Excluding how things ended, what was your experience like in FCW? What did you take from it?

It was an awesome experience. Initially, when I got there I was defeated, but just being in that program got me back up. From the curriculum to the TV production to just being around the trainers that I was around, I can’t compare that to anything else I’ve done in the business. It was an awesome, awesome experience. It definitely taught me how to become what I need to become to become somebody.

Who were some of the trainers that you worked with?

Steve Keirn, Tom Pritchard, Norman Smiley, Billy Kidman and Dusty Rhodes. There would also be guests that would come in. During the time I was there, they had Fit Finlay, Arn Anderson, Jim Ross, Pat Patterson, Jamie Noble. A lot of times when the guys were getting ready to go back on the road if they were out for an injury or something like that, they would stop in and spend a few days down there, too. Everyone would always sing the praises of the program. Even the guys that had been in OVW would say that they didn’t have what we had down there.

What do they tell you when you first get there? Do they say that everyone is competing for spots on the main roster? How do they frame it?

It’s basically, “You guys are a family, but you are in competition with each other.” You’re there to get on TV and become a star, period. And it’s up to you to take advantage of the program, take advantage of your trainers, take advantage of the video library. You’re in the absolute best program ever. This program wasn’t around back in the day. You have every tool there to become a star in this business, and it’s up to you to utilize it. The ones who want it will make it.

Who came up with the name Kaleb O’Neal and the character? Do they assign you a gimmick, do you pitch an idea to creative, or is it a collaboration?

When I first got there, something came down that no one was allowed to use any part of their real name anymore. At the time, I was hoping to keep Brink because I guess I was a bit of a mark for my name. I thought it was a bit of an original name, but so be it. They told us at that point that we all had to come up with our own deal. We had to come up with like three or four different names. The reason I picked Kaleb was to spite my ex-girlfriend because she had always talked about wanting to have a son and naming him Kaleb.

How would you describe the character Kaleb O’Neal?

At that time, I was becoming a vicious, nasty heel and was 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, so the play off of that was that I’m a big, nasty dude. In promo practice – I didn’t get a whole lot of TV time with promos; we were getting to that – initially I played off that I’m from Baltimore and the greatest athletes in the world come from Baltimore. I would list guys like Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, Ray Lewis. I’d even say that the hottest diva in WWE history, Stacy Keibler, came from Baltimore. I put myself in that same light. As we progressed I was trying to be the guy who in his promos was willing to say and do anything. Any soft spot I could find on somebody, I would make fun of them or I would say something ignorant about it to get heat. Not going for cheap heat, but that I would push the envelope and say things where you’d go, “I can’t believe he said that. What an a------.”

You mentioned promo practice. Was that a major aspect of the training?

They worked with us with everything. The way it was structured, there were classes that would work strictly on our ring endurance, and there would be classes that would work strictly on our ring psychology. And then there would be days where we did promos all day, and Dusty would give a critique and make it better. It was usually one day out of the week where we focused specifically on that. Some days we would just do matches where our trainers watched and gave us feedback in front of each other. It was always something different, but we got the overall learning experience with everything – even how to work for TV. The arena down there is a full-blown arena, with cameras, production, lighting, everything, and we were taught how to do everything. There’s not a person coming out of FCW who’s not going to know how to do a promo.

Who were some of the guys you worked with there that we are seeing now on WWE television?

Guys I wasn’t in direct feuds with but that I had a relationship with behind the scenes were: Sheamus – he gave me a lot of advice; Tyler Reks also was a guy that helped me a lot with working toward getting back in shape when I showed up 60 pounds overweight because of some personal issues. In return, as I started getting things, I tried to work and talk with people. When Abraham Washington first got there, I tried to talk with him as much as I could, but his charisma and promo skills were already through the roof when he got there.

You alluded to some personal issues and coming in overweight. Can you talk about what your situation was like when you came to FCW?

Prior to reporting to FCW, in the span of like four months I had five people pass away. One of them was my 15-year-old sister. Another was my grandmother. And then it was three other friends of mine – and they were all close friends. At that point, every three-four weeks, somebody was passing away. The first three people passed away over six weeks, and then I got my phone call that I was getting signed while I was at my lowest low. As my spirit started being lifted, another friend passed away. I had been training at Team 3-D’s school prior to getting signed, and I knew I was out of shape. So I went back to Team 3-D’s school in an attempt to get in shape before I had to report, and my grandmother passed away. So I had to come back home for her funeral, and then I had to report the next day. When I showed up, I was 60 pounds overweight. I went to the trainers and I told them, “This is what I just went through. I apologize. I’m extremely out of shape. Please give me a chance to show you differently.” They didn’t know if I was blowing some up their butts, so they made it a point to let me know that they weren’t happy about it and to let my actions speak for themselves. The first four weeks I was there I dropped about 26-27 pounds, and within 10 weeks I had dropped 50 pounds. After the first 10 weeks, which was about the middle of November, I dropped another 10 pounds.

