Ex WWE Superstar Gangrel Discusses Training Rusev, His Dedication And Being Happy For Him

Former WWE Superstar, Gangrel, recently spoke with Jim Varsollone regarding the role he played in training and developing Rusev. Below are some highlights with a H/T to WrestlingInc.com for the transcription.

On training Rusev:

“Me and Rikishi we had a school called Knokx Pro out in California,” Gangrel said. “Yeah and we had [Rusev] come through as a talent. One of the current stars in NXT, Vanessa Bourne — I trained her as well.”

The dedication he showed:

“Rusev has gone the furthest of and the most right now,” Gangrel continued. “He was a big Bulgarian guy from Bulgaria. He moved from Bulgaria to become a pro wrestler and that cat slept in his car, he didn’t miss a class.

“He was delivering food, bouncing in a bar, and driving a taxi. But in-between all that, he was at wrestling school or sleeping in that parking lot so he wouldn’t miss his next class. His dedication is proof that hard work pays off. I couldn’t be happier for him that it paid off. Because you know, he wasn’t the most athletic coming in or this or that, but he had heart and he had drive and he had passion.”

Feeling like he is still in WWE through Rusev:

“I’m so blessed that I was a part of his life and seeing his success now. I ride that wave. Deep down inside I’m like, ‘yeah! I may not be [in WWE]anymore but a piece of me is.’ That’s so awesome.”