The latest guest on Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore podcast was Samuel Shaw (fka Dexter Lumis in NXT), who spoke in-depth about a number of pro-wrestling-related topics, including thoughts on his days in TNA and how much money he made during his time in TNA’s developmental program. Highlights can be found below.
Reveals how much he was getting paid in TNA developmental:
I was getting paid $1,300 a month [while in developmental for TNA Wrestling] and that was it. They didn’t cover any moving expenses which, you know, I get it. It was just sign of the times I guess but I would have taken it for less just because I was hungry, eager to prove myself and make it in this line of work so whatever I had to do, I knew it was gonna be a grind, I knew it was gonna be difficult but hey, I made it work.
On securing his job with TNA through his performance on the Gut Check series:
So I think it was just me being around a lot [is how I got recognized by TNA] and they would stick me in dark matches and I think Dixie [Carter] developed — I think she saw something in me, she liked me and I think Eric Bischoff was around by the time I got hired there. I did the Gut Check thing where I had a dark match with Doug Williams two weeks prior and it was just eh. It was just OK and I was like, ah sh*t, I think I blew it. But then I get a call and they were like, ‘Hey, we wanna use you for Gut Check’ and I think the past two or three people that they used for Gut Check, they had said ‘yes’. So, I went into it with the mindset like, they need a ‘no’ so I think they’re like, oh, we can use this guy and he won’t shine and it’ll be a good TV segment where we can say no so that was the mindset that I had. I was like, I’m gonna prove them wrong. So I went out, had this match with Doug and man, anytime I see Doug Williams, I always thank him because he’s the one I feel like put me in a good position to get a job. He bumped his ass off for me and made me look like a million bucks. It was a very short match and it parlayed off into another story they had and I remember just getting to the back and Eric Bischoff’s right there and he just looks at me and he’s like, ‘Sh*t!’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he’s like, ‘You did fantastic. That was amazing’ and I thought I was in trouble at first but, and then I see Dixie and then she’s just like, ‘That was awesome.’
(H/T and transcribed by Post Wrestling
)