Colin Delaney on Brodie Lee’s Call and His WWE Break

Brodie Lee’s phone call brought Colin Delaney to a WWE taping when Delaney wasn’t even looking for a WWE opportunity. Delaney says a match with Shelton Benjamin led to praise from Vince McMahon, a bonus and an invitation to return the following week.

Delaney described the chain of events in a July interview with Bryan Asbury on Developmentally Speaking. He was working his regular job when Lee, who was at the arena doing extra work, called to say WWE needed a smaller opponent for Benjamin.

“Brodie Lee was doing extra stuff. He had just started doing extra work and trying to get noticed for himself. I mean, he was 6’7″ and 280, and fast and strong. So he had just started doing that and he just called me one day when I was at my shoot job, and he was doing extra work down at the arena. He was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I was like, ‘I’m at work.’ He’s like, ‘Well, can you get down to the arena? If you get down here right now, you can probably wrestle Shelton Benjamin on TV.’ And I just jumped at the opportunity. But that was just because they were looking for a small guy for Shelton to beat that night. All the extras they had there were bigger. It was Brodie Lee, it was Corey Graves, it was Pepper Parks, or The Blade, he was there. So everybody was big, but they had this want for Shelton doing his Gold Standard thing. They wanted him to be able to really throw somebody around. So they asked some of the other extras if they knew anybody smaller who could foot the bill. And I got the call from Brodie and I showed up, and I guess the rest is history.”

Delaney said he had been building his name on the independent scene and did not yet see himself as ready for WWE. The sudden invitation left him nervous, but his assignment in the ring was straightforward.

“I had no, like I said, my brain hadn’t even made it there yet. I was still climbing the ladder and just trying to navigate this independent wrestling world. So I was nervous. I didn’t know how to act or anything. And maybe that worked to my advantage because I didn’t know to walk on eggshells or be super whatever, because I just didn’t know. So I went in there and I did what I’ve seen hundreds of guys do over the years and just did the best job possible to make Shelton Benjamin look good.”

The response backstage was more than Delaney expected from a one-night appearance. He said McMahon met him as he came through the curtain, and other WWE agents followed with their own praise.

“I went out there and I did it, and I got back through the curtain and Vince McMahon comes out of his seat in Gorilla and meets me as I get off. He shakes my hand and he’s like, ‘Great job. Amazing job.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, awesome. Thank you.’ And then all the agents are up in Gorilla and they’re all shaking my hand and telling me how good I did. I remember that was blowing my mind because those were my heroes. I’m shaking hands with Barry Windham and Arn Anderson and Dean Malenko and Ricky Steamboat, and I’m just like, ‘Wow, this is blowing my mind.’ But also at the time, I kind of just thought, man, everybody’s really nice here. I have no knowledge that would tell me that this isn’t normal. But apparently, as I came to learn, that’s not a normal thing they do when enhancement talent comes to the back.”

Delaney said John Laurinaitis was waiting farther down the hallway with a bonus and another booking. When Delaney shared the news with the other extras, Lee was there to celebrate with him.

“I got to the end of the tunnel and Johnny Ace was waiting there for me, and he’s like, ‘Can you take a walk with me?’ And he’s like, ‘You did such a good job tonight. We want to give you a thousand-dollar bonus.’ And I was, a thousand dollars? I had just turned 21. That’s more money than I’ve ever made for anything in my life. So I was like, ‘Oh my God, thank you so much.’ He’s like, ‘What are you doing next week?’ I was like, ‘I think I have to work.’ And he was like, ‘Well, can you take off? We need you in North Carolina next week.’ And I was just like, ‘Yeah, I can take off. I’ll be there.’ At the time, I was like, ‘I’m going to drive myself to North Carolina. Let’s go.’ And he sees somebody else and was like, ‘Hey, get the kid flight, hotel and rental car for next week’s TV.’ It was just the craziest five minutes of my life after that match. Then I get to the extra locker room, which was like a broom closet, because it always is. I walk in and all the extras are like, ‘Dude, that was awesome. You did so good, man. What did they say?’ And I just stopped and I was like, ‘I think I just got a job.’ I remember Brodie picks me up in the air and we’re jumping up and down in this little broom closet. I was just flabbergasted. Craziest five minutes of my life.”

Source: Developmentally Speaking interview with Colin Delaney. Quotations are from the original video’s available captions.