A signature of the superstar’s act is his theme and catchphrase, “Somebody call my momma,” which also attached to WCW and WWE alum Ernest The Cat Miller.
“Honestly, for me it means something different because I know he had a close relationship with his mother,” Clay said. “My background growing up was a little bit different, so when I yell, ‘Somebody call my momma,’ typically it means that you’re telling her that her son is doing well. It’s a little bit different meaning for me but just as strong. It’s just to let her know that I’m doing all right because I’m always gone and always traveling.
“I’ve been doing that with high school in football, then college and after college, then I started traveling and being a bodyguard. So I was always traveling and was never home. So that is really what it means to me.”
The novice dancer says the great thing about his theme music is it’s not a fast song, which is beneficial to him. It also helps Clay has NBA Orlando Magic dancer Naomi in his corner.
“I think it slows the funkadactyls down a bit, but it works for me. Naomi has the background and took the baby steps with me. She came up with a couple of things…Everyone kind of worked together and focused on my strengths. They did all the acrobatic stuff. Cameron was really good at following Naomi’s lead in terms of the dancing. Naomi put all our stuff together, but now over time, it’s become where I added things like the Gangnam Style.
“They were like, ‘No, you’re not going to do Gangnam Style.’ I said, ‘I’m going to do it, and you can’t stop me.’ You know who is really good about adding dance moves all the time is Sweet T. He will come in and say, ‘What if we tried this’, or, ‘We need to practice today.’ He is awesome in being energetic. He is a good one-upper. He is real good when you’ll say something, and he will have something to say back. It’s where you will think it’s a compliment, but it’s not. He is really good at the backhanded compliment. He has that timing. We have a natural back-and-forth chemistry.”
Clay believes he has learned a lot teaming with a veteran like Sweet T.
“Sweet T has done it all, from the upside and the downside,” Clay said. “He has been in there with [John] Cena. He has been in there with [CM] Punk. He has been in there with The Undertaker. He has pretty much has faced everyone in this business at one time or another. So if you can’t learn from him, I don’t know what to tell you.
“He is adamant about hard work overcoming anything. He will say when there is frustration where I wish we had a tag title shot or this or that, he says hard work pays off, whether it’s at the gym or in the ring working on your stuff. You have to learn your craft. He is big on that. His mind is always working…It’s a giant think tank, and I think everyone has been better since we have gotten together.”
Sweet T and Clay or Tons of Funk have gelled well as a tag team. The two study other successful duos in wrestling history.
“I have Haku on speed dial,” Clay said. “He is always in my ear, whether I like it or not. He is a big fan of the dancing and the double-team moves. Sweet T and I have been breaking things out as of late. We have been doing the side slam into a flying elbow. We have some crazy stuff in mind coming up in throwing guys around to show everyone our power and quickness.”