Warren Tuttle is an entrepreneur, the president of the board of directors for the United Inventors Association and the author of the book “Investor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Inventing”. He joins Chris Van Vliet from his home in New Canaan, Connecticut to talk about how new products are created, the process of bringing an invention to market, how “Shark Tank” has changed the way we think about products and much more!

On some of his inventions and launches:

“Well I haven’t created all of them but I have been involved in launching them. I did a product called MISTO, which is an olive oil sprayer. That was my first real mission with an inventor 20 years ago. Since then I have launched Cool Towels, you wet them and they drop in temperature to cool you off. I launched the Nespresso coffee systems, I didn’t invent them but I did launch them.”

On how an idea becomes your own:

“I’m sort of old school. It’s great to have an idea, but it’s what you do with it next. It’s not unlike the music business to get to the top, it’s not easy. Then to take that idea and try to sell it and make money from it. You have to take that idea and develop it. We make prototypes and see what is mechanically different to it than anything that has come before it. We then file patents to protect the product. Until you register your idea, you don’t own it.”

On the timeline from idea to patenting:

“I usually look at the timeline from when they bring it to me to when they get it to market. It’s all up to the individual, but I say before you think about patents, you need to vet the marketplace. That’s easy today with companies like Amazon, in the old days I would say go out to the stores. But you really need a month or two to see what is out there and do the due diligence. You then want to develop the prototype, but then that depends on how many iterations you want to make. The first one may take a month or two to build, but then you keep developing it over time. It isn’t an overnight process. By the time you get it ready and hire the patent attorney, you are talking 6 months to a year. But some inventors take years to figure out all of the kinks. It is not an easy process.”

On what his area of expertise is:

“I specialise in housewares, hardware and direct response television. I’m really up to speed on those categories. When someone brings me an exercise equipment or a medical device, I’m not as up to speed. I’m looking for something that is totally different to anything I know about. I get so many submissions over the years, is this different? If it catches my attention, is it functional? Does it work? All these things go through my head, is it novel? Can it be built properly? Can it be made a success?”

On if anyone could be an inventor:

“I don’t think anyone could, but I think a lot of people can. You have a leg up if you have engineering schools or at least an appreciation for engineering. Some people have those maker skills to do it yourself. If you have that background, things can come easier to you. But if you have ideas and ways to improve life, that also helps. Combining those things is a bit tough, but I think it takes people who are persistent. But also the flip side is hanging on too long and blowing your money. Maybe 10 could become inventors if they worked at it.”

On people who think they have a great idea but in reality it is not:

“I’ve been there. I developed a self stirring device for cooking. I actually developed two. Then I sold one to Bed Bath & Beyond for a higher price and one to Walmart for a lower price. But I didn’t sell any. The high end chefs didn’t want help with stirring ad the low end chefs use microwaves. So I failed at that and I learned from it. I went down that road you described. I had so much success from MISTO that people were betting on me and my success. Someone at a trade show a few years later actually unveiled a saucepan stirrer. I said to him ‘I’ve been there, please rethink this.’ But if you don’t put passion in there, you won’t get there. It’s just a case of knowing when to stop.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My mom, my wife and my daughters.”

Featured image: Tuttle Innovation.

More information on Warren Tuttle can be found here.

Bianca Carelli is a professional wrestler and the daughter of WWE legend Santino Marella. She joins Chris Van Vliet from her home in Mississauga, Ontario to talk about her pro wrestling career, what she has learned from her father, her WWE tryout, career goals, majoring in Biology, her favorite books, competing in pageants, and much more!

On original education plans:

“I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I was doing a medical science degree with a major in neuroscience, and I was very interested in it. But then I started thinking more about real life, I was 19 at the time. I was thinking about the hours you put in and the stress. How would that balance with family life and would I be OK with the stress of that? Yes I can put in the work, but am I going to enjoy my life? Time flies by and you only have one life. I want to spend that enjoying the moments. I don’t want to be 24 hours on call and seeing some very sad things. It didn’t fit with me.”

On shifting from brain surgery to wrestling:

“I mean they do seem different in theory but they are very similar. Anything you want to do, you need to put full effort in and you need to be disciplined. Reading your textbooks, meeting the deadlines and having that discipline carries over into the gym. You wake up, get the workouts done and have the meals planned. If cardio is weaker, I need to do more drills. There is repetition involved and lots of practise. It just comes down to how much energy you want to invest into it.”

On when she realized how famous her dad was:

“I actually have a specific memory. I lived in Milton for a few years of my childhood, like 12 to 16. My dad got a place nearby in Milton too. One day he picks me up and we go to the Milton mall, which is the smallest mall ever. So we were walking through the mall and someone yells ‘Santino! Santino!’ I was like [confused expression] him? My dad? Someone recognized you? It was the first time that someone had recognized him and it was in a small place too, which was weird. It was cool but after a while I was like I want my dad back. That started happening more often, I get that it comes with the business. You have to make time for the fans. It took some getting used to but it was cool.”

On Santino not being Italian:

“Yeah that’s a very weird thing because you expect him to speak and for this accent to come out. But it’s just regular Anthony from Mississauga. [Chris asks if Santino would speak in his real voice] yeah he would always take pride in saying he was from Mississauga. For him it was always about being from Canada. We love Canada, and to be Canadian that is proud to be Canadian where no one knows your Canadian is kind of strange.”

Did Santino do the accent around the house:

“My dad has always done accents around the house. Just being very strange and very funny. He definitely had that accent in his back pocket, but it wasn’t polished. When I hear it I think it’s hilarious. He was definitely put on the spot with that one.”

The first time seeing Santina:

“Honestly all I remember is I was having a sleepover when I was 9 or 10. I went into my dad’s room. I looked at the floor and there was pink Converse, fishnets, a giant pink skirt and a corset. My friend goes ‘What is that?’ I go ‘Oh it’s my dad.’ My friend was very confused as to why my dad would have giant women’s clothing. It was cool to see his acting, I must say I think he played a great woman. Not a pretty woman though. I definitely was surprised at first, I was like what is he doing? But it was a great opportunity for him to show his diversity. My father really is a great entertainer.”

Bianca’s dad’s reaction to her wanting to become a wrestler:

“He was actually really supportive. I think it’s because we have these similar personalities. Basically, he figured that this was something that worked well for him and he loved. He felt like I would love this as well, because he really enjoyed it and wanted me to have the chance to experience it too. He knows how I can feed off a crowd and make people laugh. Also, he knew it would make me happy.”

