Arturo Ruas: WWE Encouraged Me To Train For The Olympics

Former NXT superstar Arturo Ruas didn’t just have his eye on ‘sports entertainment’, as he originally wanted Olympic glory to boost his pro wrestling standing. A skilled amateur wrestler who competed at the Pan American Games in 2011, Ruas was originally touted for the Olympics, before eventually going fully down the pro-wrestling route.

Now known as Adrian Jaoude, the former Ruas spoke with Wrestling Inc. to detail how his Olympic dream led him to the WWE:

“In Brazil, the sport managers, even for wrestling that time, they weren’t able to feed the sport with sponsors and money, and I wasn’t training as I should have been training. I could go to the Olympic Games, and I could win or not, but what next? And I had some plans in my head, but I was finished. I needed something bigger than to just retire, and that’s why when WWE came in, I just felt that it was God’s plan. God knows everything.

“I was training with the Nogueira brothers from UFC, Rodrigo and Rogério, and we were talking about going to UFC after the Olympic Games. And I was like, ‘Hey guys, do you think you can get me a contract?’ because I was training with them, and they told me, ‘Yeah, Let’s see. If you really want it, we can make it happen.’ And when WWE came in, and I am a big fan of of wrestling, I felt WWE was more in my heart. I love UFC. I train in MMA. But I kind of just felt my heart was more in pro wrestling.”

Jaoude revealed that his Olympic training was no obstacle in signing with WWE in the first place:

“That was kind of part of my deal coming in,” Jaoude revealed. “They knew about my situation, and they allowed me to compete. I was the Performance Center in October 2015. In 2016, in January, was the circuit. I had to go to Brazil to win the trials in Brazil. I had to compete in the circuit, and I did it. WWE were just waiting for me to be there, and everything changed and it didn’t happen.”