Chris Harris says his brief WWE run as Braden Walker was doomed from the very beginning, revealing that he received virtually no preparation for the character and quickly became the unhappiest he had ever been in professional wrestling.
Speaking exclusively with Wrestling Headlines’ Ian Aldous, Harris reflected on joining WWE in early 2008 after leaving TNA. While making it to WWE had always been his lifelong dream, he said the reality fell far short of his expectations.
“The easiest way to say it is there wasn’t any preparation into it.
The name was figured out that day.
The outfit was bland and put together that day.”
Harris also revealed that many of the moves that had helped establish him as one of TNA’s top stars were taken away because they were already being used by established WWE talent.
“A lot of my signature moves that I did with TNA, there were a number of them that were too close to the stars that were doing it there that I could not do those.
So much was taken away from me.”
Although reaching WWE had been his dream since breaking into the business, Harris admitted the experience quickly became the lowest point of his career.
“I couldn’t believe it because your dream is to make it to the WWE.
The fact is, I was working there and I was the most unhappy I’d ever been in my life.
It was a sad time.”
Harris’ Braden Walker character lasted just eight months before he was released in late 2008. Looking back, he accepts that he shares some responsibility for the run not working out, but believes the lack of preparation and creative direction left him with little opportunity to succeed.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Ian Aldous and WrestlingHeadlines.com for the exclusive interview.