On her WWE try-out:

“So I’m not sure how everyone got selected. I believe my dad put forward some of the students at Battle Arts at the time. That was exciting, I knew for months. I was training and at that time I hadn’t had a lot of actual wrestling experience. I think I went into that try-out with 13 matches. But my psychology in the ring and my athleticism I felt was competitive. So you are planning your outfit, you are excited and you’re nervous. When I get there it was totally cool. It was breath-taking. As soon as you walk into the venue, it was just overwhelming. The brand recognition and the colors used. There was a lot of black and silver, darkness and red. It was a very intimidating marketing bombardment. It was really cool, it made you feel like you want to be a part of this. But It was only 2 days, so my biggest thing was I wish I had more time to show how much heart I have. I wanted to show my inner savage. I’ve only had 13 matches but I will fight and I will show my heart. I know that any chance I had to show what I got I did it. Obviously it wasn’t quite enough to get me there, but that did not discourage me.”

Feedback from the try-out:

“A lot of it was keep working and get more experience. I know my mic skills are pretty solid, it was really just the wrestling aspect of things. Just to get more comfortable with the wrestling aspect of things. Unfortunately though because of Coronavirus, that got put on pause for me, which was unfortunate. Last year, when Coronavirus hit, I had so many matches lined up. It was unfortunate that it happened, so I had to find other ways to improve. I studied my own matches, stayed in shape and thought of ways to rebrand myself.”

On her current character:

“So right now I come off as entitled, arrogant, rude, condescending, obnoxious, dramatic. I am a very dirty fighter, extremely unlikeable. It’s very fun for me, I thrive off of the boos. There were a few matches where I came out like a babyface, but you have to be a lot more vulnerable. But what if they don’t like me, it’s awkward. I think it’s easier to not be likeable than it is to be likeable.”

On future goals:

“I want to be in Florida wrestling as a career. It would be nice to be with one of the major companies. I also want to do something that advocates for the environment, which is a huge passion of mine. It was trendy for a while but people stopped caring. I really want to work with children and inspire children. Of course I want to main event WrestleMania but I think every wrestler would say that.”

Advice from her father:

“It’s going to sound like a Nike ad but just do it! I tend to over think things too much. His thing is more don’t think about it, just do it. I tend to be more how do I do this thing if I don’t know how. I had to get over that. Now I just do that, if I mess up I do it again until I get it right. The same thing carries over into life. If I get knocked down 9 times I get up 10. Failures leads to successes.”

On what she is grateful for:

“This life, the experiences that have forged me and my health.”

Bianca can be found on Twitter here.

Featured image: Twitter

Sean Waltman, aka X-Pac, is a 2-time WWE Hall of Famer and host of the Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast. He joins Chris Van Vliet for an in-person interview in Los Angeles, CA to talk about his legendary career, being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, his role in the NWO and DX, his friendships with Triple H, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, being Kane’s tag team partner, his reaction to the term “X-Pac Heat” and much more!

On the origin of the name X-Pac:

“It’s just a name I made up. So when I came to WCW, Eric Bischoff named me 6. People were like what does that mean. Well one plus two plus three equals six. I still don’t really know the answer to that. I don’t remember Eric ever confirming where he got it from. But everyone asked me did I ever think I would have a name to do with numbers. But long story short, Hulk would call me six pack, after a six pack of beer. Then the guys from the younger generation changed it to Pac. So it was six-PAC. When I left, Vince was trying to figure out a name for me. He knew I didn’t want to be called kid anymore. He goes ‘Well what if we called you The Man?’ This was before Becky Lynch by the way. I’m like [sucks teeth] I’m not really feeling it man. But he would throw out ideas, and if you weren’t a fan of it, you wouldn’t hurt his feelings.”

On getting recognized by people:

“I look like X-Pac in 2021 but not necessarily X-PAC in 1999. People do still recognize me at the grocery store and things like that. But they are not sure. They are like ‘I think that’s him.’

On possibly becoming a 3 time WWE Hall of Fame inductee:

“I would be very grateful, but it’s not something that I am actively hoping for. [Chris mentions Sean would be the first three time inductee] I don’t think that they are going to let that happen. How can I be a three time Hall of Famer and Ric flair is only two times? Come on man. I’m just being honest here.”

On being inducted as an NWO member:

“There are others out there that deserve to be inducted for being a part of the NWO as much as me. So I am grateful. Big Show, Randy Savage, I’m thinking of the guys that were like the NWO crew when I was there. Then there was [Scott] Norton and [Buff] Bagwell People here may not understand their contributions, but over in Japan they were crushing it.”

On how the jump to WCW came about:

“Originally I was supposed to be the first member. When we all jumped, I was the one that started it. I was out here training and recovering from injuries. I was training at Gold’s Gym and I met with Barry Bloom. So Barry told me that Eric had opened up his chequebook and was going to sign some people. I was definitely interested, because I wasn’t main eventing and I wasn’t making much money. So we were talking and I got on the phone and called Scott [Hall], and that set the whole thing in motion.”

Why didn’t he sign with Nash and Hall:

“It never got that far. The contracts back then, when you didn’t give 90 days notice, the contract rolls over. I f*cked up the timing on my 90 day notice and it had already passed. So we had this big long tour, it was Scott and Kevin’s last Europe tour. We got back from the tour and I was really bummed out, because they were leaving. I was in the doghouse, because they knew I was the one that instigated all of this. I was already having substance issues, I had a reputation for it. Then I overdosed in a production meeting and they sent me to rehab. I made sure I took a handful of pills before I sat in the production meeting.”

On people seeing his career as 3 different characters:

“A lot of people look at it that way, but I’ve always just considered it a name. These were just different versions of me at different points in my life. But now I am a long way from the debauchery of the 1999 X-PAC that said suck it! As a person I have evolved and grown. But at the time I was very similar to my character. All that notoriety, I leaned into that.”

On not drinking and substance issues:

“By the time I got back to WWE I didn’t really touch alcohol. I occasionally had a sip. I didn’t consider it to be the main problem, that was the pharmaceuticals. When you mix them with alcohol, it goes hand in hand, which it shouldn’t! I never did that sh*t before I went to WWF. When you’re using them, you need to start taking more because of the tolerance. At one point I was buying bottles of 500 and taking various amounts a day, not quite as bad as Kurt though. I would maybe take 8 or 10.”

On some of his greatest moments as a wrestler:

“Me personally, things like standing across the ring from Ric Flair, being in there with Hulk, guys like that. My heroes became my friends, how many people can say that. I knew I wanted to be a wrestler after seeing my first live wrestling match at 10 years old. It was Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes for the NWA title. I was 15 when I started training, I wasn’t much shorter than I am now. I probably weighed about 150lbs. Also I was 16 for my debut match, I’ve been wrestling most of my life.”

On an unfortunate injury:

“I missed a bronco buster on Jerry Lynn’s retirement match. I’ve done the move a million times, but the turnbuckle was exposed a bit. The threads of the turnbuckle literally ripped my asshole. I had to have surgery, I was bleeding out. After the match, I knew I was bleeding. You can see me say ‘I tore my f*cking asshole.’ But there was an afterparty, it was Jerry’s retirement. I just put some sweats on over my gear. The gear held everything together. During the afterparty, I sprung a leak. I’m like uh oh. When I took everything off, the bathroom was covered in blood. I called an ambulance and I started getting dizzy. It was a serious loss of blood. I had to have emergency sphincter-plasty surgery. I’m cracking jokes and they are like don’t do that because it is hard to perform surgery when you are laughing.”

