as the veteran saw a lot in him and pushed for him to become a bigger part of the Nation of Domination. "If Smoky Mountain was where I got my college Degree, being next to Ron Simmons was where I got my PhD," he expressed. "Because of Ron's recommendations and Gerry Briscoe – who was the House show agent – they decided to trust me more and make me a featured character."

As he continued to open up about working with Simmons, Brown noted that one of the biggest lessons he learned from the WWE Hall of Famer was patience and awareness. "When you get out there? When you get two minutes? Make it the most important two minutes anyone has ever seen, because you're not guaranteed the next two minutes," he recalled. "Ron? He is like the Don of professional wrestling. He has mentored, trained, helped thousands of wrestlers. He has inspired millions, but he's physically helped thousands, and I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Ron Simmons talking to me. And I owe Ron more than anything that I could ever say."

Brown further boldly claimed that he models himself as a producer today after Simmons, and hopes to be half the inspiration Simmons was, which will be the only way he'll ever consider his career a success.

D'Lo Brown is not the only Nation of Domination alum that holds Ron Simmons in high regard, as according to Brown, Mark Henry also owes a lot of his career to the veteran. 

"It's not by accident, it's very much inspired," he said when asked if it's a coincidence that both he and Henry share the same qualities as producers. "I'll speak for Mark in this: we both enjoy walking in the shadow of Ron Simmons, and we hope we can live up to the shoes that he wears."

Brown then opened up about his relationship with Henry, especially considering how they still tagged after the NOD's disbandment, and he was there when Henry created his 'Sensual Chocolate' character. "Here's the thing: Mark and I? When we got put together in the Nation of Domination, slowly became best friends," he claimed." So, what you saw in the ring? Was just an extension of what we were in the car, at the hotel, in the restaurants."

"To this day, I could call Mark right now, and we could talk about everything from family, to Football, to food, anything!" Brown expressed, further describing Henry as the brother he never had, and claimed that they've spent time with each other's families over the years.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Wrestling Classic" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.