Forgotten WWE star unrecognisable after losing two stone for Cirque Du Soleil

Mason Ryan is surviving his champion beingness successful Cirque du Soleil a decennary aft leaving WWE and undergoing an unthinkable transformation.

The 42-year-old wrestler, whose existent sanction is Barri Griffiths, grew up successful North Wales and caught the oculus of the sports amusement elephantine 2009 earlier appearing connected TV 2 years aboriginal and moving with the likes of John Cena and current SmackDown prima Randy Orton.

In 2014, helium near the institution and returned to the autarkic scene, but WWE inactive changed his beingness adjacent aft letting him go.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, the musclebound prima explained however WWE enactment him guardant erstwhile Cirque Du Soleil got successful interaction looking for a wrestler to play a ‘big, tall, imposing figure’ successful Las Vegas.

After auditioning against fellow wrestlers Chris Masters and Lance Hoyt, Griffiths got the portion and moved to Sin City to play the main archer successful KÀ by Cirque du Soleil.

He’s inactive successful phenomenal shape, but helium has dropped conscionable implicit 2 chromatic from his ‘average’ value successful wrestling to conscionable the antithetic demands of the regular shows.

‘I’m inactive 6’6″, astir 260, whereas erstwhile I was with WWE – I was inactive 6’6″, I’ve got a small spot older, hopefully, I haven’t mislaid overmuch height,’ helium quipped. ‘I was astir 290, connected average, erstwhile I was with the WWE.’

He was eating ‘nine meals a day, each day’ with ‘intense’ workouts to support that figure, whereas Cirque has a antithetic absorption arsenic he’s present down to ‘five oregon six meals’ with astir 8 oregon 9% assemblage fat.

‘It’s much astir wounded prevention. Yes, being successful bully shape, but having that longevity connected stage, due to the fact that we execute 10 times a week,’ helium explained. ‘I’m trying to instrumentality attraction of my assemblage successful a antithetic way. Of course, you person to beryllium successful bully carnal signifier and you person to beryllium capable to perform.’

Griffiths’ beingness has led him here, aft coming up connected the UK wrestling country and getting his archetypal sensation of ‘fame’ connected Sky’s 2009 Gladiators reboot, earlier joining WWE soon after.

‘[Gladiators was my] archetypal vulnerability of the large time, being connected TV,’ helium said. ‘It astir apt helped a spot [with WWE]… having immoderate aforesaid assurance and immoderate cognition of what I was getting myself into.’

After signing, helium reported to FCW (the predecessor to NXT) from 2009 to 2011, wherever helium trained alongside the likes of Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, AJ Lee and Seth Rollins, learning from Dusty Rhodes and different icons.

‘I look backmost precise fondly astatine that time, adjacent though it was hard,’ helium reflected. ‘You’d beryllium grooming for 3 hours successful the morning, and past you’d person 2 hr spot and conditioning successful the afternoon. I’d get location astatine the extremity of the time and autumn dormant connected my couch.’

In January 2011, Griffiths (under the sanction Mason Ryan) was called up to the main roster and debuted successful a precocious illustration spot connected Raw, helping CM Punk onslaught John Cena.

‘I conjecture you’re ne'er truly acceptable for it,’ helium said of his abrupt success. ‘I was precise new, but I truly acceptable the mold of what they were looking for – gangly and beauteous jacked, conscionable had a definite look to me. So I was thrown successful beauteous soon – possibly excessively soon, I don’t know.’

Things took an heartbreaking crook successful May 2011 erstwhile helium tore his hamstring (‘my limb was achromatic and blue, I couldn’t walk’) conscionable arsenic helium was acceptable to look Cena connected a circuit of Australia, which could person been vocation changing.

‘These small things tin truly impact your career,’ helium said. ‘If Roman Reigns had an injury, oregon thing happened astatine the incorrect time, helium could person conscionable been beryllium nothing.’

WWE tried to bring him backmost but with nary existent ‘direction’ for him, and it was hard to recover. After a instrumentality to FCW/NXT and a tally successful unrecorded lawsuit matches, helium was released successful 2014.

But everything happens for a reason, and the Cirque Du Soleil connection came successful the pursuing year.

‘At that point, I was 33, 34,’ helium recalled. ‘Going to enactment for Cirque Du Soleil, doing 5 shows a week, that would astir apt beryllium the extremity of my wrestling career. It wasn’t an casual decision, due to the fact that obviously, I’ve worked enactment truly hard to get wherever I was. And I loved wrestling.’

He recovered the accidental ‘very exciting’, and seized the accidental to determination to Vegas, wherever helium lives with his woman and 3 children, getting usage to immoderate of the skills helium learned successful WWE.

Pointing retired that they’re some ‘art forms’, helium added: ‘It’s a small spot of a antithetic world. Of course, I’ve performed for a agelong clip successful wrestling, but it’s a antithetic benignant of performing.’

Reflecting connected wherever he’s travel – from a tiny municipality successful North Wales to the Strip via WWE – helium has ‘zero regrets’.

‘Everything works out,’ helium smiled. ‘I’m moving for an astonishing institution successful Cirque du Soleil, putting connected an astonishing amusement each night.’

He teased: ‘And it’s not implicit yet. I’ve inactive got a agelong mode to go.’

For much accusation sojourn cirquedusoleil.com/ka.

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