EJ Nduka reflects on his time getting work as an extra in WWE and taking part in a Smackdown commercial just weeks before he was released.
EJ Nduka, formerly known as Ezra Judge, was let go from WWE on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. During his short stint in the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, EJ says he fell in love with the business of professional wrestling and even though he was never formally introduced to audiences on television, we will be seeing him in WWE content in a different way.
Speaking to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Nduka revealed that oftentimes, he never did extra work as a security guard like most unknown signees because the belief was that he was too big in stature.
However, he filmed a SmackDown commercial just two weeks before he got released and the time spent filming the commercial allowed him to pick the brain of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
“I didn't do much security work (as an extra) because I was just too big. The writers and producers would joke around like, 'we can't have him here.' There was a scene they wanted me to do in the club or something and [Steve] Corino joked around and said, 'You don't look like security in the club, you look like you own the club. We can't have you here.' I did get the opportunity to shoot a SmackDown commercial two weeks before I got released and I spent some time really getting to know and pick the mind of Triple H, Stephanie, and it was awesome.”
Continuing on, Nduka would once again praise His time at WWE and noted he always followed the advice of staying quiet and letting his work ethic do the talking.
“My time at WWE was awesome. When I got released, it was a total blindside. People thought I was joking or it was a joke. I was always told that I had to be protected or I had to be used in a role where....because a guy like me doesn't come around often, from their mouth to my ears, they said they couldn't afford to put a 6'7'', 270-pound guy out there and make a mistake because it falls back on them because they didn't do a good job protecting him. I was told to keep being the hardest worker in the room, like our good friend Dwayne Johnson, and I was always told, ‘You guys share a lot and you have enough charisma to fill the room. Your work ethic is good, just keep your head down and keep doing it.' That's what I did. I kept my mouth shut, put my head down, came to work, put my best foot forward and worked. This is where it led me to.”
Regarding the commercial he filmed for WWE SmackDown, Nduka stated that he was personally picked by the head coach at the WWE Performance Center, Matt Bloom for the spot because of how well he was progressing in the ring.
“Bloom (contacted me) and it was after my last match. We had PC live matches and I had a really good match. He was telling me how proud of me he was and how I was progressing and how the PC live (matches) have benefitted me and I was using it to my advantage. He came up to me right before the show ended and was like, 'I want you to go to Tampa. They need some talent for a commercial and I trust you to do it.’”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nduka opened up about learning from legends such as John Cena and The Undertaker. Learn more about that here.
