Ex-WWE star says he had backstage heat after Dusty Rhodes passed away

Dusty Rhodes is widely viewed as one of the most creative and popular wrestlers of all time. In a recent interview, former WWE star ZZ recalled how some of his fellow developmental talents thought he was trying to copy The American Dream.

On June 11, 2015, Rhodes passed away at the age of 69 after suffering from kidney failure. ZZ, real name Zamariah Loupe, began training at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, around the time of the legendary wrestler's death.

ZZ revealed on Developmentally Speaking that he had a target on his back from his first day in training. According to the former Tough Enough contestant, other wrestlers mistakenly believed he based his fun-loving personality on Rhodes:

"Here I come, the day that Dusty Rhodes passed, smiling and happy a lot, and I got a little bit of an accent, so people didn't realize that I didn't have a clue as to who that was when I got there, and I wasn't trying to replicate anybody," ZZ said. "Then I learned and I'm like, 'Oh, I got you,' and it took a couple of months for people to realize that that's just who I was and I wasn't trying to gimmick infringe Dusty." [13:01 – 13:27]

In 2015, ZZ finished as runner-up on the sixth season of the Tough Enough reality show. He earned a WWE contract before receiving his release from the company in 2016.

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ZZ addresses Dusty Rhodes comparisons

Dusty Rhodes was beloved by many WWE stars. Before his passing, the Hall of Famer played a key role in helping the company's NXT developmental talents.

Looking back, ZZ understands why his accent and personality drew comparisons to Rhodes:

"If I didn't know any better and I was in their shoes, I'd have probably thought the same thing, but that was the first big, big hurdle that I had to get over before anything else, even to do with the show or the NXT training while I was there after the show or anything like that. That was something that not a lot of people know." [13:33 – 13:52]

In the same interview, ZZ explained how WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H once stopped him from getting cut from Tough Enough.

What are your thoughts on ZZ's comments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Please credit Developmentally Speaking and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.