Unless you work for WWE, the life of a pro wrestler can be somewhat nomadic.
Parker Boudreaux has quickly learned that.
The 26-year-old first came to the attention of wrestling fans in NXT and then AEW, but since then has found plenty of work in Mexico with AAA and in Japan with GLEAT.
The spotlight was on him much before any of those stints began, though.
Boudreaux played football in college, starting at Notre Dame and then transferring to his home state after his younger sister had a health scare. And his stand-out play earned him a lot of eyes — including from two of the biggest names in wrestling.
“Paul Heyman was always kind of recruiting me since I was 15 [or] 16, years old,” Boudreaux revealed in an interview with SlamWrestling.net. “But now, like when I had when I was in college football, it was more evident, like Jim Ross was setting me up and tweeting about me, and then Paul Heyman would be saying all these things.”
He’d drawn their attention because of his outstanding play on the football field at every level he’d competed. In high school, Boudreaux was a three-year letter winner at Bishop Moore High School in Orlando. He’d help lead the Hornets to a 14-1 record and a state title — the school’s first since 1970.
Even as an offensive lineman, doing the dirty work in the trenches, Boudreaux drew attention. He’d reportedly received more than 70 scholarship offers, being as hotly recruited by schools across the US as can be. After not playing in his freshman year at Notre Dame, he transferred to University of Central Florida (UCF) to be closer to his family.
In 2018, his sophomore year, Boudreaux helped the Knights break the single-season rushing record and split his time between the offense and special teams — a testament to both his adaptability and versatility. In his junior season, he started all 13 games at right guard and helped the team’s offense rank first in the AAC in multiple categories.
Even with the major endorsement from Ross and “The Wise Man” Heyman, wrestling didn’t happen right away for Boudreaux.
After taking time away from football due to a concussion, Parker began exploring his options off the gridiron. It was always in the back of his mind. He’d often watch wrestling in hotels during away games during his collegiate football tenure.
“Shout out to Jim Ross and shout out to Paul Heyman. Because they’ve really taught me a lot throughout the small time that I’ve had with pro wrestling,” he said.
If anyone were to embark on a professional wrestling career, they might be hard-pressed to find two more prominent names that have eyes on them and support them.
On December 14, 2021, under the ring name Harland, he defeated Guru Raaj in his professional wrestling debut in NXT. Though his time in a WWE ring did not last long, Boudreaux could not have had a better introduction to professional wrestling. He would stick in WWE programming, aligning with Joe Gacy, only until April 29, 2022, when the company released him.
His short spell under contract with WWE is puzzling, as people are rarely compared to Brock Lesnar. Even as a 15- or 16-year-old Boudreaux got those double-take looks. “That was kind of crazy because I was so young … I hear it all the time, even going to the grocery store or whatever he’s like, ‘Oh, you look like Brock Lesnar.’ Or, I look like a fighter, or whatever it is, because [of my] tattoos and everything,” said Boudreaux. “It’s a blessing, obviously, because Brock is probably one of the best or the best athlete of all time.”
But Boudreaux has kept a positive outlook throughout and was ultimately grateful for the chance the promotion gave him. “I was very blind sided with the release, but I know how that’s what pro wrestling is. I had the best time in WWE.”
He spent a short time in Major League Wrestling and also debuted on AEW programming, using his legal name. His AEW debut came August 9, 2022. There, he had aligned himself with Ari Daivari and Slim J in a faction known as the Trustbusters.
Going from one major promotion to another presented a new challenge but he did not see it that way. “It was [an] easy transition to go from WWE to AEW just because it’s a lot different, but I needed that uniqueness of traveling every week and going into big arenas.”
He was let go on April 1, 2024. By this time, he’d already debuted for AAA in Mexico, having attacked Octagon Jr.
Freed from the AEW deal, Boudreaux has gotten a new-found appreciation for the challenge of fighting in a promotion on the other side of the world, seeing how other cultures celebrate pro wrestling. “I think it’s that too, like taking the 20-hour plane ride to Japan and going 14 hours ahead of time, and seeing a whole different culture, and seeing how people live.”
He’s greatly enjoyed his time in Japan with Gleat and couldn’t have more gratitude for the promoters and bookers there that took a chance on him. And he hopes to repay it by one day winning the top prize.
“Maybe a G-Rex championship title in Japan … That’s a huge accomplishment, that’s big time. So if I could do something like that, that would be awesome,” he said.
While Gleat is not the top promotion in Japan, there’s no question that AAA in Mexico is the leader in that country. Having been a part of two AAA Triplemania events earlier this year, Boudreaux looks back fondly on the experiences.
“It’s a blessing. It’s a part of the culture in Mexico. And it’s obvious, because you see it all over the all over the city. Tens of thousands people come to the shows … It’s lucha style, so it’s much more fast-paced, and it’s awesome.” Boudreaux has family in Mexico as well.
A number of luchadors have taken notice of Boudreaux, Konnan and Andrade El Idolo among them.
Already having a wealth of experience in three different countries across the globe, the challenges a person would be expected to face are looked at not as obstacles but as opportunities. There’s a common tongue between the ropes. “Even if you don’t know the same language, you still put together a banger of a match.”
Regardless of whom Boudreaux steps into the ring with, the crowd is always sure the be treated to something special. With how well he’s doing, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see him show up where they might least expect him to.
In talking to the person, you can sense the passion that Boudreaux has for the ring and the attention to detail he has.
“I think once I finally took that break from football, and actually thought about how cool wrestling is … finally seeing how it works behind the scenes and how they train, and how physical it still is. [It’s] one of the most physical things that you could ever do but it’s more individualized. You could have a longer career. You could really build something huge out of this character and inspire kids and inspire people around the world, that you could take it to another level.”
Only time will tell what levels Parker Boudreaux’s career will reach … and where.
TOP PHOTO: Parker Boudreaux at WrestleBash 2 on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fairfield Hotel and Suites in Fairfield, New Jersey. Photo by George Tahinos, georgetahinos.smugmug.com
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