By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest Wesley Blake (a/k/a Westin Blake)
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com
Video available at Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube Page
On his new wrestling name: “I’m going by Westin Blake. When I was in NXT the first time, I pitched a bunch on names. I was always told it’s best if you can have a name that you can connect with. I have an older brother named Blake, so that was a big driving factor. Most of my life I have been called Weston, because that’s my last name. When I gave them the list of NXT names, Wesley Blake was the winner. They had three or four on there, I can’t remember them but they were not that good.”
On the time he spent in WWE: “Looking back I have nothing but great memories there. I felt like I was able to evolve with NXT as well from when I started in 2013 to where it is now. Winning the NXT Tag Titles with Buddy Murphy was one of the highlights. Getting with Steve [Cutler] and pitching The Forgotten Sons, that was another proud moment where we gave them something as an idea and they ran with it. Meeting my wife there and getting to start a life with her. Getting to travel and wrestle in places that I never thought I would be able to travel to. I got to wrestle in Paris in a circus tent, little stuff like that. Of course all of the friendships you get to make.”
The original name for The Forgotten Sons: “When we first pitched the name we wanted to use Prisoners of Society or Prisoners of the System. We wanted to be these two guys who felt like we did everything right in life, but nothing was given to us. So we were going to take it by any means necessary. We pitched that but they didn’t like the Prisoners of the System. They thought that the name would bring NXT in a bad light. We then started pitching other names and The Forgotten Sons is what stuck. We were happy that they liked it so well.”
How Jackson Ryker’s tweets in 2020 halted the momentum of The Forgotten Sons: “The whole situation got halted. When we got called up we were told that we were going to be feuding with The New Day. It looked like we were going to be with them for the foreseeable future. Xavier Woods was out at that time, and I believe they had plans once he was ready to come back. They were going to have us do six-mans, integrate with each other, stuff like that. Then that tweet happened. Steve and myself, we asked [Jackson] Ryker if he would take it down, but as a man of his own, he respectfully said no. So Steve and I told him ‘Well listen, we are going to separate ourselves from you with our own opinions.’ So we did. When Steve and I went to creative the next day at the Performance Center, we talked with some creative and we were told that we were going to let this blow over for about two or three weeks, then we will bring you back and you will still feud with The New Day. Then it was about a week later where we got a text saying ‘Nope, New Day is going with Shinsuke [Nakamura] and Cesaro.'”
How he handled the situation: “When something like that happens, it’s something that you can’t weigh on. You can’t sit there and gripe about it. I did what I felt was right and what I felt was needed to help move on. After that Ryker has called me and has apologized. He never meant for that to hurt our careers or to dismember The Forgotten Sons. He is very apologetic towards me and Steve. That was one thing that I told Steve and I told Ryker, ‘Now we have to move forward. I can’t sit here and keep blaming this or that.’ I’m going to try and make the best of a situation. Me and Steve started pitching ideas to get us onto TV again. Fortunately, they did this thing where they paired us with Baron Corbin.”
On his plans for the future after being released by WWE: “I’m looking ahead to tell my story and to wrestle how I want to. When you are with WWE, you get to wrestle people from different backgrounds and cultures. But now I get to wrestle in front of different crowds. They won’t be WWE crowds; they will be more hardcore fans. It’s going to be exciting to work with guys across the globe, hopefully get my story out there and get my craftsmanship up to a level that I would like. July 15th is the last day of my 90 days.”
How he met his wife Sara Lee [Tough Enough winner]: “We met at the Performance Center. When Tough Enough was coming out I used to go to a friend’s apartment and we used to watch it. I will never forget when they announced the eleven Tough Enough people. When Sara came across the screen, I said to the guys ‘I don’t know what it is, but I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on.’ It was crazy, this was before the show was even a thing. Just by fate, she ends up winning it. I was super proud of her. When you are that beautiful inside and out, it shows through the camera. I think that was what helped her win. We started talking on the NXT Combine. We were doing some weight room testing. We did the rower and I did so much where I threw up. I was in the weight room, head over a trash can as the girls were about to start, great first impression [laughs]. She was so sweet that later on that night she messaged me on Twitter saying ‘Hey I hope you feel better.’ And from there it just took off.”
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