Tag: Parker Boudreaux

Parker Boudreaux explains the creative differences between WWE and AEW | Exclusive

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A former part of both the AEW and WWE roster, Parker Boudreaux has now openly named the differences between the two promotions.

A promising college football athlete, Boudreaux later parted ways with the sport and began his professional wrestling journey with WWE. Trained at the Performance Center, Boudreaux soon made his NXT debut. However, he was released shortly after. Following this, he joined AEW and stayed with them for a few years.

In his recent exclusive with F4WON, Boudreaux opened up about how things work at both WWE and AEW, and the key differences between them. “Once you get the character, you don’t really have too much say. I had to go bald. So I was the scary guy. I didn’t really talk on the mic; I couldn’t really talk on the promos too much. You know, now I could obviously cut promos. I got my hair back. I got my whole, you know, style, the BFD, and it was just obviously when they gave me the character, I went full in with Harland,” Boudreaux shared while explaining the creative process in WWE.

“You know, I was wearing, like, jumpsuits like, in the grocery store trying to scare people. And, you know, like, I was fully in the character, you know? So for me, I thought I was doing everything right, and that’s why I can never say anything bad about WWE ’cause when I got there, the coaches taught me really well.

“Coach Matt Bloom, Fit Finlay, Robbie Brookside, all those people really had a great impact on my basic fundamentals right when I got there. And, you know, what an honor to be taught by those guys, and now still talking to Paul Heyman, and I know they’re probably watching me,” the 28-year-old said. “So it’s a great honor, and I know it was just a tremendous blessing with every company that I’ve been with, and that’s what a lot of people can’t really say. I don’t know why. But for me, it’s like every company that I’ve been to so far, knock on wood, has been just so amazing and treated me so well.“

Shortly after explaining the creative process in WWE, he opened up in detail about the process in AEW.

“When I got released from WWE, it was unexpected. So, within, like, a couple weeks, I got a call from AEW, and it was a tryout. So I had a couple tryouts with AEW Dark matches and that was really amazing because when I got there, I was developing my own Parker Boudreaux character, and that’s when I got my name back,” he added.

“You know, definitely throw more ideas in where it’s definitely inspired with, like I grew my hair back, I changed my gear from Harland to like the gear that I wanted and stuff like that. And it was just stuff like that, like little things where it’s, where you could kinda fix your little character, what you may think that you may want in there. Maybe you could pitch it from there. You know, even with WWE you have to get, you know, your tattoos like approved and stuff like that because it’s worldwide TV, so I get it. And you know, same thing with AEW, but it’s just a little bit more creative freedom on the side of like little things like that,” he answered while explaining the creative differences.

“I was growing my hair back. With AEW, you get more character. You’re more free to do what you want on your character, so I was just grew my hair back. I took my shirt off. I had the regular pro wrestling shorts and boots on, and it was just a basic, generic look, but it was different than the Harland,” he continued.

“When I got into AEW, it was just for me. When, at WWE for NXT, every Tuesday was at the same exact arena in Orlando. So when we got to AEW, you were traveling to all these different locations around the US, and that was super cool because we’re in different arenas and different things like that, and that was better for me because that was my first time in wrestling. So it’s, like, a different environment, especially on your comebacks and stuff like that. You could really feel out the crowd. And so for AEW, it was, like, more character work. Get to work in a lot more audiences, like in arenas. I still was on TV learning from a lot of good people, obviously some legends like Mark Henry, The Big Show, some of these people that are really, really amazing, you know. So I still had some great coaches, great feedback on everything that I was doing.“

However, he was soon released from AEW in 2024, following which he made a decision that turned around his career.

Parker Boudreaux is a regular name in Gleat and OPW

In the same interview with F4WON, Boudreaux opened up about his experience working with Gleat in Japan and OPW in Australia. Heaping praise on both promotions, Boudreaux now wants to give his best to both of these rising promotions.

