Could an All Black one day rule the world of professional wrestling?
That's more likely than you may think, given the rapid rise of former NRL winger Daniel Vidot.
The 29-year-old is barely a year removed from inking a development deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), after impressing scouts at a tryout of professional athletes in Florida.
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The 114-game veteran has developed at a rapid rate and is now on the verge of his US television debut with WWE's third brand - NXT.
Vidot is a shining example of what WWE sees as its future - recruiting top athletes from global sports and turning them into mat superstars.
In recent times, former UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey made an immediate impact in pro wrestling, main-eventing WrestleMania - WWE's flagship event - 12 months after her in-ring debut.
Next week, current heavyweight boxing kingpin Tyson Fury will enter the world of sports entertainment at a WWE event in Saudi Arabia. On the same night, former UFC heavyweight champions Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez will serve as the main event for WWE's Crown Jewel.
With professional sport becoming more taxing on its athletes, both physically and mentally, WWE hopes to provide an alternate athletic pathway.
Vidot, who is currently back in Australia for three shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, was on full scout alert at the recently completed Rugby League World Cup Nines in Parramatta.
The Brisbane native told Newshub his visit was very much a recruitment mission.
"I'm down here with WWE's top recruiter," said Vidot. "He's the guy that discovered me.
"Hopefully, while I'm here, we can identify more talent - rugby players, rugby league players, men or women.
"We want to see if we can find another talented Australiasian and create that new career path.
"I was one of those guys that wanted to do something different. I've always been a wrestling fan, I always loved the entertainment side of it and I tried to entertain on the field.
"I guess you put my sports background with my love of wrestling and that's how we got to this point."
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In July 2018, WWE executive Paul 'Triple H' Levesque told Newshub that New Zealand rugby players, including All Blacks, were on their wishlist.
"We are opening up pathways for the best athletes and entertainers from around the world to find an easier way to get to WWE.
"I think there are certain sports ventures that lend themselves much greater to what we do, but if I was to look at sports like rugby, for us, that is a really interesting pool.
"There are elite athletes at every level of that sport. They are the best athletes in the world."
Vidot hopes to emulate some of the Polynesian superstars of past and present. He has watched video of the likes of Roman Reigns and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, but ultimately he wants to create his own legacy.
Constant tweaks to his on-camera persona are a reflection of his continuing development.
"My character is 'Vidot the Untamed', so it's all about letting the wild side of your personality free. It's pretty much who I am already, but times it by 10.
"I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm really loving being able to bring my personality into my character."
A keen observer of the NRL Grand Final earlier this month, Vidot admits he was rooting for one of his former sides - Canberra Raiders.
A controversial moment ultimately saw the Sydney Roosters claim a second straight premiership, but Vidot was proud of the club that signed him to his first professional contract.
"I got to watch it," he said. "I was pretty gutted, as I was pulling for the Raiders and they were unlucky in the end, but man, what a great game to watch.
"There were certain things during the game that I disagreed with from a referee standpoint, but those things happen in rugby league."
Vidot is unlikely to seek a rugby league return anytime soon. With his WWE star on the rise, who could blame him.
A lifelong WWE fan, Vidot admits he is living out an impossible dream, rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in the history of sports entertainment.
"When you walk around backstage, and you meet guys like John Cena and 'The Rock', 'Triple H', Shawn Michaels - legends like that - it provides plenty of pinch-yourself moments, and I feel blessed and privileged to have this opportunity."
It's an opportunity that could one day see Brodie Retallick or Ardie Savea sharing the WWE ring with 'The Undertaker'?
Probably not, but anything is possible, as Vidot has shown.
Newshub.
