Mace was set for a much more sinister character before finding his place in Maximum Male Models.
The superstar – whose name is stylised as ma.çé in(mÃ¥n.sôör) and Maxxine Dupri – was previously part of the ill-fated RETRIBUTION faction and then spent ‘a couple of months’ off screen as he waited for his new direction only for the plans to change at the last minute
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘Honestly. I was sitting at home for a couple of months, kind of waiting to decide what I was going to do next. I got a call and they said, “All those things that we talked about, you’re not going to do. We have an idea for you!”
‘I was almost a cyberpunk mercenary, a bounty hunter, an executioner. Axe, hood and all – there’s concept art.’
Instead, another idea was brought to him as he found out he’d be paired with real life best friend Mansoor and .
He laughed: ‘They gave me a call and they were like, “All that stuff? Nah! What we’re gonna do this you’re going to be a male model now.” I said, “Great!” They said, “You’re going to do it with Mansoor”.
‘I was like, “Even better! Rock and roll!” At the end of the day, we’re God’s greatest clowns, and if you give us anything – in this grand circus of life, we are God’s greatest clowns.’
Mansoor, who was also part of our conversation backstage during WWE’s recent UK tour, chuckled and joked that his tag team partner had just accidentally revealed the name of their autobiography.
‘That’s a good little soundbite for you. That is the title! Honestly, that’s the title of our book. We don’t give away too many stories because we want people to buy our book,’ he quipped.
– Mustafa Ali, T-Bar (Dijak), Reckoning (Mia Yim) and Slapjack (Shane Haste) – were left in a strange place when the group was disbanded.
‘Well, Retribution was… was something,’ he joked. ‘In a similar vein [to Maximum Male Models], the guys in it – we were all very invested in making something of it. When it got busted up, we were left with, “I don’t really know what to do.” ‘
He’s glad to have eventually landed on his feet in an act he genuinely has an absolute blast being part of, and he hopes all his former allies have the same joy in their own respective careers.
‘To be given this, to have been given attention and then have something they’re listening to what we say, they’re also seemingly invested in it. It’s been great! I hope for all of my fellow RETRIBUTION mates to be in such a fulfilling position,’ he said.
‘Even though I’m the only one that kept the name, so… I’m the only one holding it down. I’m the loyalist, nobody else is keeping their name. I still refer to them all as their RETRIBUTION names – especially Slapjack.’
Meanwhile, Mansoor pointed to the wild ride Mace has been on since signing with WWE in 2016.
‘I think that Mace has had one of the most interesting careers in WWE history,’ he said with a smile. ‘This is a six foot seven former player who was a commentator and then he was a Bane monster and now he is a male model. And who knows what’s going to come next?’
‘You know what that is? It’s range,’ Mace joked, as his partner earnestly added: ‘It is range! Give him his Oscar!’
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