 ”Gleat is definitely, it’s given me so much huge opportunities. They’ve treated me like I’m like Taylor Swift over there. It’s like when I go over there, I know all the Gleat members so well. Mr. [Hiroyuki] Suzuki-san, the president, he’s called me the greatest fighter in the world a couple of times now, and I’ve literally almost cried in front of him when he said that on the last tour because he was like being so gentle.

“So I had the world title opportunity right when I got there. Now I’m going back for the sixth time, and I get to live in the dojo. They treat me so well. They give me huge opportunities when I’m on Japanese TV. Gleat has a huge platform, especially on social media and even in person in Japan, like how they treat me is just so amazing, and I’m fully diving into the culture.  My new mentor, his name is Kotaro Suzuki. He was the last person to learn from Misawa-san, in 2009, before he passed away. And you know, Misawa-san’s considered one of the greatest of Japanese pro wrestlers of all time. So to have my new mentor learn from the last, be the last one to learn from one of the greatest of all time, like, wow, what an honor. I just gotta keep doing what I’m doing and keep outshining everybody,” Boudreaux stated while sharing his thoughts on Gleat.

OPW, based in Melbourne, Australia, has recently hosted several new events and matches with some of the rising names in Australian and International pro-wrestling. Boudreaux recently defeated Shanky there to win the OPW Global title and now wants to defend it regularly.

“Then, when I went to OPW in Australia, Mr. [Cameron] Vale is just a legend because he’s starting something where there’s so much great Australian talent. Rhea Ripley, all these people, you know, Buddy [Matthews], you know, all these people. They’re great talent, but it’s like underrated. Not many companies are platforming pro wrestling over there. So if we continue to build OPW and have, you know, matches like me versus Shanky and these matches where it’s rare, these matches don’t happen. You don’t really see these matches happening. That’s what’s gonna build it tremendously because he has such great resources and people and connections where he does stuff with AFL, which is like the biggest thing in Australia. He has connections where he’s doing collabs with them. You know, he’s doing collabs with the baseball teams. He’s trying to do with basketball teams. He’s getting, you know, influencers for the matches and all that stuff. He’s trying to get like mainstream over there because it’s underrated in Australia. It’s different between Gleat and OPW, but I just, I love both,” Shanky finished.

Parker Boudreaux says he was released from WWE right after getting a pay raise | Exclusive

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Parker Boudreaux has opened up about his journey and exit from WWE.

In a recent exclusive with F4WON, former college footballer Parker Boudreaux opened up about his journey to WWE and exit from there. Boudreaux joined WWE NXT in 2021 and was soon promoted to be a television character.

Speaking on his first run with WWE NXT under Triple H, the 28-year-old shared, “For me, it was amazing because right when I got there, you know, of course everybody was saying the Brock Lesnar stuff, but then once they saw me train and, you know, work, you know, some promos and do the stuff, they gave me my character and that was Harland. I got the Harland character a couple of months into training, after probably like six, seven months of training, I got the Harland character.”

However, while doing so, he also revealed a dark secret of the WWE Performance Center. “And so what an honor, because I didn’t think I was gonna get on TV that quickly, because there were a lot of people at the PC. I don’t think a lot of people know this, but a lot of people at the PC, there’s five to seven years that you go without even being on TV sometimes. Like, there’s some people that are just at the PC for years and years and never have seen TV, who are just training, maybe waiting for that great moment.“

Although the youngster believed he was doing a good job because of the pay raise he had received, WWE certainly had other plans for him. While rarely seen, Boudreaux was released by WWE just days after giving him a raise.

“I was grateful for my time in WWE because I could definitely see myself back in WWE soon. And just what an honor to be in the WWE, and I was on TV every Tuesday. I was doing a great job, I thought, because I got a raise, you know, two weeks before I got released. So, um, when I got released, obviously, it was super blindsiding and super unexpected, probably the most unexpected thing in a while. But looking back at it, of course, now I just realize that’s the pro wrestling business. It could’ve been anything, you know? For me, I knew I put my 100% work ethic in there, and now I’ve just grown tremendously internationally, and all these different techniques, living in the dojo in Japan for years. And, you know, just all the things that I’ve done now, I think it’s just showing my passion for it, which I don’t think they maybe was seen when I got from college football to WWE ’cause I just started WWE,” he shared.

