Zack Clayton On Bringing A Little AEW To ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’
Fans of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation will know Zack Clayton from his appearances on the MTV reality show as boyfriend turned fiancé of Jenni "JWoww" Farley. Looking a little deeper, you'll discover he is much more than that. A pro wrestler who has been honing his skills and paying dues for a number of years. Hard work paying off in the form of working a number of shows for All Elite Wrestling on Dark and Elevation.
"I love it there. Those guys are great," Clayton said. "They treat me very well. They treat everyone very well. I get asked what's the environment backstage. I always say it's equal. Everyone is just friendly. We are all one is what it feels back there. There are a lot of friendships back there."
The emerging prospect faced the likes of Sonny Kiss and QT Marshall, taking from each experience. Clayton likes the atmosphere in the company where everyone has input with a willingness to help others.
"You can take two cents from everyone you work with, and it's okay that happens. You're told other places to listen to what certain people say only," he said. "In AEW, you can talk to whoever you want and they may give a plethora of advice. You can take each person's advice and make it your own. Everyone has something to say in a positive light, which is great."
Clayton is bringing the worlds of pro wrestling and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation this season. The episodes to come mark a number of milestones in the Poconos that he'll soon be able to relive with the rest of the world. Among them is announcing his engagement to Jenni. Clayton also teases the star was able to put AEW in an episode.
"I did a match. It was cool because I was on Elevation, but I got to do the match in front of a live crowd. It was about 2,000 people when we were still doing capacity limits. That was one of the first times I've had crowds in over a year. That by itself the energy was incredible. You're going to be seeing AEW on the Jersey Shore. Professional wrestling on MTV. It's happening this season."
There are also scenes where Clayton trains with the guys as they put together a little wrestling show. Not your typical day at the gym or even GTL session.
"They were in the ring learning to take bumps and hit the ropes. It is some really entertaining stuff you get to see," Clayton said. "A lot of people don't know how wrestling works. It truly is an art in entertainment form. They had no idea what went into it. The ring is actually hard and the ropes hurt when you hit them and the turnbuckles hurt. So I got the guys into a whole new respect in professional wrestling. Ronnie did a really good job because he actually had a match 10 years ago or something like that. He did a really good job taking bumps. He remembered how to do it."
Clayton goes as far as to say Ronnie had the most potential out of the bunch.
"He is a little small," he added. "Him and Mike ['The Situation'] have their 10-year rematch you're going to have to check out and wait and see. That has been in the making for 10 years. That's in the episode as well. Very fun stuff."
Jenni's children also get in on the fun. Though is no stranger to the ring, much like Ronnie and Angelina, who has also appeared on Impact Wrestling.
"The kids love it. Greyson loves it. He is five now," Clayton said. "That's the age I remember becoming obsessed with wrestling. In the episode, we had a ring set up and the show. There is a little surprise with Greyson and Meilani at the very end. You have to check it out."
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. You can find Clayton's full interview via the embedded players below: