Former WWE NXT Star Dexter Lumis (Samuel Shaw) recently appeared on Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore podcast to talk about a variety of topics such as how much he was getting paid in TNA developmental.
Dexter Lumis said:
“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.”
Dexter Lumis also talked about how he proved himself on the TNA/IMPACT Wrestling Gut Check series and how he was able to secure his job in the company because of his performance on Gut Check.
Dexter Lumis said:
“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.’”
You can check out Dexter Lumis' comments in the video below. H/T to PostWrestling for transcribing the above quotes.
