Cameron Grimes a unique blend of youth and experience
Cameron Grimes is one of the most experienced wrestlers in NXT — even though he’s only 28 years old. When he looks back at his career, he realizes he’s more than ready to be an “old” mentor to younger talent.
When Grimes signed with WWE in winter 2019, he had already spent almost 10 years in the wrestling business, including the last four on TV with Impact Wrestling. He learned the business as a teenager from his father, Tracy Caddell, in North Carolina and even ran a training school there for a short time.
He’s one of only a few holdovers from the old blackand-yellow NXT brand to the neon NXT 2.0 that focuses on younger talent. He’ll face one of those newer superstars, Bron Breakker, for Breakker’s NXT title Tuesday at the Great American Bash, live on USA Network.
“It’s crazy to think of myself that way [at the top of the seniority chain],” Grimes told the Sentinel in an interview last week. “[NXT coach] Shawn Michaels called me ‘grizzled’ the other day and it started me thinking: When I started, guys would look at me and say, ‘You’re HOW old?’ Now these new guys come in and I’m the one saying, ‘You’re HOW old?’ ”
One of those guys was Breakker, 24, an NFL castoff who had wrestled a total of one independent match before being signed to NXT 16 months ago. Others in the locker room have come from bodybuilding, or fitness, or other sports and have no wrestling pedigree.
“The difference is, yeah, they’re young, and they’re freak athletes in whatever they’ve done before — but they’re so far behind,” Grimes said. “We [the veterans] have been able to work with some of the greatest minds ever seen in this business as coaches. They have to get there, but they’ll get there. … just not as good as me.”
Grimes said he was excited when NXT returned to the “Coconut Loop” of non-televised house shows across Florida last month, including the one coming up at Orlando’s Englewood Neighborhood Center this coming Saturday (July 10), because the younger talent can do more on-the-job training.
“That’s where the teaching situations happen,” Grimes said. “They’re out of the bright lights, out of the air conditioning, going into a National Guard Armory where most of them probably have never stepped foot in their lives. It’s all steel and wood and barricades, and it’s where they have to decide: Do I love this, or do I just do this? Am I going to be a man, or just an extra player? There’s maybe two coaches there, and people who paid their money to see you. Now is the time to try stuff. If you fail, it probably won’t end up on YouTube.”
Grimes has cycled through various roles during his NXT tenure, from heel to babyface, from “the richest man in NXT” to a butler, to the NXT North American championship. The variance has shown Grimes’ natural versatility as a performer to a national audience. As for Grimes, he said he’s up for anything.
“I like to say I’m a rider,” Grimes said. “I’ll ride along and do what needs to be done. You need a ride, I’m ready to ride. Anything on the whole show, top to bottom. Need me to cut grass for LA Knight? Need
me to challenge for the NXT championship? That’s what I’ll do.”
Most recently, Grimes has mentioned the memory of his own father, who died in 2018 at age 50, to contrast
with Breakker, whose father Rick Steiner is a WWE Hall of Famer. Invoking the names of those who have passed away to further a wrestling angle can be a tricky proposition, but Grimes said his father, a longtime wrestler and promoter who helped spawn the careers of Matt and Jeff Hardy, would have wholeheartedly approved.
“It’s an honor. It’s a complete honor to me and to him,” Grimes said. “Anyone who knows my family on a real-life level knows how much he would have loved this. He’s smiling ear-to-ear to be mentioned on TV in such a positive light.”
Grimes’ father’s sudden death left him in shock, emotionally distraught and not sure where to turn. He said he hopes his story will let others in the same situation know that they’re not alone.
“I’ve talked to so many people, so many family members who lose someone, and no one can be truly ready for that,” Grimes said. “I hope that through this, somehow they know they can grieve with us and be stronger for it. I hope someone watches it and is inspired.”
This week in Orlando could end up being one of the biggest of Grimes’ career, with the title match on Tuesday at the WWE Performance Center, then the live event on Saturday, all in his adopted hometown.
“I’m so grateful that 52 weeks a year we get to come to that building in Orlando and entertain, but the live events bring a completely different crowd, families who spent money to come see us, and we all have to take advantage of that, give it our best and have fun.”