Superstar Brodus Clay of WWE gets real

I’ll admit it: I'm not much of a World Wrestling Entertainment viewer. This is mostly because I spend my free time in salt rooms, baking sweets in my cozy kitchen or shopping for holiday decorations at Sur la Table. When the opportunity arose to interview George Murdoch, aka WWE and WWE Studios’ larger-than-life personality Brodus Clay, I had to make a “Running Splash” of it. (For those of you who are unfamiliar, Clay’s signature finishing move consists of a body press with a running start.) Not only am I about one third of his weight and more than one foot shorter to boot, I was particularly thrilled to take a stab at uncovering the heart behind the highly entertaining badass dude that he is in the ring.

Meet George Murdoch

George Murdoch’s childhood was an adventure. Hide and seek, flag football and fun at “The Watch”---a giant river full of snakes and bugs---were some of his top to-dos. But on Saturday mornings there was a rush to get downstairs and turn on the tube. The household devotion to World Wrestling quickly became central to his world.

“I think every book report had to do with WWE (or WWF as it was known at the time); it was everything to me,” Murdoch said. His early exposure to wrestling ignited a passion for what would later become his career.After graduating from college, Murdoch began working in group homes as a recreational therapist. He would teach during the day and bodyguard at night to supplement his income.

“This is when I started working for Snoop in California,” he added. (Fun Fact: Murdoch was S-N Double O-P Doggy Dog’s bodyguard for a short stint.)

Breaking into the WWE scene was no easy feat for Murdoch. He attended a wrestling school during his freshman year in college, which didn’t quite work out. He then got laughed out of the room at an audition, an experience he described as horrible, which represented a bitter first taste with WWE in Canada.

But Murdoch was persistent. After what he calls “suitcasing” (picking up by their collars) a pair of kids in a fist fight at the Saddle Ranch, he was invited to audition in Georgia for WWE. And that’s where the Royal Rumble began ...

Murdoch Makes More Than a Career

Brodus Clay is also known as WWE's Funkasaurus, and this descendent of Planet Funk is considered to be quite the rump-shaker (boy, can he dance his socks off). He can be seen hip-hop stepping it into the ring with his opponents’ backbones serving as the dance floor. Clay loves the experiences that he's had as a result of his career and is used to life in transit.

“It’s like Tetris: find a way to fit myself in,” he added through a smile (which I could hear over our phone connection) when referring to the small spaces on planes and in trailers he calls home on the road. Throughout his life Brodus Clay has traveled all over the world, and at the end of April he will take his first trip to Italy for Wrestle Mania.

Brodus Clay is passionate about his finishing moves, but he also makes a slam when it comes to educational efforts. An advocate for the Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) anti-bullying program, a partnership between WWE and the Creative Coalition, he works to increase awareness on the three parts of bullying and how adults can prevent and resolve these threatening situations. Read more on his anti-bullying efforts from his interview with Alicia Jessop on Huffington Post.

Though his outside appearance might not lend comfort to those in his path, I know just from speaking with him on the phone that he is an educated, friendly and completely down-to-earth kind of guy. He knows how important it is to maintain a balance between his personal life and his performing life. He can be seen with his closest buddies wearing a backwards hat and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He doesn’t flash himself around; he tries to stay humble. If you were to visit him at home, you’d meet his giant pet fish “Big Show,” who’s always out for first dibs at feeding time, and may be more frightening to the other fish in the tank than the real-life Murdoch is to bystanders.

- (Please forgive me as I attempt to give a center-ring welcome to the superstar himself): Sarasota, F-L-A welcomes Brodus Clay, Live and In-The-Flesh, toniiiight, Saturday, April 13,  for his big-screen debut at the Sarasota Film Festival! This one is sure to be a Total Takedown, folks---especially if he breaks out his funky moves. 

Look out for photos of our in-person introduction, coming soon!