Mojo Rawley Is Thriving After WWE With A Powerful Business That Helps Wrestlers

Dean Muhtadi, formerly known as the highly energetic Mojo Rawley, was prepared for life after wrestling before even signing a WWE contract.

Starting in the seventh grade, Muhtadi worked as an intern for Morgan StanleyMS
at the age of 11. Despite going on to become a decorated collegiate athlete, who later turned pro, Muhtadi continued to build a solid foundation off the field by earning his MBA from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.

So when Muhtadi was released by WWE, alongside a wave of talent amid steep budget cuts, his unique upbringing prepared him for this very situation. Muhtadi has been one of the few wrestlers to truly thrive in life after wrestling without having to take a single bump.

Muhtadi partnered with longtime friend and business associate Steve Kaye to create the Paragon Talent Group. Paragon is a talent agency focused on current and former wrestlers. Pro wrestling is a rewarding, if not unforgiving, business and Paragon provides former wrestlers with the type of security that has evaded them for decades.

“This is something that I had in my back pocket for a long time,” said Muhtadi during an exclusive sit-down interview.

“10 years in WWE, coming from the NFL, just seeing the disparities between the two leagues in terms of representation and life after the game. I just saw that there was this void.”

“The talent needed some help, and when you’re with WWE they’re fantastic about providing you assistance with everything you need. They can help with your travel. Any kind of interviews, sponsorship deals on the side—all those things. But afterwards, you’re done. You’re cast out in the cold and you have to start from Square 1. It was really sad to see friends that I shared a locker room with, that protected me in the ring for so long, trying to figure out what to do next. Not having any idea of what to do next.”

Paragon has seen impressive gains during its young tenure. Acting as a much-needed retirement plan for wrestlers at a crossroad, Paragon is on pace to hit $10 million in revenue by the end of 2022. The company represents over 30 current and former wrestlers, including Andrade El Idolo, Tyler Breeze, Lana, Nia Jax, Rey Fenix and Shawn Spears. Paragon touted over 300 individual payouts to talent though partnerships with marquee brands such as the NFL, Walt DisneyDIS
and Pepsi. As more current and former wrestlers appear on platforms outside of WWE, there’s more of a likelihood that their own reach is able to create new fans and reinvigorate wrestling’s once-reliable casual fanbase.

Most importantly, Paragon gives wrestlers control of their careers and a life outside of the fickle wrestling business.

“In professional wrestling, more so than any sports league on the planet, everybody’s expendable,” said Muhtadi.

“Anybody can get plugged into that role. If you get injured, or go down or you upset the company, you’re going to get written off TV. They can write the show around anybody they want to, and you have to know that going in.”

Muhtadi credited his Stay Hyped gimmick, which he still owns, with helping him stand out. Whether he owns “Stay Hyped” or not, Muhtadi’s infectious energy follows him everywhere he goes. Even after our interview, I felt like running through a brick wall. Paragon preaches to its clients the value of monetizing their own authenticity and passions en route to a successful career independent of the wrestling business. Muhtadi mentioned Xavier Woods as a current WWE Superstar who is doing just that through his popular YouTube gaming channel UpUpDownDown.

“Those UpUpDownDown checks, if you were fortunate enough to get a spot on one of those shows, those were pay-per-view checks,” said Muhtadi. Legitimate, pay-per-view-sized checks. And when you’re going out there and you’re killing yourself and putting up with all the crap every single day and every single week to try to get a pay-per-view match or you can play video games for fun with Xavier Woods? My goodness, it was a godsend and that’s exactly what we’re talking about with all things Paragon.”

“So many of the deals we’ve gotten for our guys and girls since we’ve started this company have been focused on people’s passions,” added Kaye.

“There have been video game deals, there have been deals with energy drink because they drink energy drinks before their workouts. Apparel companies, makeup lines. It’s all been stuff surrounding things that people are actually passionate about because that organic passion comes out in a social media post.”

While Muhtadi admitted it was initially difficult to follow the product after a 10-year grind with WWE, he stays on top of what’s going on in the world of wrestling. If nothing else, he does it for professional reasons more than personal.

“It kind of became a business strategy to watch the product and stay on top of what all our clients are doing,” said Muhtadi.

“I think [WWE] is exciting regardless of how you feel about it because change is good. It’s definitely different, I don’t think anybody would argue that. Change is good, and it’s much-needed, and there’s been a lot of exciting elements that have popped out since Triple H has been in charge. For me, personally, it’s cool to see because Triple H gave me my first run as an NXTXT
talent.”

From his first run in NXT to his second act after WWE, Muhtadi’s story will endure long after he hangs up his boots. Through Paragon Talent Group, Muhtadi and Kaye hope to afford many wrestlers with that same luxury.