On a possible comeback:

“If I’m planning to do another match again I got to be in shape. I’m not making a rule of I’m done, I don’t put that sh*t on myself. It’s just that I’m not planning this big one more run. I am still under a legends contract with WWE. It so they can use my likeness and put me on their merchandise. I still get residuals, but I’m not sure what my cut of NWO at DX merch is. When WWE went public, I got stock options. I had to hold onto them for like a year, and cashed them out when I needed the money. Certain situations in my life I needed the money.”

On a match he didn’t like:

“I hated the crybaby match with Scott. That’s an example of me being in the doghouse. Usually when someone leaves the company, they put someone over on the way out. Scott is leaving the company, they still put him over and they put a diaper and a bottle on me.”

On the phrase ‘X-Pac heat’:

“It was around the time when the term started making its rounds. It was just an internet thing. There was a certain segment of the wrestling fan community had enough. I get it, actually I don’t know if I do. I mean we are talking about it’s not the same as the boos. The chatter on the internet, the reactions I am getting were not indicative of the X-Pac heat. The go away heat is when you’re busting your ass and they are not making a noise. It was just 2 different things going on at the same time. I’m almost 50 years old, I can’t let sh*t like that [bother me].”

On what he is grateful for:

“My dog, my support system, my relationship with my kids and my health.”

Featured image: Wrestling News.CO

Sean can be found on Twitter here

Sean’s podcast Pro Wrestling 4 Life can be found here.

Mickie James is a professional wrestler and country singer. She talks to Chris Van Vliet from her home in Nashville, TN about her recent WWE release, her new role with the NWA and working as the Executive Producer for the all women’s Pay Per View event called “Empowerrr”, what her husband Nick Aldis thought about her being released, her country music career, her new single called “Grown Ass Woman”, her podcast with SoCal Val and Lisa Marie Varon called “GAWTV” and much more!

On being an executive producer in NWA:

“It’s a really cool space. Obviously it means I am in charge and a co-promoter or whatever you want to call it with Billy [Corgan]. The fact that Billy believes in me enough to give me the NWA umbrella to kind of build this thing, which was something I kind of wanted to do for a long time. I think we have the potential to do some really cool stuff there and I’m just grateful to be able to shine a light on women’s wrestling. I we do a lot of that but we have so many shows out there that it’s really cool. I know I am not a pioneer there has been a ton of women’s wrestling shows. But for television women’s wrestling it’s a different space. I’m very excited.”

On the role being called executive producer in wrestling:

“It was ironic that Billy chose that title. I said to him you that a lot of people aren’t going to understand what executive producer means. They just hear producer and they go ‘Oh yeah, she’s going to help put the show together.’ But no, the responsibility is completely on my shoulders. I am so grateful that Billy trusts me to put that responsibility on my shoulders to create this brand. This is my little baby thing. I’d like to put a space together of women who have been there, done that, got the t-shirt and knows what it takes to make money in this business. I only had a handful of people to help me with that. Once I had that core group of women, I grew so much so quickly. It’s nice to be able to help to provide that platform for girls.”

On whether Mickie plans to be on the show:

“I’m not a mark, I’m not going to sit there and book myself on top of my own show. Who does that? Everybody does that don’t they? That’s how wrestling works. I don’t have any intention of working on the show. I’ll probably come out and say hello, but I really want to focus on the show. I want this show to be a success, and I’m going to be in Gorilla on the headset running and talking. I can’t perform that job to the best of my abilities and be out there wrestling at the same time. I just feel like it blurs the lines. I’m not saying I won’t wrestle. And I am an independent contractor, I can show up anywhere and do all kinds of things. I can still wrestle and I’m pretty good at it.”

On the biggest changes in women’s wrestling since she started:

“I feel like it has all gone through ebbs and flows. I watched women in the industry and it’s always done this kind of we take it seriously then it’s right back down to bra and panties. Then it’s back about the wrestling and we go back down and it’s Divas. Then we take it back up and now it’s about the wrestling again. There is a ripple but it’s not like the roller coaster it was. I think that everyone at every company has stepped up in developing their women’s division. But honestly they have no choice, because the women are so good now. Before, you might have had only a handful of good female talent. Now, there’s an ocean of female talent out there that can go, that’s the real difference maker. I think that’s a testament to all that groundwork and all that pavement treaded by every single female before us. It has taken us a long time to get to that space where people go ‘No, Women’s wrestling kicks ass.’

On being trained different to the men:

“No because I only trained with men. There wasn’t any females in my training class. It wasn’t until I was about a year and a half in the business except for the girlfriend [of the male talent], but she was a manager. She didn’t really go through the training, she was just coming out with her boyfriend on the shows. There wasn’t a whole lot of women training to be a wrestler. If anything it was training to be a valet or something like that. So I was only training with men. I had to learn to work and train like the guys, because that’s who were teaching me. It took me a minute to go I need to throw in my female-isms. That was what made me different. There is a real art to be able to go like the boys, but remembering you are a female and throwing those aspects in. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a fight but men and women fight different. Men don’t go clawing at the eyes or snatching weaves. Women are nasty when they fight, they get vicious. That’s the unpredictability about us.”

On the biggest shift in women’s wrestling:

“The Women’s Wrestling Matters movement. I think that was the big shift and the awakening moment of that awareness moment. I feel like there had been some ground-breaking stuff before that. Whether it was Lita and Trish main eventing RAW or Trish and I at WrestleMania. That was a cool story. I felt like there was always a swelling. But it was like we give them a little bit, then we take it away. But with the movement I felt like they were trying to take it away and people were like ‘No! This is not cool. This is a new age on how we see women.’ I felt like that was a step up for every company on how they presented women and they started taking them seriously.”

On being surprised at being released:

“I think that surprised is a word that is thrown around. I don’t think I am ever surprised at anything. It’s hard to have expectations, because nothing ever goes according to your plan. But I thought I would wrap my career there [WWE]. I was so grateful to be able to go back and wrap up my story and bow out in a good graces kind of way. I felt like the first time I left was on such weird terms. And I did some amazing stuff when I came back. But it wasn’t shocking, because I was kind of in this space where I felt it kind of coming. I can’t explain why but I just did, and it felt disheartening. It was disappointing more than anything.”

