The following was issued to us:
Los Angeles, CA — Former WWE Superstar and Harvard Law graduate David Otunga is pulling back the curtain on how NXT really began—and how his background in reality television made him the centerpiece of WWE’s bold new experiment. In his latest YouTube video, “Getting Called Up to NXT,” Otunga shares how WWE replaced ECW on SyFy with a new hybrid reality-competition show and why he was chosen to help launch it.
“Let’s be honest, WWE knew what they were doing,” Otunga says. “They wanted me on the show whether I could wrestle or not. The final episode of ECW had 1.4 million viewers. I Love New York 2—the show I was on—had 4.85 million. They knew people would watch if I was on screen.”
In the video, Otunga recalls how NXT Season One blurred the lines between fiction and reality, including a moment when producers secretly instructed him to shove his on-screen mentor R-Truth without warning—sparking a legitimate confrontation backstage.
“They didn’t tell R-Truth I was going to do it,” Otunga remembers. “When I shoved him, he thought it was real. We were actually tussling until Vince [McMahon] stepped in, laughing. That’s how unpredictable NXT really was.”
Otunga also describes the uncertainty facing the Season One cast, who had no idea if NXT would even continue or if they’d be fired when the season ended.
“We didn’t know what was coming next,” he says. “It felt like we were the Suicide Squad—WWE just threw us out there to see what would happen. None of us realized that would eventually lead to The Nexus.”
Starting December 1st, Otunga will also launch channel memberships on his YouTube page, giving fans exclusive access to bonus content, behind-the-scenes commentary, and live re-watches of NXT Season One with Otunga himself. Members will be able to interact directly during live streams, help shape future video topics, and gain early access to upcoming projects. “This channel has grown so fast because of the fans,” Otunga says. “Now I want to give them a way to be part of it—literally watching and reliving my WWE journey with me.”
The full video, “Getting Called Up to NXT,” is available on David Otunga’s official YouTube channel. Fans can subscribe to hear more behind-the-scenes stories from Otunga’s journey through WWE and beyond.
