What does NXT recruit Peter Howard have in common with Antonino Rocca, Butch Miller and Andre the Giant? Like those WWE Hall of Famers before him, Howard, before pursuing wrestling, roughhoused in arguably the world’s most dangerous team sport, rugby.

Hailing from Exeter, England, the 24-year-old with an admitted craving for “physical confrontation” was one of seven international recruits who reported to the WWE Performance Center earlier this month. Yet, the 6-foot-1, 255-pound (“and growing”) collegiate rugby standout-turned-discus champion is not just a product of WWE’s international scouting efforts; he’s also one of several top-flight athletes from other contact sports to be enlisted at the Performance Center. Howard may lack experience inside the ropes, but with obvious grit, a proven ability to transition from one sport to another, and exposure to WWE’s world-class coaching staff and training facility, he may be a perfect candidate to make a new home inside the ring.

WWE.COM: You’ve been here for about a week. How does it feel?

PETER HOWARD: It’s pretty surreal. I was expecting to be a little nervous before, but I’m taking it in stride and being relaxed about things. Sleep was quite hard the first week. It will be nice to get in the gym and get things done. It’s really exciting, and I’m overwhelmed by the talent that’s here. Obviously, to progress in anything, you don’t want to be the strongest guy in the gym, you don’t want to be the smartest guy in the room, because then you’ve got nobody to learn from. But the trainers here have so much experience, so I’m very much looking forward to utilizing that in my progression here.

WWE.COM: Your athletic background is in rugby and discus. When did you get involved in those sports?

HOWARD: I picked up rugby when I was 10. I was quite a big child generally, and I fell in love with rugby after about a year. I went through regional academy systems, worked up to the county level. Then I was playing for Bath University in the BUSA Premiership, top-level U.K. university rugby there. I had an injury when I was 21 — I tore a tendon in my foot and I was out for a few months. I came back and things weren’t quite going the way I wanted them to, so I knew I needed a change. While I was in school, I was competing in national-level athletics as well. With throwing, I watched the 2012 discus final, and I was just like, “I want a piece of that.”

WWE.COM: How did that transition go?

HOWARD: I was lucky enough at university to circle up with a guy called Andy Burns, who’s a judo player. He was doing his Masters degree in strength and conditioning there. Andy took me under his wing as sort of his case study for his final year. I was lucky enough to have some of the best coaching facilities in the country — you know, throw indoors, because obviously in England it gets pretty cold and wet in the winter — so I was able to just bury myself in training, and it really helped me transition from rugby to athletics. I was working on my mobility, getting more in-tuned with my body and just learning how to perform complex movements, which all correlated through to when I had my [WWE] tryout. I was just a more complete athlete.

WWE.COM: How did your WWE tryout come to be?

HOWARD: There was a tryout in London last May. I had a friend who’s an MMA fighter who was trying out, so I emailed him my sporting CV and [WWE] said, “You can bring your gear, and let’s see how you move.” From the rugby background, I seemed to pick up falls and rolls pretty well. I was more agile because of the athletic training. I was doing discus and was generally sharper. And here I am now, just ready to make that transition again.

WWE.COM: So that was your first time in the ring? Were you a fan of WWE beforehand?

HOWARD: In terms of the technical stuff, it was my first time at the tryouts, so it was pretty cool. We had Joey Mercury do some training. Also at the tryouts were Robbie Brookside and William Regal, and to come in contact with these people on your first go, you can’t do better than that.

My regular wrestling viewing was The Attitude Era. I was 10 at the time. The Rock, “Stone Cold,” Kurt Angle — those are the guys I was watching at that age. When I went to university, I got really back into it again, watching the pay-per-views. I was the guy on the rugby team that would be like, “Guys, come out tonight. I’ve ordered the pay-per-view,” and it was quite the social thing. Whether it’s luck that I’m here today, whether it’s fate, I’ve always followed the entertainment side of WWE, and I’m just really happy to be here.

WWE.COM: What aspects of rugby do you think will assist you in wrestling? Do you see parallels between the sports?