On comparing this release to the first time:

“I have been through a lot more since that time. Also I think that the Mickie James from 2010 was in a very weird space. It’s crazy to think that after the amount of success I had there, but I also had a lot of personal stuff going on and it really started to affect me. I was burning the candle at both ends and all of my eggs were in the wrestling basket. I only valued myself according to how the company valued me. I was young, hungry and I loved it, I would do anything for it. There was that crazy, wrestling obsessed mindset where I was just happy to be there. So when that was taken from me, I was devastated. When IMPACT called me, I said to Dixie Carter I have no desire to do anything right now. But she kept calling me and Kurt Angle called me. Kurt was the one who convinced me. No disrespect to Dixie, I love her she is awesome. But I knew Kurt from WWE, it was an honest reality check for me. To get his perspective was really cool. It opened up my eyes. This time I was more disappointed. Now we know how the business works and wrestling is not my absolute everything.”

Did Mickie’s belongings arrive in a trash bag back in 2010:

“It did. This is the crazy thing, I posted that picture to kind of go yeah this still a thing. We have put up with so much crap in wrestling that we had become desensitized. We live in our own world and I forgot that the trash bag was offensive. There was more to that too. I rewound back to the 2010 Mickie James, where I was mentally then when it happened the first time. It was like a stab in the heart to an open wound. I took it then as they think I am trash. I was with the company for 4 years, and they think I am trash. All these thoughts were running though my head. If you are already broken, they can be devastating. I am thinking about all of that and all the people who also got released beside me. I see my name on the bag and it defines which bag is in which box. I’m thinking about the girls and they wouldn’t say anything, because you don’t want to mess up an opportunity for the future. But this Mickie James don’t give a sh*t. I am super grateful for my career and my ability, I couldn’t do it without WWE.”

On possibly not posting the picture:

“I did think about not doing it. I was getting ready for the photoshoot for my new song. The box then arrived, I got 2 boxes. One arrived after the photoshoot. But I am getting ready and the box arrives, I open it and really? I’m not trying to come off as being bitter. I don’t want to be the trash bag lady. But I am grateful that no one else will get that. This recent set of releases are getting theirs in Gucci [laughs].”

On other frustrations:

“Yeah I don’t think me getting my stuff in a trash bag was the point. I would say it was on par with everything I have tried in the last 2 years of my career. I tried everything in my space to pitch, I felt like I was cut off at every turn. There was a lot of thing that happened in the last 2 years that really made me feel that I was being humbled along the way. No you don’t deserve a retirement match. I wasn’t upset at being a producer, I love to help younger talent. I don’t want to wrestle forever either. This run was going to be my last run. All I wanted was this one moment, I didn’t want to win the championship. I just wanted to bow out gracefully, but I felt like there was zero interest. But then trying different thing like commentary or trainer in NXT. It’s not that people don’t like women’s wrestling, it’s that it is too much for the company. There was an opportunity to capitalize on the movement, but instead it was ehh.”

On being considered too old, despite men the same age being in the top spots:

“It isn’t fair, but I think it has always been a culture when I first came on. It was when you are 35, women are done. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I have been relevant on TV for the last 15 years. I am all about building towards the future, but you can’t sh*t on your former champions and the history that was made. Maybe it’s because I am a wrestler and I look at it like a fan. I am up on what is relevant in 2021. J’LO is one of the sexiest women and she is 50. We don’t look at age like that anymore, but wrestling has been late to the party. I couldn’t wrap my head around and find it funny that I’m given a walker. It’s bullsh*t and it’s not funny. I was offended and I said I was. But I am a professional and as a pro you go fine and lets see what the people say. 9 times out of 10 I was right, but it’s already happened. I had to do it just to prove a point. I feel like you should trust me to know I am not an idiot. I am looking at it through the lens of our audience.”

On thinking about life after wrestling:

“I thought about that before I went back the first time. That’s when I was all in on music. I had walked away from IMPACT and didn’t want to go back. I wasn’t against it but there was some weirdness there. I was sitting there with Nick [Aldis. Mickie’s husband] and I didn’t want to end my career on the indies. I didn’t want it to be my retirement, but maybe just do the appearances. But I didn’t want to slowly fizzle away like Randy the Ram from The Wrestler. But maybe it was time. WWE were not interested and the only other option was Ring of Honor. That felt like a step backwards. I am not a person that goes backwards or sideways, it’s always up. So I am like it’s next chapter time. But that was when I got the call to go back, which is ironic.”

On living in Nashville and wanting to make music:

“Because I have been living at home for a while through this pandemic, music kept me sane. I just need to keep writing. But there is so much music, not just country either. We are also getting a lot of people moving from Los Angeles. There are people from all walks of life here. There’s country music, rock music, rap music. People still say madam and sir too. But I have been doing this for 10 years now, I’m no longer the wrestling girl who is trying to do music.”

On what she is grateful for:

“My health, my family and my spirit.”

Mickie James can be found on Twitter here and Instagram here

Featured image: Bleacher Report

John Cena joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his new movie F9 (Fast and Furious 9), making his WWE return, how the “you can’t see me joke” never gets old, what he has done to hone his craft as an actor, the biggest lesson he learned from Vince McMahon, his opinion of Roman Reigns’ new character and more!

Chris Van Vliet: It is always good to see you. But no matter what we talk about, the number one comment guaranteed will be ‘why is he talking to a blank background right now?’ Does that joke ever get old?

John Cena: “No not at all. I somehow through almost 2 decades of involvement with WWE have genuinely developed a superpower. I’m invisible bro, that’s pretty decent.”

Chris: So you’re a bad guy in Fast and Furious 9. Is this as close to a heel turn that we didn’t get in WWE?

John: “Man what a question. I knew you were going to have good stuff. I think this is a beginning to showcase the fact that it’s possible. Now as WWE invests and builds its roster and has a wealth of talent, it truly has many different anchors to the ship. Certainly Roman Reigns being a very marketable and definitive star. I think the reason for me not exploring that side is because WWE didn’t feel confident that they had an alternative. I respect that business choice I really do. But now with them really laying the foundation for their future, I mean even for life in the next decade or so, maybe but I don’t know. But what I do like about Fast is that it shows I am a human being like everyone else. I experience anger, sadness, bitterness, resentment. All those emotions like we all do. I’m given a form to display it, just like with Trainwreck. I’m always known for my childish comedy in WWE because it’s a PG show! Then if I’m put on an R rated comedy, everyone is like ‘Woah! He actually cusses!’ Yeah of course, it’s an R rated comedy. So it’s kind of being given a new set of tools and work with those tools.”

Chris: The ‘Fast’ franchise is all about family. You and Vin Diesel’s characters are very close, you’re brothers. So before you started filming, what did you guys do to build that rapport together?

