David Otunga wears many hats: Father, fiancé, Hollywood party guest, Harvard graduate. But at the moment, he is focused on one role: Wrestler. Otunga signed a deal with WWE back in 2008 and spent a year honing his skills in Florida Championship Wrestling (the WWE's development division), but he now shows up once a week to lay the smack down on "WWE NXT," the weekly show focusing on upcoming practitioners of the grappling arts.
On "WWE NXT," each young star (or "Rookie") is paired with an established character (or "Pro"), and Otunga is currently embroiled in a feud with R-Truth, the rapping superstar in charge of Otunga's development on the show. Though he currently lacks respect for his elders, there are plenty of WWE icons that have helped shape him.
"Growing up I was into Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, Stone Cold, the Rock — all those guys," Otunga told MTV News. "I like the guys of today, too. Jon Cena, the Undertaker — I respect all those guys."
And while he has respect for them, he admits that he isn't about to try any of their signature moves. "The camel clutch is a tough one," he said of the submission maneuver made famous by the Iron Sheik and Sgt. Slaughter. "I've done that a couple of times, but I usually like the power moves like the power slams or spine busters."
"WWE NXT" airs every Tuesday night at 10 p.m. on SyFy, and WrestleMania — the biggest show of the year on the WWE calendar — is on March 28. Stay tuned for more from Otunga in the coming weeks, including his predictions for all the big matches at WrestleMania!
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