So you got past that hurdle and things are going OK, but then what happened?

Well, regardless of what the reasons were, I showed up out of shape when I got there. I got back in shape, and they really let me know that they were happy about it. Then, about a week before Christmas, another friend of mine passed away, and I had an appointment to get some tattoos right after his funeral. I had been trying to get a hold of the office, but, to be honest, I was so distracted that I didn’t make every effort that I should have made to get in touch with somebody. I ended up getting the tattoos before I had approval, and when we got back from Christmas break, I had to own up and say that I didn’t wait to get permission on the tattoos. So I got punished for that – and rightfully so, I deserved to be punished. After the tattoo situation blew over, I came back and continued to train and do well, and then I hurt my leg. I strained and slightly tore my quadriceps. I talked to them the day after my injury and they told me they were giving me a raise and that they were happy with my progress, not to worry about the tattoo situation anymore. At this time, I actually saw pictures of when I first got there out of shape, and I can say this wholeheartedly, they should have let me go just for the shape I showed up in. So the fact that they let me get that far spoke volumes of the fact that they were giving me an opportunity.

Well, the first day that I was supposed to go to physical therapy, there was construction on the highway, and I used Mapquest to get directions. I had been in Tampa, but I didn’t know where everything was, and the exit I needed to take was blocked off for construction. Well, I ended up having to go like eight miles down the road and it wound up making me a half hour late to physical therapy. I didn’t know there was a bunch of guys with rehab issues at the time, and the office doesn’t have time to deal with guys missing physical therapy appointments and being late. The bottom line is you have the appointment and you have to make sure that you’re there on time. It was the third thing they had with me, so they let me go to learn a lesson and to make an example. They couldn’t keep letting me get away with stuff. The bottom line is that I had three issues, regardless of what the reasons were. They’re a billion dollar corporation that has a lot of employees to oversee, and they can’t keep letting somebody -- especially not on my level – get away with stuff like that.

I know that it was your goal for a long time to work for a major wrestling company, so how disappointing was it when you got released? And is it difficult for you now to watch ECW and see guys that you trained with on TV?

Oh, not at all. I’m completely happy for those guys. At the time I got released, yeah, it hit me, but I’ve been through a lot in my life. And I wasn’t let go and told, “You’re done in this business.” I was let go and told, “You need to mature a little bit; you need to get your head on straight, and you’ll get another opportunity.” They believe I have a ton of potential to become somebody in this business and I just need to become as business-minded as need be. Initially it hit hard and I was upset about it, but after a few days, it really started sinking in what their point was. It took me a while to get it, but eventually I got it.

So what’s the next step for you? You just came back to Maryland Championship Wrestling, where you first made a name for yourself. Are your goals still the same?

I’m even more determined now. Being there for the short amount of time I was and then having it taken away, that’s like taking a Pit Bull that’s been starving for weeks, waving a steak in his face, letting him get a couple drops of blood and then taking it away. I’m hungrier now than I ever have been. I hope and pray that I get the chance to prove to them that not only have I learned my lesson, but I’m ready to do whatever it takes. I understand I have to prove myself to WWE. I can’t just call them and say, “Hey, I’ve learned my lesson, guys. Let me have another opportunity, please.” I’m going to do whatever I can. I’m trying to get back on the independents and work as many places as I can so that I can let my work ethic speak for itself. I want to see how much I really have grown and see how crowds that knew me before react to me know. The WWE did pay me for 90 days, which was a blessing. I don’t know many jobs that are going to pay you for 90 days after they let you go. I know a lot of guys [who are let go] who wrestle on indys right away. WWE just doesn’t want you showing up on TV right away, but the way the contract is written is that you can’t wrestle anywhere for 90 days. Because I was let go for breaking the rules, I didn’t wrestle anywhere for 90 days. Even if they would have been cool with it, it’s still technically a rule I would have been breaking, and I didn’t want to cross that line. MCW is my home, it’s where I came from, and I chose to let that be the first independent show I come back on.

How did it feel to get the reception you did at the MCW show last month? You got the “Welcome back” chant and everyone seemed real happy to see you.

It gave me goose bumps. I almost was overtaken by it. After the year I had last year, I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to emotional things. I started talking on the microphone when I did because if I’d have let [the audience reaction] keep going, I probably would have started crying in the ring. It definitely felt great because you don’t know how people are going to respond.

Any final thoughts?

I hope that I’m able to prove to everyone that I’ve earned a chance to get another opportunity, whether it be with WWE, or TNA, or Ring of Honor or wherever. I hope that I get another opportunity and that I can set the record straight and show the world that I belong in this business and that I have what it takes to become a somebody in this business.

Anyone interested in booking Patrick Brink can contact him at patbrink@gmail.com. or visit myspace.com/patrick_brink.