John: “That’s a great question. Before I was even offered the part I had to go through a series of interviews. Vin wanted to meet me in person, and I met him at his training center little under 2 hours and we just spoke. Now we have 8 minutes to do an interview and in this interview we will learn more about each other. Now compound that over a serious amount of time with no constraints in an environment that is comfortable for Vin. He felt really good asking me bold questions and opening the forum for me to do the same. After that conversation he shot a small social media video. If you go back and see the video I didn’t say much, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Had I knew I was joining the Fast family I would have said some sort of bit about Fast. But it was kind of him assessing me as a human being and putting it out to the universe like ‘Hey what do you guys think about this?’ I really thank everyone, WWE supporters, Fast supporters because they were overwhelmingly positive. I also thank Vin for that conversation. I really enjoy that type of earning your merits. It’s very very similar to the WWE. They assess your performance but they also do their due diligence on who this human being is.”

Chris: You fit right into this role. I’m curious with your background in WWE you obviously know how to fall. So when you are in these fight sequences, when does John Cena get removed and the stunt double come in? How is that decision made?

John: “That’s made by people above me and I never question it. Because Fast is a production that uses a whole lot of resources. If we ever have to stop that production, we waste a whole lot of resources. The thing I was most amazed about Fast is the little that they waste on resources. It’s very vast and the scope is huge, but everything has meaning. They invest, but they invest properly and correctly. It’s very much like WWE, it’s a huge investment but you can see the return when you set up massive pyrotechnics or you turn a stadium into a beautiful LED display or digital display. That money is justified because as a consumer I’m entertained by it. So when they tell me ‘This might stop production, we are going to switch you out.’ I’m not like ‘No don’t’. I’m 44 man, I certainly have never been tough in my life, I don’t have to prove I’m tough. I’m not searching for validation on my masculinity or who I am as a human being. I really take the advice of those who know more than me. If they go ‘Yo, you shouldn’t do this.’ I’m like, ‘OK great’.”

Chris: You are always dressed so well every time I see you and I appreciate that. When was the last time you wore jean shorts?

John: “The last time was not this WrestleMania but last WrestleMania. I can tell you this, I very much look forward to wearing jorts again, it’s been too long.”

Chris: I mean it’s not a matter of if you are coming back to WWE it’s a matter of when you are coming back to WWE?

John: “You are absolutely correct. Yep.”

Chris: And you know now that live crowds are going to be back in WWE and full arenas, how excited are you for your music to hit and for you to be out there in front of the WWE Universe?

John: “So I’m going to modify the question, because I think the question is selfish. I’m excited for the WWE performers. I know hard it’s been. I don’t think I would have done very well in this atmosphere without an audience. But I also think that this time without an audience has allowed performers like Roman Reigns for example, to unobstructively mould his character. If you send Roman Reigns from city to city with paying audience after paying audience, there may be some audiences that don’t even care what he has to say. They just want to boo him or cheer him or whatever. Without that, especially developing your character and trying to get the message across, like trying to hand someone your business card. I think Roman has absolutely needed this time and in it he has developed his personality and found out who he is. Now when he goes back to live audiences, they aren’t confused. He’s spent this 15 month block defining who he is and he’s the one who can benefit from this. Whereas established performers, I think I really would have had a tough time with no audiences. I as a performer, am happy for the WWE to have crowds again. I really look forward to get back in front of those crowds. But I am happy for everybody that their music can hit and they can feel that genuine excitement that makes all of our hearts beat.”

Chris: It’s been amazing watching your career grow and blossom. I think that someone who has done what you have done and carved out a niche for themselves is Vince McMahon. What’s the biggest lesson you have learned from working with Vince?

John: “That’s another hour and a half special, maybe more. I continue to learn from him every single day. There is not an instance that goes by where I don’t reflect on my experience in the WWE and what he has taught me. Often times learning from osmosis, he doesn’t hit you over the head with the lessons, but you can learn from his decision making. It says a lot about the person and what you can take. That well is endless and not dried up yet. I continue to learn from him. I think the most valuable of all the lessons is to show up and deliver. That isn’t something he says, it’s something he does all the F’n time. He’s always there and he’s always invested. People can question his creative motives and whatever, it’s creativity, there’s always going to be an opinion. He’s always got his boots on the ground, he’s always invested and he always believes in his passion about the product. I think just showing up and delivering, that’s a huge takeaway.”

Chris: You are constantly looking to improve yourself and get better and I love that. Since your first film The Marine, which was 15 years ago, what have you done to work on your craft to become the actor you are now?

John: “I mean if you look at it in that perspective, I started out doing movies as a business decision. It was originally supposed to be Steve Austin but he passed. Vince was like ‘Hey I need you to go to Australia.’ This is 2 weeks before shooting. He explained if we can bolster WWE studios, we will bolster WWE live event attendance. We can host larger venues and be more widespread. I’m like this guy is onto something, lets go do this so I can get back to the ring. That’s the wrong approach to take, but I continued to take that approach to the movies that I did, and in turn I made a lot of bad movies. So now transfer that into WWE speak. This match would be good for the energy drink I’m trying to sell. If more people like the match more people will drink the energy drink. No, you have a match match because you f*cking loved to have those matches and you want to be there and be in the middle of it, look around at the majesty.

So it wasn’t until honestly the Fred movies where I could parody myself and that was kind of the start of all that. And after that Trainwreck, where I could have fun with the process and expect nothing out of it. Fred was a cameo, Trainwreck was a cameo and I did a bunch of other small cameos where I stop looking at is as a vehicle and start to look at this as creative fun. The thing is I was looking at WWE like that all of the time. WWE is not a vehicle for me to go anywhere else, it was where I want to be. I then fell in love with falling into another character, taking the jorts off once in a while and showing my ass on television. It’s fun, it’s imaginative and it also keeps the passion for WWE. If they change my character heel or babyface or whatnot, it doesn’t matter because I have these other outlets I can express those emotions that I want to do. I had to change my perception and that came after tremendous failure. I thought after all those bad movies I was done. 15 years later I got a second chance at the movie business and we are talking about Fast 9. But that comes from absolute fall on your face failure.”

Bret Ernst is a stand-up comedian and actor best known for his role in the Netflix series “Cobra Kai”. He talks with Chris Van Vliet from his home in Las Vegas, NV where he talks about his inspiration for becoming a comedian, what motivates him, his process for writing a joke, how he became the commentator for Wrestling Society X on MTV and much more!

On how he looks so youthful:

“I don’t know really. I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. Mostly I just try not to stress. Or it could be down to my Sicilian parents [laughs]. I drink every now and again, but sh*t happens.”

On doing comedy shows online:

“I only did one show online and that was a memorial show for a buddy that passed away. It was for the comedian Eric Myers. I kept going, I didn’t stop. For the first few months there was no action during COVID. But I was in Florida. Things started opening up and people were saying ‘Screw this!’ As things were progressing I was slowly able to travel to other states that were open. I just kept moving with it. Obviously we were taking pay cuts, but I had known a lot of the club owners. If I could help them, we can try and keep everything afloat.”