HOWARD: As far as contact goes, when I was playing rugby, I loved physical confrontation. I wasn’t the most technical guy. I just love hitting things really hard, so I guess that aspect will come through quite well. In terms of technical work, we’re going to start picking up [at the Performance Center] in a couple of weeks, and I don’t doubt that I’ll have any problem because of my previous contact skills, working with the body. It’s slightly different here, obviously, but yeah, I think the transition should be pretty smooth. I mean, I don’t have any experience. Guys like [Sesugh] Uhaa, I’m miles behind him. He’s got six years on me. But with a couple years of really intensive, hard training that I’m going to get here, I think I can do really well.

WWE.COM: What’s it mean to you to be part of a rookie class that’s being touted as the most international in Performance Center history? And is it helpful to have countrymen like Hugo Knox, Robbie Brookside and Norman Smiley around?

HOWARD: I saw Hugo the first time this morning since I’ve been here, and it was good to hear a familiar accent, even though it’s a bit northern. [Laughs] But yeah, I think this class reflects WWE reaching out —to what, 175 countries now — and I think with that expansion you then again need to spend time on diversity in your talent. It’s going to help secure the future success of the company being able to link with these people coming from different countries.

WWE.COM: What are your expectations for the Performance Center, NXT and then ultimately WWE?

HOWARD: For myself, to work as hard as I always do in terms of task orientation, getting my head down, open eyes, open ears, stay humble, stay hungry and obviously take time to enjoy it as well. I don’t think it’s going to feel like a job because this is what I want to do. I want to entertain, I want to put smiles on people’s faces. NXT, obviously it’s the first big goal for me, getting some ring time there. I’m going to go all the way with this. Like all the guys they’re hiring. No one comes in to do half the job, you know what I mean? I’m just going to be patient, bide my time, work as hard as I can and hopefully one day, as everybody here wants, get that WrestleMania Moment.

What does NXT recruit Peter Howard have in common with  Antonino Rocca, Butch Miller and Andre the Giant? Like those WWE Hall of Famers before him, Howard, before pursuing wrestling, roughhoused in arguably the world’s most dangerous team sport, rugby.

Hailing from Exeter, England, the 24-year-old with an admitted craving for “physical confrontation” was one of seven international recruits who reported to the WWE Performance Center earlier this month. Yet, the 6-foot-1, 255-pound (“and growing”) collegiate rugby standout-turned-discus champion is not just a product of WWE’s international scouting efforts; he’s also one of several top-flight athletes from other contact sports to be enlisted at the Performance Center. Howard may lack experience inside the ropes, but with obvious grit, a proven ability to transition from one sport to another, and exposure to WWE’s world-class coaching staff and training facility, he may be a perfect candidate to make a new home inside the ring.

WWE.COM: You’ve been here for about a week. How does it feel?

PETER HOWARD: It’s pretty surreal. I was expecting to be a little nervous before, but I’m taking it in stride and being relaxed about things. Sleep was quite hard the first week. It will be nice to get in the gym and get things done. It’s really exciting, and I’m overwhelmed by the talent that’s here. Obviously, to progress in anything, you don’t want to be the strongest guy in the gym, you don’t want to be the smartest guy in the room, because then you’ve got nobody to learn from. But the trainers here have so much experience, so I’m very much looking forward to utilizing that in my progression here.

WWE.COM: Your athletic background is in rugby and discus. When did you get involved in those sports?

HOWARD: I picked up rugby when I was 10. I was quite a big child generally, and I fell in love with rugby after about a year. I went through regional academy systems, worked up to the county level. Then I was playing for Bath University in the BUSA Premiership, top-level U.K. university rugby there. I had an injury when I was 21 — I tore a tendon in my foot and I was out for a few months. I came back and things weren’t quite going the way I wanted them to, so I knew I needed a change. While I was in school, I was competing in national-level athletics as well. With throwing, I watched the 2012 discus final, and I was just like, “I want a piece of that.”