Opening up more about his WWE release, the current OPW Global Champion shared, “This was before TKO, so I don’t know how it is now. But when I was there, it was, like, COVID time, so it was, like, everybody was still kinda sick and stuff like that, and you had to get tested a lot. But for me, it was like I just did a workout at the performance center, did, like, a live PC. I thought it was, like, a great day, and I just got back to my apartment, I got the call from Mr. [John] Laurinaitis, and they said it was budget cuts. So for me, it was like, looking back now, Mr. Laurinaitis is not in the WWE now, so it’s like there’s this, you know, there’s more new people in there now. There are different people. He’s not in there. You know, so it’s the person that fired me that is not even there, and I talk to, you know, many superstars still in the WWE now, and Mr. [Paul] Heyman, some other people. So, it’s just I think the relationship with me and WWE is still really solid.”

However, that was not the end of Boudreaux’s pro-wrestling journey. Shortly after leaving WWE, he did tryouts for AEW and was selected there.

Parker Boudreaux recalls his time with AEW and the people there

In the same interview with F4WON, Boudreaux reflected on his time in AEW and the joyous moments he spent there. However, despite a brief television run, Boudreaux was also released by AEW due to his injury.

“It was different, my release, because everybody in the storyline was getting hurt. Trench, the guy with the face tattoos. He got hurt, and then I got hurt with just a sprained wrist, so I was out for like two and a half weeks. And when you get hurt sometimes in some of these companies, some of the time, a lot of the people hurt are in the injury list, and they’re trying to get back, but the storyline’s so short. You know what I mean? There’s only a certain amount of people and whatever. So I was on the injury-prone list to get back. I was ready. I was fully ready for like seven, eight months,” he added.

“But I was in this special class where it was getting back to TV class, so I would go down to Orlando and train every week, sometimes multiple times a week in Orlando with AEW, and that’s when we would do these, you know, specific training sessions where everybody was fully healed from an injury and they’re just trying to get back in the storyline, so they’re just trying to develop their character, but also how to fit on the AEW storyline right now. So it was more of an expected release because there were more people getting released who were just trying to get back from injuries and stuff like that, which I understand.

“It’s like a business, so I get it. But that was a great experience, too, because I was with AEW for over two years, and like I said, traveling like that and getting used to all that and doing some really big matches, and that was really, really fun. So same thing with AEW. I think I’m in a great relationship with them, and it would be, you know, a great, great opportunity to work with WWE, AEW again. I could definitely see it, you know, working for either of those,” he concluded.

Understanding the reason behind his AEW release, Boudreaux addressed his relationship with former AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland, and boss Tony Khan.

“It was a locker room full of amazing talents. So, I was still super inexperienced. It was a great opportunity for me to be in the locker room with some real veterans, especially Kenny Omega, a person who really dominated Japan, who literally speaks Japanese. Just for me, it was, you know, I’ve had such great opportunities with coaches and feedback and learning from talent, learning from veterans, and I think that’s what’s helped me grow so much in the little amount of time that I’ve had so far. My locker room experience was amazing with AEW, same with WWE. You know, everybody treated me really well.

“Slim J was really, really cool. We were in the Trustbusters together in AEW. Obviously, Swerve Strickland was a huge mentor to me because he’s been a veteran. He’s one of the top or the top guy in AEW right now, and he’s just, you know, what a mentor, what a great guy. He’s helped me out a lot when I was starting in AEW, finding that Parker Boudreaux BFD character. Those people really, really helped me out a lot, man. AEW is a great group of guys. You know, Big Show, Mark Henry, Mr.Tony Khan, he treated me so well. He treated me with so much respect. Mr. Tony Schiavone, you know, had a couple of road trips with him. What a great guy. Just everybody, you know, a great group of guys,” he shared.

