Eddie Hall has confirmed he was in talks with about a major move into the wrestling world – but it wasn’t to be.
The Beast – who won the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2017 – voiced an interest in joining Vince McMahon’s company the following year, and he has now explained why he decided against a career in the ring.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘There was a bit of interest in WWE. I’ve got friends that are in the WWE and I’ve got friends that have been in the WWE.
‘As a kid, there was no better dream than being a wrestler. You want to be on that screen, you want to be doing suplexes and whatever else, and going up against . That was a lifelong dream of mine!
‘I think growing up and getting into the sport I am, I’ve made a lot of friends with wrestlers and you realise what a brutal sport it is.’
The 34-year-old strongman admitted the intense travel schedule was a deal breaker, and the finances wouldn’t have been enough to tempt him away from his family.
‘Those guys are on the road 48 weeks of the year doing three or four shows a week, and the money – unless you’re a top tier wrestler, the money isn’t that great if I’m being honest,’ he said.
‘It’s something I looked into. It’s something I thought to myself, “You know what? I’ve spent all my time going into strongman, I’ve done all that sacrifice”, and I couldn’t put my family through that.
‘You know, 48 weeks on the road, that’s hell on earth as a father and husband. You’re putting your family at risk, in my opinion. So that’s why I never pursued it, really.’
The idea of joining WWE came after his World’s Strongest Man triumph, which saw him spent 90 days away from home without a day off due to TV commitments and various appearances.
‘I didn’t have a single day off for 90 days. I came home for one day, and because I was injured I had to go and see a specialist,’ he recalled. ‘I spent an hour with the wife, and then had to fly back out to america for another 90 day stint of work without a single f**king day off.
‘I remember getting on that plane to go back to america and just as it was taking off, I put my head in my hands and was lie, “What the f**k am I doing with myself?” It was one of the toughest times of my life…
‘And I just had this flip switch moment of, “You know what? This is where it counts, I’ll look back and think, thank you for pushing yourself through these boundaries because you’ll have so much to be grateful for afterwards”. And I do. I f**king nailed it.’
Family man Hall noted he’s ‘still learning’ how to strike a balance between his work and personal lives, particularly as a self-professed ‘workaholic’.
‘I like to dive deep into things and pursue my career as much as possible. As I’m getting older, I’m starting to realise how much more important family time is. I’m learning,’ he smiled, admitting his wife Alexandra keeps him grounded.
‘Downtime’s quite rare for me,’ he added. ‘I will have the odd day where i haven’t got much on, perhaps I’ll play on the PlayStation. That’s the only escape I get really – getting online, going against 10-year-old kids and getting my arse thrashed on Call of Duty. Other than that, it’s family or work really, it’s one or the other.’
In the wake of his huge grudge match against earlier this year, Hall has decided now’s the time to breathe and figure out what he wants to do next.
‘I’m taking some time for myself. It was quite a hard point after the fight. I’ve got lots to be grateful for. I’ve got an amazing family around me, a great career ahead of me,’ he pondered.
‘[I’m] getting back to basics, getting back to TV shows, getting back to my YouTube, and spending time with family. I’ve neglected them for f**k knows how many years, so spending more time with my wife and kids, and then when I think I’m in a good place I’ll evaluate what’s next.’
Eddie Hall: The Beast Vs The Mountains airs on BBC Three and iPlayer on Sunday, June 26.
