British independent wrestler Man Like DeReiss has opened up about his recent WWE tryout, describing the opportunity as a “once in a lifetime” experience while his future in the ring remains the subject of speculation.

DeReiss was among the talents who participated in WWE’s tryouts held during the company’s European tour this past March. Reports following the event indicated that WWE showed “heavy interest” in the UK standout, with officials said to be impressed by his performance during the evaluation process.

In an interview with MuscleManMalcolm recorded during WrestleMania 41 week in late April, DeReiss reflected on his WWE tryout and the surprising nature of the experience.

“It was an amazing experience. It’s not how I thought it was going to be in terms of, I went there thinking wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, because of course it’s a tryout. But people said they enjoyed the experience and I didn’t really understand what they meant until I actually experienced it myself,” he said.

“Because there was like athletes who have never wrestled before as well, who maybe were about 50% of the tryout. Then speaking to them, getting to know them, they’ve all had amazing lives. One guy was a bobsledder, and I found out on the last day, and I was like, bro, why did you not tell me you are a bobsledder? I love cool runnings, bro.

“So yeah, I think the experience in terms of getting to meet new people, getting to be coached by the top coaches, getting to do drills in like the best rooms possible. Just being looked after in general. It becomes a whole overall experience. That’s what I mean. It’s a once in a lifetime sort of experience and I loved it.”