Alex Riley, who played college football years ago at Boston College, discussed the similarities between football and professional wrestling in an interview with NBC Washington promoting tonight’s Raw SuperShow at the Verizon Center.

“I always tell people that when you’re a football player, you’re really a number under a jersey,” Riley said. “As a WWE Superstar, you’re a total personality. From the moment you walk through the curtain, they see everything.

“You’re not covered at all. You’re out there in trunks, they can see your face at all times. I think there’s nine or 10 cameras out there that can catch the way you’re feeling, what you say, the way you look, how you move at any moment once your start performing. It’s very difficult to learn how you’ve always gotta be in character.”

After spending three years in Florida Championship Wrestling honing his craft, Riley earned a spot on WWE’s main roster in 2010. He says he could not have written a better start to his WWE career.

“I started on NXT and it was a lot of fun having The Miz help me out because he was such an established performer already, so to go into that show with him was a gift. And then to be a part of his run as WWE Champion was incredible. The situation was incredible. Being able to be in the ring with guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Roddy Piper and to help headline Wrestlemania with Miz, Rock and John Cena, I couldn’t have asked for any more,” Riley says.

Photos of Alex Riley with his girlfriend

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