On how he creates material:

“There are two types of comics. You have ones that write, and ones that write on stage. I write on stage. I come up with an idea, write it down and it will remind me of what I want to talk about, then I will go and talk about it. I’ve been doing this for 24 years, you have your own style of creating. I am a lazy writer, but once I start honing it in I will touch it up. “

On growing up and early aspirations:

“I wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys. But I never really thought about it that much. I have always liked clowning around, I went to rough schools. I was good at sports, so I got respect that way. Also I was a scrappy kid. I wasn’t toughest but I could hold my own. Also I would try to make people laugh, and I got in a lot of trouble because of it. That’s why my special on YouTube is called Principal’s Office. I went to 15 schools. My mom was constantly coming into the office. It was more the attention that drove me. Once I saw Eddie Murphy’s Delirious, I was like this is what I want to do.”

On how he got into stand-up comedy:

“I played Football at university, I was always cutting it up in the locker room. I presented my thoughts as if I was performing. It hasn’t changed from that to the style I use now. Once I was done, I went to Miami and asked around. There were comedy clubs that were doing open mics. But I got home and there was a letter from a guy in New York. He said there was a show and I should do it. That was what pushed me to go that way.”

On where he thought it would lead to:

“I don’t know to what degree it would take me, but I’ve done it for 24 years. Everything I own is because of it and friends I have made became comedy legends. There were times where I thought I may have to change career paths. But something kept pulling me back in. When I lost my agent, I was like I am done. Next thing I know I get a call and I just keep coming back.”

On how he powers through on his worst days:

“Just remembering that I am doing what I love. On my worst day, I lived out of my car. I would shower at the gym, I would crash on couches. I have been on my own most of my life and I was OK with it. But when I got married, my wife wasn’t OK with it, and that was where the stresses came in. When the person you love the most suggests that it might be time to reconsider, that was difficult for me. I had to stick with it. I said to her ‘Don’t let me second guess myself.’ We hit a rough spot, but I had been there 30 times, it was her first. But the light shines though and you got to stay the course.”

On what makes a comic successful:

“Getting people to buy tickets. It is a business for us. The gift would be being on a sitcom, because you are famous and can then do stand-up. Jay Leno never stops and Seinfeld still gets up. It’s just who you are. Getting on a show will boost you up. Cobra Kai is boosting me up too. But now fans are like it’s the guy from Cobra Kai, not oh he’s the guy from stand-up. But now we get whole families coming up to me. I was at a comedy show and this family saw me. They were like ‘what are you doing here.’ I respond ‘I’m performing here.’

On what Cobra Kai did for him:

“It just reminded people that I am still around. I have people I’ve known for 20 years reaching back to me going ‘Dude, great job.’ I left Los Angeles in 2017 and moved to Ohio. Then I got a divorce, moved to Florida and lost everything. I got divorced in COVID. We were together for 11 years, but then separated and living in the same house. But I was on the road a lot, it’s a lifestyle as an entertainer. I like the hustle though, I always have something going on.”

On tips for aspiring comedians:

“One of my favourite quotes is ‘It’s none of my business what you think about me.’ You have every right not to like me and I don’t care. I have that naturally. I would say the successful people soar with the eagles not peck with the crows. A lot of people do 3 to 5 minutes in a coffee shop or club every so often. But they are more into the scene than the actual artform. It’s like there are 8,000 people in Hollywood who claim to be actors. The successful people just worry about themselves and know they are not competing with anybody.”

On what he is grateful for:

“Health, God and family.”

Brett Ernst can be found on Twitter here and Instagram here

Featured image: Journey of a Frontman

Colt Cabana is a professional wrestler, podcaster and entrepreneur. He joins Chris Van Vliet from his home in Chicago, IL to talk about his new podcast called “Wrestling Anonymous”, what he learned from working in WWE under the name Scotty Goldman, why it took him so long to join his friends in AEW, how he was the brains behind starting Pro Wrestling Tees, working as a commentator in Ring of Honor, why he loves comedy wrestling and more!

On why he is getting back into podcasting:

“Well the pandemic and quarantine has forced us to sit at home. And also it has made me realize that I don’t have to wrestle 200 days a year on the road. There are other ways that I can express my creativity. I love the idea of editing, producing and directing. I am collecting these phone calls from fans and editing them together, and figuring out the best order to put them in. Essentially I am a curator for this show. It’s really inspired me. In the past it was I had to do this show because I wanted this person for my podcast. This is because I did all of my interviews in person. I would say an opportunity like Justin Credible is going to be in this area. I should do this show because I could make money but also have Justin Credible on my show. This new show is just people sending a message, the hustle to get to these shows isn’t as imminent. I’m also taking quarantine very serious and realizing through Twitch and Patreon I can make a decent living. I also signed with AEW and Tony Khan has made sure we keep things safe.”

On the new podcast format:

“There’s a lot of inspiration through this. There is a lot through nostalgia too. I love the idea that I am doing this show now but in 30 years people will look back and hear these stories of the current times and past times. There’s a lot of old time radio that I am inspired by. It’s essentially a hotline call format. For years people wanted to be on my show and it broke my heart. It wasn’t a fan show, it was for the wrestlers. The Art of Wrestling is where we told our locker room stories. Now this is the platform for everyone’s stories.”

On his own fan story:

“I have done a little bit of stand up before. I started developing this story. When I was 16 years old I was in an AOL chatroom. This guy hit me up because it said on my profile that I like wrestling. His profile said he was 40 and like Greco-Roman wrestling and bodybuilding. He was like ‘Hey I’m out of practice, would you like to come over and wrestle with me?’ I was like ‘That’s super weird I should meet you first.’ I was 16 and just wanted to wrestle. I was about to meet him and my mom stopped me. When she asked what I was doing I said ‘I’m going to meet this guy at a pizza place so I can then wrestle in his basement.’ My mom might have stopped me from getting abducted. But this was how much I loved wrestling.”

On when he felt like it was all clicking together:

“I think it was when Ring of Honor was constantly booking me and with 3 figure sums, I don’t like to brag [laughs]. I figured out if I get 6 bookings at $100 I could do that. Ring of Honor really gave me the confidence that I knew I was getting decent money at the time. They could also boost my profile and made me make more money in different places. For me it didn’t get so giant quickly that I’m not asking for too much on independent bookings. I’ve never had to take too many steps back. That’s been a great career trajectory for myself.”

On taking a pay cut in WWE:

“Yeah I took a 50% pay cut. That’s just what it was. My friend who was in the same boat as me a year and a half before told me it was the sacrifice you have to make. This is because the potential is there and it isn’t on the indies. Years later when I started my own thing, I was making more money than some mid-carders in WWE. At that point in 2006, there was a ceiling in independent wrestling to most people. I said if I’m going to become a millionaire, WWE is the only way I can do it. So lets give it a shot.”

