Eric Young recently joined Chris Van Vliet on his podcast, Insight with Chris Van Vliet, to reflect on his lengthy 26-year career in professional wrestling. During the interview, Young shared an interesting story about how he and fellow Canadian wrestler Bobby Roode were close to joining WWE in the early 2000s, but the opportunity slipped away due to their nationality.
Young explained how difficult it can be for non-citizens to break into the U.S. wrestling scene, particularly when visa issues create an additional layer of complexity that many American wrestlers may not even consider.
According to Young, he and Roode had performed in numerous dark matches and tryouts for WWE, and the company was genuinely interested in hiring them. However, their Canadian citizenship ultimately became a roadblock.
Young went on to explain that despite their talent, WWE chose to hire two other wrestlers who were American citizens, bypassing him and Roode due to the visa issues that came with hiring Canadian talent. It just adds this really, really difficult layer that most people arent aware of, he said.
Though Young and Roode eventually found success in other promotions, the revelation adds an interesting wrinkle to their respective journeys in professional wrestling.
What are your thoughts on the challenges that international wrestlers face when trying to break into the U.S. scene? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
