It’s been 15 years since Robert Stone made his TNA television debut as the loud, fist-pumping “Robbie E,” and looking back, he has some strong feelings about his early character work. In a recent appearance on “The Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val,” Stone had a hilarious reaction to seeing old clips of his debut, calling his former self “cringe.”
October 7th marked the 15-year anniversary of his debut, a milestone that led to fans sharing old clips of his early promos on social media. Stone admitted that watching them back was an eye-opening and humorous experience.
“I went back, I got so many videos of my debut on X and stuff that fans were sending. And I watched Robbie E and Cookie deliver this in-ring interview for five minutes, and every word that came out of my mouth was so cringe,” Stone said with a laugh.
He specifically pointed out the unique vocabulary his character used at the time. “Hamster and grenades, believe me, it was hilarious to watch, and it’s great to look back at that,” he said. While he can appreciate the character in hindsight, he’s not so sure his children would feel the same way if they saw the old footage.
“If I showed my kids that they would be mortified,” Stone admitted. “My kids already think I’m like, the biggest dork. If I showed them that they would be like, ‘Dad, please do not let that get out for anyone in our school or anywhere to see.'”
The Robbie E character, accompanied by Cookie (Becky Bayless), was a parody of the personalities from the reality show Jersey Shore. The gimmick was a stark contrast to the sharp-suited “Robert Stone” persona he would later adopt in WWE’s NXT. Despite his cringing reaction, he looks back on the character fondly as a key part of his journey.
Click below to watch Val’s entire interview with Robert Stone. Fans can hear more from Robert Stone as he calls the action for the upcoming WWE Evolve special, Succession. The event airs this Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 8 PM ET. It can be watched live and for free on Tubi in the United States and on YouTube internationally. The show will feature two major title defenses, as Jackson Drake defends the WWE Evolve Championship against Bryce Donovan, and Kali Armstrong defends the WWE Evolve Women’s Championship against Kendal Grey. Also scheduled is a Bullrope Match between Brooks Jensen and Tate Wilder.
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