ORLANDO, Fla. – Seldom does a pro wrestler perfect their gimmick when playing another sport. But for NXT star Tank Ledger (real name Joe Spivak) he was doing that while still playing football for Northwestern.
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Ledger is a guest on the latest episode of “Going Ringside,” along with WWE legend Shawn Michaels.
“When I was playing football, I never wanted to be the boring interview. I tried to bring a little bit of a wrestling promo, which was hard after a loss,” said Ledger. “But I definitely loved it being a part of my daily life here.”
He found his figurative bridge to the world of pro wrestling through WWE’s “Next In Line” (NIL) program.
“All it is is a bridge for college athletes who want and are about to make a career out of professional wrestling with the WWE,” said Ledger. “It’s the bridge, the start of a relationship that allows those college athletes that might have that certain skill set to come live in the Performance Center.”
And now he’s hit the big time as part of one of the dominant tag teams -- alongside his partner Hank Walker -- on NXT, which now airs at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays on CW.
During the interview before Ledger’s on this week’s Going Ringside episode, we asked Michaels what WWE star Ledger reminds him of.
Michaels came up with one of the more legendary big men in wrestling history -- the late Big Boss Man. His real name was Ray Traylor, and he came to global fame using the gimmick of a southern prison guard.
“It’s an honor. I don’t have the police authority that the Big Boss Man used to carry,” said Ledger. “Not only is he a legend, he was a hard-hitting ring legend.”
The future is bright for the former football standout, who’s now a global wrestling standout. It would not be a surprise if title gold is in his future.