Triple H was the head booker of WWE’s NXT brand for a decade before taking over the same role on the main roster from Vince McMahon in 2022. In a recent interview, Damon Kemp recalled how he once went against orders in a prison to discuss his WWE future with The Game.
Kemp, real name Bobby Steveson, worked as a prison guard for seven months in Bayport, Minnesota, before signing with WWE in 2021. One day, the 25-year-old set up a Zoom call with Triple H during a break from work. However, the call was delayed and he was already 20 minutes late for his shift by the time the conversation started.
On Monte and The Pharaoh, Kemp said he was instructed to end his break and report back to the prison unit. The former amateur wrestler initially ignored his boss and turned his radio down to keep talking to Triple H:
“It was funny because then all of a sudden they like blew up on me on my walkie-talkie I had,” Kemp stated. “‘Officer Steveson, we need you to report back to the unit now!’ And I was like, ‘Dammit.’ I told Triple H. I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I’m so sorry, I gotta go. I’m kinda on the clock right now.’ I pushed my break back literally. I was only supposed to be out there for like 15 minutes and I swear I was out there for like 40, and I definitely got the strike.”
Kemp, the brother of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, left WWE on August 12 after his contract expired. In the same interview, he opened up about his plans for the future.
Damon Kemp’s conversation with Triple H led to a WWE contract
Although he recently departed WWE, Damon Kemp featured regularly on NXT programming during his stint with the company. He wrestled over 80 matches and was a member of the Diamond Mine and No Quarter Catch Crew stables.
Kemp was grateful he had the opportunity to speak with Triple H in the first place. He also mentioned that the Minnesota prison he worked at was understaffed following the death of George Floyd in 2020:
“It was towards the end of COVID, so there weren’t that many officers there, so they were pretty short-staffed anyways,” Kemp added. “And this was after all the big stuff that happened in Minnesota, so no one wanted to do law enforcement. This was like the call. I was like, ‘I’m not missing this. I will get fired on the spot to stay on the phone with Triple H.’ But it worked out!” [28:02 – 28:26]
Kemp lost his final WWE match against Tavion Heights on the June 25 episode of NXT.
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