Former WWE NXT UK star Rohan Raja talks journey to pro wrestling, surprising reaction he got from his family

Rohan Raja was a awesome subordinate connected nan tag squad segment for WWE NXT UK earlier nan marque unopen down and folded into nan existent authorities of NXT programming. He came a agelong measurement from his roots successful nan United Kingdom and Australia to being a challenger for nan tag squad titles.

Raja was calved successful nan United Kingdom and was thrust into pro wrestling fandom acknowledgment to his grandfather, begetter and brother, who were each monolithic fans. He sewage his first glimpse astatine nan athletics erstwhile he was conscionable 4 years aged and knew correct distant it was a profession he wanted to pursue.

"It conscionable became thing maine and my relative would do each nan clip and we’d conscionable watch it each nan clip and erstwhile I was a small kid I had that crazy dream that I wanted to beryllium a master wrestler," he told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "A batch of group person these crazy dreams erstwhile they are younger isolated from a batch of group don’t travel it and it conscionable ne'er stopped and I conscionable dedicated my full upbringing, for illustration I dedicated my full life conscionable to beryllium capable to do this. That’s beautiful overmuch really I sewage into it."

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Rohan Raja performs astatine Maple Leaf Pro Resurrection. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

Raja shared that he was a spot tense erstwhile he first revealed he wanted to go a pro wrestler.

He explained that, arsenic being a personification of Indian descent, he was apt going to beryllium steered distant from doing thing "extraordinary." However, he was stunned to study really supportive his family was – location was nary lecture, nary argument. From there, it was astir going to nan correct schoolhouse to get decently trained and get group up for success.

"I was frightened for nan longest time," he told Fox News Digital. "I retrieve I was redeeming a batch of money because I wanted to move to Calgary (Canada) to get trained by Lance Storm. I was like, man, really americium I gonna do this? I retrieve talking to my relative and my sister and they were for illustration if you person a afloat scheme and you coming it to dada and mom, they should beryllium bully pinch it.

"My inheritance is of Indian descent. So, moreover though, I was calved successful nan UK and I grew up successful Australia, we still person those halfway values, you don’t spell for that peculiar bonzer profession path. You usually spell for nan safe bet. It was very astonishing because erstwhile I sat my dada down, I told him, and he was conscionable like, ‘So, what’s next? What schoolhouse do you want to spell to?’ I was conscionable thinking, ‘What? He’s not giving maine a lecture?’ From nan get go, him and my relative person been for illustration my biggest fans and truthful has my mom and my sister. It was very relieving to spot really they took it."

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Rohan Raja formerly competed astatine WWE NXT UK. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

WWE NXT UK was hardly nan first extremity for Raja. He went to wrestling schoolhouse and worked immoderate of nan independents successful Western Canada. He performed for nan Prairie Wrestling Alliance (PWA) successful Canada, Real Canadian Wrestling (RCW) and moreover made his measurement to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) earlier he sewage nan chance astatine perchance trying retired for a WWE contract.

He elaborate to Fox News Digital really he was capable to get nan tryout contempt not being a Canadian citizen.

"When I was based successful Calgary, I worked nan occidental independents successful Canada for almost 2 years and past I moved to Toronto. I was training pinch Yuki Ishikawa down location and past I had a TNA tally briefly. I had a tryout successful 2017 and past from 2018-2019 I had a TV tally pinch a group called nan Desi Hit Squad backmost then," he explained. "I ended up asking for my merchandise I deliberation it was astir April 2019. Then, I contacted nan WWE because they were doing a Canadian tryout successful August of that year. I didn’t person immoderate connection pinch them anterior because I was contracted. I was banking connected that and I retrieve I sewage feedback, like, ‘We cognize who you are. We’ve been keeping way of you but this tryout is only for Canadians.’ I’m not a Canadian national aliases anything. So I was like, damn man, this is my cleanable chance to do it. And I was kinda preparing to move to nan UK. I had that successful my mind for that adjacent goal.

"Anyway, erstwhile I sewage that, I deliberation it was only a week later aliases something, I sewage a interaction again saying, ‘No, no, no, you’re connected nan tryout.’ I had to enactment prepared for that. It was a tryout consisting of 50 group crossed Canada and astatine nan time, I was nan only 1 who sewage picked. They came to maine pinch a connection if I wanted to spell to nan U.S. aliases nan UK but I really wanted to study British style of wrestling. So, I kinda pushed for nan UK since I was going to move location anyway. Fast forward, I ended up moving to nan UK, I signed pinch NXT UK, and had a awesome clip there."

Raja said working astatine WWE NXT UK helped him study from immoderate of nan champion successful nan industry, for illustration William Regal, and it helped him amplify his TV work.

He said nan only disappointment he could deliberation of was awaiting for nan debut of NXT Europe, which ne'er came.

"I deliberation nan pros are you’re conscionable learning truthful much, which is great," he said. "The European workers are really good. There’s truthful galore different coaches truthful you would conscionable learning thing each day. I would study a batch from William Regal. We were successful a group and his boy was a portion of that faction astatine nan time, truthful I was learning a batch from him. I deliberation if you spell into it pinch a affirmative mindset, you tin clasp truthful overmuch knowledge, you tin study truthful much. And being astatine TNA prior, I learned really nan TV merchandise useful – TV angles and everything. I consciousness for illustration pinch NXT, it gave maine much of that and I really sewage this groove going.

Rohan Raja successful nan ringing during a Maple Leaf Pro event. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

"I deliberation nan only con I would opportunity was, chiefly because nan NXT UK unopen down astatine nan time, and we thought it was coming backmost successful Europe and they had that successful their plans but I deliberation nan modulation of nan full waste erstwhile they ended up trading nan company, it kinda sewage put connected hold. So, I deliberation that was nan biggest con. But too that, nan full clip I was there, I had a awesome time."

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Raja is now moving pinch Maple Leaf Pro – nan Canadian promotion revived by Scott D’Amore. The institution precocious inked a TV woody pinch TSN. MLP’s "Mayhem" is group to debut connected June 12 and 13.