On why his WWE run didn’t work out:

“It wasn’t that it wasn’t working. I didn’t look like Dolph Ziggler or Jake Hager. These were guys that were with me in OVW. I always knew I had to sneak in as a bit player. I saw the Santino role, they were like we are going to Italy can you speak Italian. Santino is like yeah and there we go, he’s Canadian! So I was like I will be in the system and get over in Louisville. When I started in OVW people knew who I was, so I got over. Me and [Shawn] Spears were the 2 time tag champs, I was the TV champion too. But that doesn’t mean anything in the big system. So what was I hoping for. Maybe they tour Israel and they need a Jewish wrestler. Maybe they needed a funny sidekick. I pitched the idea of being a general manager for Heat, which had been taken off TV. They said I need to think bigger.”

On his comedy style and why it works:

“This is something I think a lot about. They say being yourself is the natural move in wrestling. I was doing good on the independents as a regular wrestler. But I was thinking about the longevity of my career as a regular wrestler. I was never as athletic as AJ Styles or Christopher Daniels, so I didn’t try to be. Nigel McGuinness said he never wanted to be a main event player, but he looked at the independent system and you had to beat the crap out of yourself. He had a great series of matches with Daniel Bryan, but he only had a 2 year career. I said to myself I could drop myself on my head every match and destroy my body, or I could wrestle safely and develop this new style. I love the idea of going from town to town and hitting up all of the shows. That idea has given me such longevity. I love Nigel but his career got cut short and mine still has many years left. I put that down to the comedy style.”

On what’s next:

“I think I can wrestle in my 60’s! I’m no Billy Gunn, he looks better than 80% of our roster, but he is 57. It gives me hope that guys like Billy, PCO, Christopher Daniels. I thought in my late 30’s I may have to hang it up. But I am happy to play my softball league a couple of times a month and have fun. That’s how I view it. To be honest I think people get the idea I have been setting myself up for post wrestling my whole career. I just don’t worry about my future in that way. I think I will be fine. When I got fired from WWE, I’ve always wanted to have a lot of options. That is something I have always had.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My family, the positive wrestling fanbase and open minded people.”

Featured image: Instagram

Colt Cabana can be found on Instagram here and Twitter here.

So I became a wrestling fan, like a lot of people during the Attitude Era. I started watching religiously in 1998 when I was 15. It was the Austin and McMahon feud that really drew me in and once I was in, I became a massive fan of The Rock. I mean, how could you not? In fact, I tell this story all the time but I used to walk down the halls at my high school asking people questions just so I could shout “It doesn’t matter what you think!!!!”

In college, I even dressed up as The Rock for Halloween one year.
So when I started worked in TV and a few years began to interview celebrities, The Rock was at the very top of my list of people who I wanted to interview. He was THE bucket list interview for me. And 7 years into my career… I had my first interview with The Rock. March of 2012. It’s on my YouTube channel if you want to check it out.

So I joke all the time, that I’ve interviewed The Rock 9 times. Not that I’m counting or anything. And I truly don’t say that to try to impress you… I say that to impress upon you that there are quite a few things that I’ve learned from Dwayne Johnson. Now these aren’t things that he’s specifically TAUGHT me, these are things I’ve picked up from talking to him and from watching the way he interacts with everybody around him.
These are the lessons that LIVES in his daily life. And if you follow him on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve noticed some of these too.
So here we go… here are the 5 things I’ve learned from interviewing The Rock!

Number 1: Kindness

The Rock often recites the famous quote from renowned investor and philanthropist John Templeton that says “It’s nice to be important. But it’s important to be nice.”

And I feel like that is at the heart of who The Rock is.

Number 2 – Being Present

Even though he is one of the busiest guys in Hollywood, if not THE busiest guy, he is incredibly present when you speak to him. He looks you right in the eyes and genuinely listens to what you’re saying. He could be thinking about the next movie that’s starring in and also producing…. or one of the companies he’s running like Teremana or Zoa. Or about his wife or three kids. But no. He is firmly planted in that moment and in that conversation with you.

Number 3 – Owning the room

Being as big as The Rock is, he obviously has a massive presence wherever he goes. And yes, he is just as big in person as he looks in movies or in photos. But he takes it one step further and owns whatever space he walks into. He doesn’t own it in a “HEY LOOK AT ME, I’M THE ROCK AND I’M HERE!” kind of way. Which is something that some celebrities do. He owns it with a beaming smile, a warmness in the way that he interacts with everyone. And it’s just very clear that he is in the position he’s in because of the way that he treats everyone he comes into contact with.

Number 4 – Don’t take yourself or life too seriously.

It’s ok to laugh… especially at yourself sometimes. The Rock has one of those big, booming, contagious laughs. But he’s also comfortable enough in his own skin that he’s not afraid to be the butt of the joke.

We’re not here for very long, we might as well enjoy our time.

And finally number 5 — which I think is the most important one. Self Awareness.

If we all had a little more self awareness, the world would be a better place as a whole. The Rock is a massive star. You could argue that he’s THE BIGGEST star in the world right now. And they always say that you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but if your hero happens to be Dwayne Johnson you should absolutely, 100% try to meet him.

Because when you meet him, he is self aware enough to know that this is a big moment for you. He turns the moment around and makes YOU feel like star –and totally make it a memorable moment. He’ll do things like play along with your jokes or he’ll even crack a joke at your expense. It’s the same trait you see in wildly successful people like Oprah or Will Smith.

So there you go. That’s the 5 things I’ve learned from interviewing The Rock. Take a few of these and apply them to your own life.

The Rock can be found on Instagram here.

More podcast recaps can be found here.

Steve Adcock is an entrepreneur and a writer who retired from his IT job at the age of 35 with his wife Courtney. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about how he was able to retire early (without doing something like winning the lottery), why you don’t have to work at a job that you hate, how you can be more financially responsible in your everyday life, what financial freedom looks like and much more!

On a common misconception:

“Most people assume that I won the lottery, got an inheritance or sold a business. None of those things actually happened, I did it the old fashioned way. But I don’t think the government should define when you retire. That should be your choice based on your decisions and the goals you have maintained throughout your life. That is the bottom line for me.”

On what life is like for him right now:

“I get to wake up whenever I want without an alarm clock, and do whatever I want for the rest of the day. I can go to bed whenever I want. Then I can get up whenever I want the next day and do it all again. To be honest I can’t think of a better way to go through life.”

On his career background:

“I worked 14 years in information technology. So there’s a good and a bad there. Obviously if you work in technology, you make a good salary, that part is great. But for me it also drains the life out of you. This is because you are always on call, work never stops. In my case, I could not see myself doing that for the rest of my life. The job was draining and I never got any satisfaction out of it. So for a while, the first half of my working career, I would reinvest that money into my happiness. My garage had a new Corvette, a new Cadillac and a new sports bike. I was living like a Rockstar. I will remember this day for the rest of my life. One day I walked out to my garage and looked at all of my toys, and there was something missing. I’m not happy and yet I have all of these things. What is going wrong?”

