Justin Gabriel Recalls “Darewolf” Gimmick Nixed by Triple H

Former WWE star Justin Gabriel, who now works on the independent circuit as PJ Black, was a recent guest on Chirs Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast. Gabriel, who quit WWE in January of 2015, discussed many topics related to his career in the company, opening up on why he left.

Interestingly, Gabriel revealed that he once pitched a character of “Darewolf” for him to portray, but the gimmick would not come to fruition. While Gabriel was off television, he was told to pitch character ideas to Michael Hayes. The aforementioned “Darewolf,” half daredevil half werewolf, gimmick was well-received by Vince McMahon, according to Gabriel. WWE even went as far to shoot vignettes of Gabriel doing activities such as surfing and juggling fire. Additionally, Vince was set to trademark “Darewolf,” but the character would be shot down by Triple H.

According to Gabriel, he had a sense that HHH was not open to the gimmick during the 2014 Arnold Expo, around the time of WrestleMania XXX. In response, Gabriel told the WWE COO, “I will change your view of me.” Gabriel proceeded to work in NXT, where he worked with WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes on his promo skills. Gabriel discussed how he worked on a new style both in and outside of the ring, but never got to showcase it.

Be sure to listen to the interview in its entirety, here. Gabriel also hit on his WWE departure, and how long he was in the process of leaving the company.

Editor’s Note

I actually would have liked to see this “Darewolf” character get a chance.