Parker Boudreaux says he’s ‘deeply grateful’ for recent support in Japan

Posted on by Ian Carey

Parker Boudreaux has released a statement about the recent groundswell of support he has received while wrestling for GLEAT in Japan.

Last year, GLEAT president Hiroyuki Suzuki praised Boudreaux, calling him the “greatest fighter out there right now,” pointing to the engagement numbers his match videos generate on Instagram.

Boudreaux released the following statement on Saturday (translated from Japanese):

“I truly love professional wrestling from the bottom of my heart. I am deeply grateful for the recent support from Japan. Every day, in every moment, I feel your love with all my senses. From here on out, I will continue to give my all in every aspect. This is my dream. From now on, day by day, I will keep striving endlessly.”

Boudreaux also spoke to WrestlingNews.co recently, and commented on the GLEAT president’s praise.

“The president of GLEAT, the company I am signed to in Japan, called me the greatest fighter out in the world right now,” Boudreaux said. “When he called me that, I nearly cried. All the hard work in the dojo and big matches throughout Japan paying off. They treat me like I am Taylor Swift out there.”

Boudreaux has been with the GLEAT promotion since 2024. Prior to that, he played college football at the University of Central Florida before signing with WWE in 2021 and later wrestling under the name Harland. He was released in April 2022. That December, he debuted with AEW and joined Swerve Strickland’s Mogul Affiliates stable. He was released by AEW in April 2024. He began training in the GLEAT dojo in Japan later that year and debuted for the promotion that October.

Stu Grayson, Parker Boudreaux among several AEW releases

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AEW has cut several people from its roster.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported on Monday that announcer Dasha Kuret, Stu Grayson, Jose the Assistant, Jora Johl, Gravity, Slim J, and Parker Boudreaux have been cut from the roster. PWInsider additionally reported that The Boys (Brandon and Brent Tate) and Anthony Henry have also been released.

According to PWInsider’s report, AEW is “evaluating their talent roster and making cuts to benefit both the company and the talents.” The belief is that those released would become free agents immediately.

Most of the in-ring talent released have not been seen on television recently. Grayson last wrestled for AEW in August while Boudreaux has recently been making appearances in AAA after not being seen in AEW since March 2023. Jose the Assistant, who was associated with La Faccion Ingobernable, has not been seen since Rush suffered a hamstring injury late last year.

Henry had recently been working with tag team partner JD Drake on AEW television up until last month when he broke his jaw at an independent event.

Lee & Rhodes vs. Strickland & Boudreaux set for AEW Rampage

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a tag team grudge match, Keith Lee & Dustin Rhodes will take on Swerve Strickland & Parker Boudreaux on Friday’s AEW Rampage.

The live show from San Francisco’s Cow Palace will be the go-home for Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view.

After Strickland, Boudreaux and Trench took Lee out via Strickland stomping a cinder block into his chest in a late-December attack, the former AEW Tag Team Champion returned to defend Rhodes from a two-on-one attack by Strickland and Boudreaux on Rampage last month.

Lee and Rhodes, aka Naturally Limitless, had some words for Strickland and Boudreaux on Wednesday’s Dynamite:

This will be Lee’s first in-ring action since he and Strickland defeated Shane Taylor Promotions at ROH Final Battle last December. In that match, Strickland walked out on Lee, setting up the aforementioned cinder block attack as part of a segment with rapper Rick Ross. In that attack, Boudreaux and Trench aligned themselves with Strickland and his new Mogul Affiliates faction.

It was the only match or segment announced for Friday’s show.

Parker Boudreaux signs contract with AEW

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Parker Boudreaux is All Elite.

Tony Khan confirmed on social media Friday evening that Boudreaux had signed a deal with the company.

“After a win in his @AEWonTV debut + an eventful night for The Trustbusters, it’s official: @TheParkerB_ is #AllElite!,” Khan wrote.

