When veteran NBA big man Dwight Howard appeared at the WWE’s tryouts during SummerSlam weekend, he raised a lot of eyebrows. At 6-foot-10 and easily recognizable from a basketball career that dates back to being picked first overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, he sort of can’t help it.
But his appearance in Nashville wasn’t just a lark. As Howard explained during a segment on WWE’s YouTube show, “The Bump,” becoming a pro wrestler is something he’s always dreamed of doing and would like to legitimately pursue.
“That would be amazing, but I want to take it step by step,” Howard said when asked if he could see himself being a WWE champion someday. “I want to be able to go and get in the ring and actually train as a wrestler, not a basketball player. … Before I do anything seriously, I really want to train first and understand how to do everything.”
Howard certainly has the size and athleticism to succeed, and he’s at the proper stage in his athletic career. At 36, his prime NBA days are behind him, though he’s still an effective rotational player.
While the list of WWE superstars who migrated to sports entertainment from traditional sports and found success is a lengthy one, the bigger question would be whether Howard has the chops to cut promos and do everything required of talent outside the ring. He got a chance to try his hand at that in Nashville as well.
Dwight Howard was a surprise participant at the WWE Tryout in Nashville today. He told me he legit wants to join the WWE one day. pic.twitter.com/LiUnNqPsdv
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 28, 2022
On “The Bump,” Howard was asked to give a brief self-assessment of his promo and thought he did pretty well for his first time.
“I thought I did pretty good,” he said. ” I thought there was some areas I could have worked on, but overall I thought my approach … I thought I got into character as soon as I stepped on the stage, I never broke character. I came up with some funny jokes to engage the crowd, and I tried to make my opponent feel like I was going to really rip his head off once he got in the ring.”
Howard may also have a leg up on other hopefuls just starting out as the Nashville tryouts were reportedly not great overall in terms of injuries and the general inexperience of those in attendance. Still, even if WWE looks at bringing more independent wrestlers into its development program, it might be wise to save a spot for Howard, because he appears to have the right combination of physique, name recognition and humility to make a real go of it if given the chance.