Cody Rhodes says prior to his entrance music “Wrestling has more than one royal family,” and while it’s true, there’s another WWE star making a solid case for his family to be in the picture.
Son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner – both WWE Hall of Famers – Bron Breakker has exploded onto the scene ever since he arrived at the company in 2021. He won the NXT Championship twice and the NXT Tag Team Championship, and since his callup to the main roster, he’s become someone with unlimited potential. He’s been nothing but dominant since his arrival, and he’ll have the biggest match of his young career Saturday when he challenges Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship during WWE's 2024 Money in The Bank event.
So even though he isn’t exactly a “genetic freak” like his uncle, Breakker has proven there is no star like him.
“With what I'm doing, I'm not so sure anyone's ever done it before,” Breakker told USA TODAY Sports.
While wrestling is in his blood, Breakker is part of a recent trend in WWE where the company has looked to former college athletes to become their next generation of stars.
Breaker was a running back at Kennesaw State, a young football program that quickly found success in FCS and will play its first FBS season in 2024. In four seasons, he played 48 games and finished his career with 1,496 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, including rushing for a team-high 909 yards his senior year. He wasn’t selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but did sign with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent and spent some time with the organization before he was released and he transitioned to a wrestling career.
During his time at Kennesaw State, Breakker excelled in the triple option offense not only because his 6-foot, 230-pound frame made it easy for him to knock down defenders and open running lanes, but he displayed insane speed when he had the ball, breezing past defenders with ease.
When he was training for the NFL, Breakker said his 40-yard dash time was just below 4.30 seconds, which would put him among the fastest people at the NFL Combine.
The traits that made Breakker a star for the Owls translated to a WWE ring. He showcases the strength people would see out of a “powerhouse” wrestler, but something fans don’t see everyday is someone who can move as quickly as Breakker can.
“There's nobody – for a fact – that is as fast as me that works here,” Breakker said. “I'm like a hybrid of a big strong guy and somebody who could move and be versatile. I'm the only one that is capable of doing that.”
Recently, he’s done a fast sprint around the ring and delivered a spear to other stars in a display that leaves any fan wincing.He’s so fast, he’s been able to move the entire ring whenever he bounces off the ropes. He didn’t even realize the ring moved until someone showed him afterward.
“Thank God it didn't break,” he said.
Family, WWE legends take notice
The physical characteristics are unique, but Breakker has had some help along his young wrestling journey.
Just before he officially was a full-time main roster member, Breakker teamed with Baron Corbin in NXT. The duo, known as The Wolf Dogs, captured the NXT Tag Team Championship earlier this year.
During that time working together, Breakker said Corbin was “extremely” helpful in preparing him for the main roster jump. He said it didn’t take long for the two to connect, especially with both of their football backgrounds, and Corbin was constantly giving him advice. Breakker believes the time was critical for his character development and it allowed him to be more open with the crowd.
Of course, his iconic father and uncle have been there for him during his career.
“They’re just kind of making sure that I know that it's go time now. it's time to lock in. This is the most important time of your career right now. This is it,” Breakker said.
So far, Breakker has capitalized on his time, and it’s not just wrestling fans taking notice. Hulk Hogan recently said if WWE can “do the ring thing” with him, he could be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock, adding he has the potential to be “the guy” of wrestling. Former WWE star Lex Luger said there's “unlimited upside” with Breakker and the company “could do something special” with him.
The praise is something Breakker doesn’t take lightly, especially when it comes from people he grew up idolizing and who worked with his dad and uncle. It’s part of his mission to make the stars and legends before him believe he is upholding the standard they set.
“It's just such an honor for me for the legends of that caliber to be even talking about me,” he said. “One of the goals that I have is to make the veterans of that time proud of what I'm doing. I want them to look at me and say, ‘That guy is doing it the right way.’”
Breakker can continue to impress with a victory at Money in the Bank this weekend to claim his first main roster title. And make no mistake, he isn’t thinking about what life could be if he wins. He expects to come out victorious and be the first person in his family to capture the illustrious championship.
“I'm going to beat Sami Zayn on Saturday at Money in the Bank and I’m going to become the new Intercontinental Champion. I'm going to shock the world, and that's it,” he said. “I'm excited to be the first member of my family to win the Intercontinental Championship. I'm going to bring it home.
The confidence speaks to the potential Breakker has in the new wave of WWE stars, and while winning the Intercontinental Championship would be a significant achievement, as long as he continues to show out, he’s on the path toward superstardom.
“I know how important first impressions are, and I'm a rookie, I'm new,” Breakker said. “It's very, very critical for me to be on top of my game at all times.”
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