Boudreaux made his debut for AEW last month during their Dark tapings in Orlando, Florida. On those tapings he joined with Ari Daivari and Slim J to form The Trustbusters stable. On Friday’s episode of Rampage, he defeated Sonny Kiss in a match. Later, Kiss joined the group after low blowing Orange Cassidy.

A former linebacker for the University of Central Florida, Boudreaux signed with WWE last year and later made his televised debut as Harland, a follower of Joe Gacy’s. They competed in this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, losing to Edris Enofe and Malik Blade in the first round by disqualification. 

Boudreaux was later cut from NXT on April 29. He had made one appearance post-WWE in the MLW Battle Riot match that was won by Jacob Fatu.

All-Atlantic title match, Parker Boudreaux debut set for AEW Dark

Posted on by Ian Carey

AEW has announced eight matches for Dark. 

PAC vs. Connor Mills for the AEW All Atlantic Championship will air on the show. The match was filmed at RevPro’s Summer Sizzler event on July 23 from Manchester. 

The rest of the matches on Dark this week were filmed on July 16 from Orlando’s Universal Studios.

Parker Boudreaux, the former Harland in NXT, will make his in-ring debut for AEW on the show. The 24-year-old has joined Ari Daivari’s Trustbusters stable and will face Serpentico in singles competition. Daivari and Slim J are also scheduled for the episode. They will face Logan Cruz and Tyshaun Price in tag team action. 

Other notable matches scheduled to air on Tuesday include The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth as well as Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron. 

AEW Dark airs Tuesday at 7 p.m Eastern time on YouTube. The announced lineup for the show is as follows: 

  • AEW All Atlantic Champion PAC defends against Connor Mills
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron
  • Parker Boudreaux vs. Serpentico
  • Diamante vs. Rocky Radley
  • Shawn Dean vs. Jonathan Hudson
  • Ari Daivari & Slim J vs. Logan Cruz & Tyshaun Price
  • The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth
  • Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto vs. KC Rocker & Caleb Teninty

AEW’s Tony Khan ‘high on the idea’ of new Trust Busters trio

Posted on by Josh Nason

On the heels of a new group debuting at Saturday’s AEW Dark tapings in Orlando, Dave Meltzer is reporting that The Trust Busters may be around to stay — either in AEW or Ring of Honor.

The new group is made up of Ariya Daivari (now going by Ari), former ROH wrestler Slim J, and former WWE NXT wrestler Parker Boudreaux.

Over several segments during the tapings, the new group began to form. Ari said he is the richest person in pro wrestling after his trust fund kicked in, followed by him recruiting Slim J into his group. The two then teamed up to pick up a win.

Later in the day, Boudreaux made his surprise debut and it was then revealed he was part of the group.

Meltzer said, “Right now no decision has been made regarding if this will be primarily for AEW or ROH, but Tony Khan was high on the idea.”

While AEW might not be an immediate option due to the amount of talent currently on the roster, ROH does return to pay-per-view this Saturday with Death Before Dishonor — their first event since early-April. 

While no announcement has been made regarding ROH returning to TV, Khan has mentioned in the past that he is in talks with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Parker ‘Harland’ Boudreaux debuts at AEW Dark tapings

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The former Harland, Parker Boudreaux, made his debut at today’s AEW Dark tapings in Orlando, Florida.

Ariya Daivari, now going by the name Ari, introduced Boudreaux as a new recruit to the Trust Busters stable he created during the tapings. Boudreaux, going under his real name, defeated Serpentico.

Earlier in the tapings, Daivari cut a promo saying that his trust fund had hit and is now the richest person in pro wrestling. He later recruited former ROH star Slim J, who also made his AEW debut during today’s tapings.

Boudreaux was released by WWE back on May 1. After signing with the company in February of 2021, he made his debut in October of that year and soon aligned himself with Joe Gacy under the name Harland. After his release, Boudreaux appeared as part of MLW’s 40-man Battle Riot match that was eventually won by Jacob Fatu.

Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Boudreaux was a football player for the University of Central Florida.

