Xavier Woods recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated for an in-depth interview to promote his new hosting job with G4 for a yet-to-be-named show.
During the interview, the WWE Superstar and video game enthusiast spoke about the G4 hosting gig being a dream job for him, how D-Von Dudley has served as a mentor for him, the best gamers on the WWE roster, how he envisions Big E. being a future World Champion and more.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his new hosting job with G4 being a dream job: “This legitimately is a dream job for me. It shows that if there is stuff in life you want to do, but people say your passions don’t match up, you can say, ‘Nah, forget that.’ Do the things that make you happy. As long as it’s not hurting anyone else, continue on and don’t let other people sway you from the path. And hosting G4, this means the world to me. An opportunity like this is what I’ve been pushing for, really, throughout my whole career. It feels incredible to have this job in this space, especially with an organization as incredible as G4. I’m tied so emotionally to this from my childhood. It was a safe space where I could nerd out and be myself, and where I found out there were other people like me. It’s cool they’re taking a chance on me. This isn’t me jumping to the next money grab; this is my life. I’m a hardcore gamer, and I have always wanted to mesh wrestling and games together, especially with eSports. This opportunity with G4 is going to give me the ability to do that on such a grand stage in the gaming world. I’m still losing my mind over it, and it feels so surreal. I’m working with such a great crew of people, and this opportunity is a dream come true.”
On his background in pro wrestling setting him up perfectly for his new G4 hosting gig and his goal for the new yet-to-be-named program: “My goal is to smash these two worlds together. There are things eSports can teach wrestling, and wrestling can teach eSports. On the wrestling side, we sell confrontation, good versus evil. I’ve always wanted to infuse that aspect of wrestling into eSports to make it even more entertaining. The goal is to draw more people into video games by emotionally investing them. So we’re going to have content creators go up against each other, and we’ll have some pro wrestling promo aspects to heighten the mood, too. I’m teaming up with a titan in G4. I think wrestling fans are going to love the vibe, and it’s the perfect storm for wrestling fans and gamers. There is so much excitement for me to get in front of new people, in hopes that they enjoy it like the people who’ve enjoyed it before them.”
On D-Von Dudley being a mentor to him and the origins of his UpUpDownDown channel: “D-Von Dudley has served as a mentor and pointed me in the right direction to do work I enjoy. It evolved into this creative plain with UpUpDownDown, a blueprint for excitement. The WWE roster is incredible, just so talented. You see that on Raw and SmackDown, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The people in pro wrestling can do anything, and I’m hoping people also see a piece of that here. Having the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel, and having the incredible team behind that that I do, from editors to producers to the talent on the roster who are fine with me calling them at 3 a.m. asking them to play in a Pokémon tournament the next day, I’m very grateful. This new opportunity is a testament to how strong our roster is and the bond we have together, and how we are so willing to help each other ascend to that next level in whatever we do. I am so grateful to the wrestlers for being on my show, and that’s also helped show me how to carry myself as a host.”
On the best gamers on the WWE roster: “I’m begrudgingly saying this because I can’t stand him, but Tyler Breeze was the UpUpDownDown champion for over 500 days. He defended the title in random games, and he ran through opponents, so I’ll have to say Breeze. And even though he hasn’t been champion, I’ll also say Adam Cole. I would throw Cesaro in there, but he’s focused on very specific games, and he is very talented at those.”
On seeing Big E. as a future world champion and the future of The New Day: “The prophecy has already been told; E’s going to win the title. I’ll go on to win King of the Ring, and we’ll be three kings. That’s the way New Day actually works. We say things, make the right moves and they happen. Fingers crossed, it all happens.”
Check out the complete interview at SI.com, and check out a recent offering from the aforementioned UpUpDownDown channel of Xavier Woods via the video embedded below.
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