Robert Stone discusses his role as a manager.
Stone, formerly known as Robbie E, signed with WWE in 2019, and he joined NXT as a manager. He later formed the Robert Stone Brand, and in recent months, he has been Von Wagner's manager.
Speaking with Nick Hausman for Haus of Wrestling, Stone was asked whether he signed with WWE under the impression that he would be used as a manager. He noted that there were some ideas, and when WWE asked him, he made it clear that they came to the right guy. (H/t Haus of Wrestling for the transcription.)
“I know there were some ideas for roles for me, but I didn’t know what the roles were. Then when I got here within the first month, it was kind of like, ‘Do you have interest in that?’ I was like, ‘You came to the right guy.’ Because, again, we all know wrestling isn’t ballet, right? It’s very physical.For someone who’s doing it, as long as I have, my body’s beat up."
Stone continued by noting that being an on-screen character without having to get beat up all the time is a benefit of the role. He also stated that managers are few and far between now, so there is less competition. Stone then expressed that he believes he's a perfect fit for the part, and he embraces it/
“I mean, to still get to be an on-air character. I mean, I still do get beat up a lot, but not have to get beat up as much all the time. It’s great. Plus, managers are kind of a new thing back in wrestling now these past few years. They’re few and far between. Let’s be real, less competition. Everybody’s trying to be a wrestler. Everyone’s trying to be the World Champion. This is kind of a spot where I’m not in competition with everybody else. So, it’s kind of cool. But also I think I’m a perfect fit for it. I really embrace it, and I enjoy it," he said.
Stone was then asked to discuss WWE Chief Content Officer's Triple H's thoughts on managers and their role in the business. Stone noted that he might have liked it when he was younger and decided to bring ir back to WWE. He also recalled how Triple H somewhat told him he was like a modern Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
“I think he maybe just liked it as a child, or when he was younger, and just kind of felt, ‘Hey, this is a kind of a cool thing to bring back.' I mean, at one point, he didn’t even tell me when I first started, throughout maybe when I was doing the stuff feuding with Rhea Ripley or Shotzi. At some point, he kind of said I was a modern-day Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan. Obviously, that was a huge compliment that I really appreciated. But whether, when he was younger or whatever, he liked those managers and thought it was just a cool thing to bring back," Stone said.
The full interview is available here.
In the same interview, Stone stated that he is focused on managing. Click here to see what he had to say.
Check out the card for the July 25 episode of WWE NXT here. Fightful will have coverage of the show as it airs.