WWE notes: Madcap Moss character, plan for Parker Boudreaux

Posted on by Josh Nason

Dave Meltzer had WWE notes in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Madcap Moss and the recently released Parker Boudreaux.

Madcap Moss look and character change?

Meltzer reported that Moss’ current injury angle is because “there have been pitches to now change his gimmick and look now that he’s a babyface.” He said it’s not a lock they will follow through with idea, but that it’s under consideration. Moss recently split from Happy Corbin and the two have been feuding.

Parker Boudreaux once tabbed for Edge’s Judgment Day faction

Meltzer confirmed a Ringside News report that the recently released Parker Boudreaux (NXT’s Harland) was “hand-picked” by Edge to be the fourth member of his Judgment Day group.

Meltzer said he was told “this was supposed to be a major secret and that Edge had told very few and he was one of the few who knew. They even kept it from Boudreaux, but it is accurate. The only thing we were told as to why it didn’t happen is that the company found something out about Boudreaux and made the decision based on that. The other reason is because of the feeling in NXT that he had stopped improving and he got a tag of getting hurt too much early on.”

Boudreaux was part of this past April’s NXT cuts.

Parker Boudreaux makes WWE NXT debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Another NXT prospect has made their WWE debut.

Parker Boudreaux debuted on tonight’s episode of NXT, appearing in the crowd after Joe Gacy defeated Ikemen Jiro. Though Boudreaux wasn’t identified by name, he’s using the name “Harland” in WWE.

Boudreaux, who previously resembled Brock Lesnar, had his head shaved on NXT tonight. He was standing in the crowd as Gacy headed to the back after facing Jiro. Boudreaux ominously stared down Gacy.

Gacy is playing a woke heel character in NXT. He smiled at Boudreaux as Boudreaux stared at him.

Boudreaux is a former college football player who played offensive line for the University of Central Florida. Boudreaux was originally recruited to Notre Dame before transferring to UCF. Boudreaux left UCF to sign with WWE.

WWE.com wrote about Boudreaux when he reported to the Performance Center this February: “Parker Boudreaux of Winter Garden, Fla., stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds. The big man was an offensive lineman for the University of Central Florida and has caught the eye of Paul Heyman on social media.”

Bronson Rechsteiner, Parker Boudreaux reveal new WWE names

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bronson Rechsteiner and Parker Bordeaux have new WWE names.

Rechsteiner, the son of Rick Steiner, changed his social media handle to Rex Steiner while Boudreaux announced his new name as Gunnar Harland.

Both were signed by WWE earlier this year.

The company has trademarked several names in the last few days including Tony D’Angelo, Trick Williams and Dante Chen but it’s unknown who will be using those names.

Steph De Lander, who made her NXT TV debut this past week as a friend of Indi Hartwell, is now going under the name Persia Perotta. 

NXT is set to undergo new changes as part of a revamp that will start with this Tuesday’s live show that will feature a wedding between Hartwell and Dexter Lumis; NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez vs. Franky Monet, and a fatal four-way match between Tommaso Ciampa, LA Knight, Kyle O’Reilly, and Pete Dunne where the winner will become the next challenger for NXT Champion Samoa Joe.

WWE signs college football player Parker Boudreaux

Posted on by Josh Nason

Now former University of Central Florida football player Parker Boudreaux has officially signed a WWE developmental deal according to Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Fightful had first reported that Boudreaux, who bears a resemblance to Brock Lesnar, was recently backstage during NXT TV tapings and that there was an agreement on a deal between he and WWE.

No start date was announced. While the university is in Orlando, Florida, it’s unclear whether the current junior will leave school altogether or attend classes to finish out his degree while training at the Performance Center. He is also an Orlando native.

Meltzer has reported that Paul Heyman has endorsed the heavily tattooed Boudreaux, who stands 6’4″ and weighs 315 pounds. After missing last season with a concussion, the offensive lineman wasn’t listed on the team’s roster for next season. He was a standout player in high school and, at one point, was ranked as the 21st top recruit in the country at the guard position by ESPN.