NXT Rookie Kaval quickly took the lead on season two of WWE NXT, finally earning a win, and more importantly, finishing first in the NXT Poll. But what makes this fiercely driven, highly-motivated competitor tick? Find out which WWE Superstar Kaval has his competitive sights set on. And, surprise, WWE.com actually gets this extremely serious NXT Rookie to laugh … twice!
WWE.com: Congratulations on coming in first in the NXT Poll. How do you feel about ranking No. 1?
KAVAL: The feeling is indescribable. I’m a very humble and modest competitor. So I didn’t expect the support I did receive on this stage for trying so long, for trying to get into the company, it was really a great experience to see my name at No. 1. (WATCH | PHOTOS)
WWE.com: How do you plan to keep your No. 1 ranking?
KAVAL: I’m just going to have to outwork and outlast every single competitor that’s in this season of WWE NXT. Everyone disregards me simply by my size, but my level of experience and my drive are far greater than the remaining six guys on this season of WWE NXT.
WWE.com: You also earned your first victory Tuesday night. Tell the WWE Universe about your awesome finisher, the Warrior’s Way. (WATCH | PHOTOS)
KAVAL: The Warrior’s Way. I guess that’s presenting me as a martial artist trying to crossover into the mainstream and not be regarded as an MMA guy. I want to be considered as a martial artist. It’s just an extension of my experience, of my personality.
Since I am one of the smallest competitors, I can’t outmatch the rest of the competitors in strength, so my body is the weapon. I’m going to use whatever I can, and I figured something that brings excitement, is very devastating and has a high degree of difficulty to execute, is something the WWE Universe would really, really get into.
It’s taken me seven or eight years, actually, to perfect, and it’s still going strong. It takes a lot of effort to pull that off without injuring myself. I’ve seen competitors throughout the years in different countries and it’s much different than how I do it. My style and my way of executing it is much different, bringing my legs to my chest and really shooting my legs out, trying to get the concussive blow to the opponent’s chest, is something, I think, every time I do, the WWE Universe can really get into. I think they showed me that on Tuesday night.
WWE.com: You mentioned you’re the smallest competitor this season. Do you think you’re the underdog?
KAVAL: In my mind, yes. I think I work better as the underdog simply because people disregard me from a visual standpoint. When you go out in public, and you walk into a mall or you’re walking down the street, you can people-watch and you can just see the different types of people. For the most part, the people who get noticed first are usually the big guys, the big people. Everyone else is usually passed off until something unique stands out for them.
I think just from the visual standpoint, I think the average size of this season’s competitors is like 6-foot-3 or so. I’m only 5-foot-8. I’m the average size of an American man, so I think I fit more in the underdog role than anyone else, just from a starting point, from a visual standpoint. Then that all changes once that bell rings.
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