The D-Lo Down

From the Nation of Domination and his simultaneous European and Intercontinental Championships to his time in Thuggin' and Buggin' Enterprises, D-Lo Brown has a long history of competition in sports-entertainment. But after five years away, he has come back to WWE as a member of the Raw roster.

“Just standing, getting ready to go down that ramp, I got goosebumps like I was 13 years old and in love with my teacher,” Brown said. “You know that feeling? Walking down the ramp and feeling the people just giving me all kinds of love.” Clearly, the returning Superstar’s excitement was palpable on the night of July 21, 2008 as he squared off against his opponent, former Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella.

Prior to the contest, he admitted he was a fan of the Italian Superstar, but that respect didn’t prevent Brown from defeating Marella with his signature “Lo Down” from the top turnbuckle. Brown summed up the match by stating of Marella, “He tried a little trickery, a little chicanery. I think he got distracted and you know, a vet like me capitalized on it.”

Sometimes Superstars will take time off to rest and recover, but resting on his laurels was the last thing on Brown’s mind. He has spent the last five years working in various stateside promotions as well as esteemed Japanese organizations such as All Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro-Wrestling NOAH, improving all the while.

“I focused on honing my craft and getting better at what I did, and I’m a lot different [of a] performer than what I was before,” Brown admitted. “I still shake my head and I still have an attitude, but I look back at some of the stuff I did before and I was still a little boy in this business. Now I’ve grown up a little bit.”

In spite of his time away, it’s no surprise that Brown finds himself back in WWE. He likens the competition at this level to an addiction and claims that it continues to pull him back in. And now that he’s back and on Monday Night Raw, Brown has a distinguished list of Superstars he’d like to face in the ring that includes the likes of John Cena, Batista and Chris Jericho. Brown also went on to mention some younger competitors that he’s been particularly impressed by, such as Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and the vicious Paul Burchill. Brown summed up his goal as wanting to “find a nice way to mix in with the younger Superstars, work with the established ones and find a niche for myself.”

After his victorious match against Marella, Brown was an excited ball of energy, thrilled to be back in WWE. That excitement won’t be getting in the way of his No. 1 ambition however, which has been crystallized with his return.

“[I want] to be World Heavyweight Champion — nothing short. If you don’t want to be World Heavyweight Champion, go home. If you don’t aspire to be the top guy and have the company on your back, go home.”

After racking up a win on his first night back in WWE, what’s next for the returning D-Lo Brown? To find out, make sure to tune into Monday Night Raw at 9/8 CT only on USA Network.


WWE.com