Read about NXT's new rookie class |  Q&A with Sesugh 'Uhaa Nation' Uhaa

WWE.COM: How did that transition go?

HOWARD: I was lucky enough at university to circle up with a guy called Andy Burns, who’s a judo player. He was doing his Masters degree in strength and conditioning there. Andy took me under his wing as sort of his case study for his final year. I was lucky enough to have some of the best coaching facilities in the country — you know, throw indoors, because obviously in England it gets pretty cold and wet in the winter — so I was able to just bury myself in training, and it really helped me transition from rugby to athletics. I was working on my mobility, getting more in-tuned with my body and just learning how to perform complex movements, which all correlated through to when I had my [WWE] tryout. I was just a more complete athlete.

WWE.COM: How did your WWE tryout come to be?

HOWARD: There was a tryout in London last May. I had a friend who’s an MMA fighter who was trying out, so I emailed him my sporting CV and [WWE] said, “You can bring your gear, and let’s see how you move.” From the rugby background, I seemed to pick up falls and rolls pretty well. I was more agile because of the athletic training. I was doing discus and was generally sharper. And here I am now, just ready to make that transition again.

Next page: Howard on how rugby translates to wrestling and his game plan for the years ahead

WWE.COM: So that was your first time in the ring? Were you a fan of WWE beforehand?

HOWARD: In terms of the technical stuff, it was my first time at the tryouts, so it was pretty cool. We had Joey Mercury do some training. Also at the tryouts were Robbie Brookside and William Regal, and to come in contact with these people on your first go, you can’t do better than that.

My regular wrestling viewing was The Attitude Era. I was 10 at the time. The Rock, “Stone Cold,” Kurt Angle — those are the guys I was watching at that age. When I went to university, I got really back into it again, watching the pay-per-views. I was the guy on the rugby team that would be like, “Guys, come out tonight. I’ve ordered the pay-per-view,” and it was quite the social thing. Whether it’s luck that I’m here today, whether it’s fate, I’ve always followed the entertainment side of WWE, and I’m just really happy to be here.

WWE.COM: What aspects of rugby do you think will assist you in wrestling? Do you see parallels between the sports?

HOWARD: As far as contact goes, when I was playing rugby, I loved physical confrontation. I wasn’t the most technical guy. I just love hitting things really hard, so I guess that aspect will come through quite well. In terms of technical work, we’re going to start picking up [at the Performance Center] in a couple of weeks, and I don’t doubt that I’ll have any problem because of my previous contact skills, working with the body. It’s slightly different here, obviously, but yeah, I think the transition should be pretty smooth. I mean, I don’t have any experience. Guys like [Sesugh] Uhaa, I’m miles behind him. He’s got six years on me. But with a couple years of really intensive, hard training that I’m going to get here, I think I can do really well.

WWE.COM: What’s it mean to you to be part of a rookie class that’s being touted as the most international in Performance Center history? And is it helpful to have countrymen like Hugo Knox, Robbie Brookside and Norman Smiley around?

HOWARD: I saw Hugo the first time this morning since I’ve been here, and it was good to hear a familiar accent, even though it’s a bit northern. [Laughs] But yeah, I think this class reflects WWE reaching out —to what, 175 countries now — and I think with that expansion you then again need to spend time on diversity in your talent. It’s going to help secure the future success of the company being able to link with these people coming from different countries.

WWE.COM: What are your expectations for the Performance Center, NXT and then ultimately WWE?

HOWARD: For myself, to work as hard as I always do in terms of task orientation, getting my head down, open eyes, open ears, stay humble, stay hungry and obviously take time to enjoy it as well. I don’t think it’s going to feel like a job because this is what I want to do. I want to entertain, I want to put smiles on people’s faces. NXT, obviously it’s the first big goal for me, getting some ring time there. I’m going to go all the way with this. Like all the guys they’re hiring. No one comes in to do half the job, you know what I mean? I’m just going to be patient, bide my time, work as hard as I can and hopefully one day, as everybody here wants, get that WrestleMania Moment.