Hotseat: Adam Pearce

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ARE filled with stories of ordinary players who went on to become extraordinary coaches. As a tight end with the Wesleyan University football team in 1971, Bill Belichick couldn’t earn a starting position, and later decided to play lacrosse instead. He went on to win six Super Bowl rings as head coach of the New England Patriots. And then there’s the story of Adam Pearce. Over his 18-year ring career, “Scrap Iron” never rose to the top of a major wrestling league. He was best known as a mid-card performer during Ring of Honor’s early years, and as the face of the scaled-down National Wrestling Alliance in the post-TNA era. His only appearances on WWE TV were as a preliminary enhancement talent in the late-1990s.

But while achieving modest success in the ring, Pearce was learning important lessons that would help him thrive in his next act—as a backstage coach.

After taking over booking responsibilities from Gabe Sapolsky in 2008, Pearce emphasized the importance of storytelling and production value in Ring of Honor, and set it on a path toward long-term success. After seeing what he had to offer as a guest coach, WWE recruited Pearce as a trainer and producer in 2015. He went on to help craft some of the most memorable WWE matches in recent years, including the NXT championship clash between Charlotte and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36.

But, just when it seemed that Pearce’s wrestling legacy was destined to be away from the cameras, “Scrap Daddy” (as he was once known) found himself in front of them once again, as WWE’s latest on-screen authority figure. So well did Pearce perform in the role, that, before long, he found himself embroiled in a storyline—and even a televised match—with possibly the sport’s biggest star, Roman Reigns.

Now retired from active competition for seven years, the 42-year-old Pearce is enjoying, arguably, the most notoriety of his career. He recently spoke about his