SamuelShawfirst established his take on serial killers like Patrick Bateman or Dexter Morgan in TNA, before bringing the character into WWE as 'Dexter Lumis,' which he played throughout his first run. However, in WWE, his character became completely silent compared to the soft-spoken version in TNA, which the man behind the gimmick discussed during an appearance on "INSIGHT withChrisVanVliet."Shaw claimed that he's been approached by more and more fans at conventions praising his recent work on the "Tacoma PD" television series, where many heard his voice for the first time."I do actually speak. I was playing a character, you know," he said. When asked why his 'Dexter Lumis' character was silent, Shaw stated that he didn't really know why WWE took that creative direction, but he always had his own head canon about it. "Everybody talks.Almost, like in my opinion, too much. So, how canI be different?"Further building on this, Shaw expressed that he's always tried to stand out to fans in some way, shape, or form, and playing a silent yet imposing figure was almost striking, in his opinion."Like, this guy just, you know, he's just got a cold stare, and he doesn't speak," he said, adding that this wound up becoming the center of the challenge for his character. "Can I elicit emotion from the fans without saying a word? CanI make them feel a certain way? CanI get my emotion that I'm trying to get across to these fans without saying anything? And that kind of became the goal; the mission."If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "INSIGHT withChris VanVliet," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
