When Daniel Vidot made his NRL debut for the Canberra Raiders in 2009, he probably would not have imagined that he would later compete as a professional wrestler in Japan.
The winger made the unexpected decision to seek a career in professional wrestling in 2017 after having a stellar playing career that included stints with the Raiders, St George, the Broncos, Salford Red Devils, and the Gold Coast. Before making his on-screen debut in 2020 during an episode of Smackdown in which he would ultimately lose a bout against Sheamus, the Samoan international signed a development contract with WWE in 2018.
However, when reflecting on the historic career change, Vidot acknowledged that he had taken a significant gamble by switching from his football cleats to wrestling boots. “I had to think about my family, it was huge, and it was a big risk,” Vidot told The Herald Sun.
That was the biggest thing for me was being homesick and missing my family.
‘I’d already gone to England (to play Super League), but I felt like I would be stupid not to.
‘The adaptation from footy to wrestling was a pretty smooth transition.’
He would go on to adopt the name Xyon Quinn and would move onto the WWE’s main roster between 2023 and 2024, before going on to be released by the company last year.
‘I’ve always been a fan of (wrestling) since I was a little one, I think everyone was,’ Vidot said.
‘When the opportunity came up… I just took it with two hands and it sent me across the world. I’m always happy, I’m a bit of a shoot-from-the-hip kind of dude.’
He would again surprise fans by winning a place on the US national rugby league squad’s tour of South Africa in 2024, making one appearance for the Hawks.
On his reasoning for stepping back into the sport, Vidot said: ‘Why not?’
“I still love it and I always will. I think it’s got a really good chance to grow over there, I think the sky’s the limit for rugby league,” he said, adding that he had missed playing rugby league and was eager to help it grow in the States. The NRL and Super League will hold their opening 2025 season fixtures in Las Vegas in the upcoming months as both organizations try to expand the sport globally.