On a possible alternative career:

“I was seriously considering becoming a truck driver. I don’t know what it is about it. But I was considering packing up and hitting the road full time in a cab. Ultimately I am glad I didn’t go that route, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it. I thought I can’t retire but I don’t want to take my work home with me, why not be a truck driver? Never happened and I am glad it didn’t.”

On when the process started:

“I think it was around 30. In my late 20’s I was like there’s no way I can retire. But I never put the pieces into place until 30 or 31. Then the ball got rolling when I met my future wife. We combined out resources and the snowball started to build.”

On the first steps:

“The very first step has nothing to do with money. We talked about our future and what we wanted it to look like. We did this every day while walking the dogs. It was always at the forefront of our minds. Strangely it never involved either of us working a full time job. It involved travel, adventure and having fun. Talking about that future goal kept that idea planted in our heads. The more you talk about it, that is going to help you to go in the right direction.”

On how the little things add up:

“There’s the latte effect, I’m sure people have heard about that. Those little, tiny expenses that over time add up into something that is significant. I never encourage people to live their life by sacrifice. If you like that $5 Starbucks just do it. That doesn’t mean your going to spend $15 on lunch and $20 on dinner. You just have to be honest with yourself. Spend money on things that make you happy, and be honest with things that don’t make you happy. If you cut back on those things that don’t make you happy, it does help.”

On how he made his money:

“We tracked every dollar that we spent. It got to a point where my wife could tell you how much we spent on sweet potatoes over a year. We were really anal about it. Cable TV was easy to cut out. We never took expensive vacations either. We did do things, but we budgeted $50 a month for restaurants. A lot of the recurring expenses that are funded in the background, we looked at our statements. We cut out what we were not using or wasn’t making us happy. All of that added up to several thousand dollars a year. We would invest that money, and through compound interest, all of that adds up.”

On some people not being able to save a lot:

“That is a common concern and I get it. We can’t all save 70%. But if you don’t like what you are doing and don’t have the money there are 2 things you can do. You an either increase your income or decrease your expenses. It’s more fun to increase your income of course. Or you could take a look at your expenses and see what is not making you happy. What can you cut out? It’s not a fun process, but going through that statement can add up to something you can be proud of.”

On when he realized the job wasn’t for him:

“About a week after I started! I graduated from college and took a look at everything around me. It was nothing like what I had expected. I had no concept of early retirement when I started. But my late 20’s and early 30’s was where it really started to come to a head. I didn’t know what the solution was but I knew I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life.”

On how he quit his job to retire:

“Luckily I worked for a very cool boss. I gave him 6 months notice that I was going to be quitting at the end of the year. Giving him notice alone was so freeing. I knew I had the next 6 months to finish out my career without a lot of stress and pressure. It was like nothing I have experienced before. Hopefully I never have to work again for the rest of my life. I also had enough confidence to know that it was going to work out.”

On where he lives right now:

“We are out in the middle of the Arizona desert. We are not filthy rich, we have enough to sustain our house. Also We have solar on site and we collect our own rainwater. We are self sufficient, so we have no utilities. That has been wonderful for us and helps us keep our expenses on the ground. I spend my day going on Twitter and doing podcasts. I get to experience the creative side too.”

On what’s next:

“We had considered international travel, but that has stopped because of COVID. I think the next goal is to have 2 separate residences. One in the desert for the fall, and a house on the lake for the summer. That’s going to be an expensive thing, but it’s a good change of pace to move around with the seasons.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My upbringing, the love of my life and the opportunities I have had throughout my life.”

Steve can be found on Twitter here.

Featured image: Marriage Kids & Money

“Suga” Sean O’Malley is a mixed martial arts fighter in the UFC’s Bantamweight division. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet to talk about his fight on July 10th against Louis Smolka, how he got started as a fighter, the decision to have multicolored hair, how being a father has changed him, his podcast “Timbo Suga Show”, his thoughts on a dream match with Conor McGregor, what is non-negotiable in his life and much more!

On what he was like in middle school:

“I remember late middle school being the entertainer and the class clown. I remember getting in trouble with my parents. I’m like well no one wants to be there and if I can make everyone laugh and make their day enjoyable then why not. I always got in trouble at school, most of the time just for being goofy. But I was trying to make friends.”

On what he first thought he was going to be:

“I thought I was going to be in the NFL. It was 5th grade and you don’t know any better. I played a lot of football and watched the NFL a lot. I was just an average kid in Montana. At the time I didn’t realize that I wasn’t going to be this 6 foot 5, 280lb guy. I thought I was going to be in the NFL until about 8th grade, then I was like this isn’t going to happen. Then I didn’t know what I was going to do, I didn’t find fighting until I was 16. I didn’t stress about it too much. Growing up I hated school so I knew I wasn’t going to college. I was an athlete my whole life.”

On how he got into MMA:

“I did just kind of stumble across it. I was 16 years old and on vacation in Utah. My friend called me and asked if I wanted to check out this fighting gym. We went down when I got back. The first class was a jujitsu class and I wasn’t really into it. But the second class was kickboxing and oh sh*t I loved that. I didn’t do any wrestling or jujitsu, I just did kickboxing from 17 years old. I had 4 fights up until I was 18. With school I went Monday to Friday and had practise afterwards.”

On a dream match with Conor McGregor:

“Yeah Conor is quite a bit bigger, but styles make matchups. I am at 158 and he is at 170. It’s not impossible for me to fight him someday. I have to establish myself as a legend first before I can even talk about getting the big matchups. I’ve been knocking people out since I was 16, I’ve had over 30 fights. Most of those have been knockouts.”

On deciding to dye his hair:

“Well I put about as much thought into that as getting face tattoos. I thought about having crazy hair for my debut, but I didn’t have name, I wasn’t established. I had done a couple of fights and I was on the Xbox with my buddies. One of them said ‘You should do your hair like 6ix 9ine.’ My girl does all my hair, I went to her and I’m like lets do it. We went back to the salon and did the rainbow. It took 9 hours and I got back at 3am. It makes people look. The hair is definitely real. We cut 4 inches off because it wasn’t healthy, but now it is healthy and alive.”

On being a dad and how it has changed him:

“I think whoever is running this world had me have a baby at the right time. I’ve never been into partying or going to crazy clubs. After my last fight, we went out in Vegas. All these opportunities presented themselves, I’m taking advantage to get my name out. It could get very easy to get lost in the partying world. Now I can’t wait to get back to my family. It keeps me grounded and it’s a good thing. It’s fun to go out but now it’s training, gaming and raising a baby.”

On what is non-negotiable:

“Training every day, you have to find things to motivate you. Once you have made a lot of money, you start to think do I need to go to the gym today? But a lot of fighters take off more than they need to. In my personal life, I am not too set in anything. My sleep is money though. Every morning I do a 10 minute meditation. I enjoy the mediation, it makes me feel better throughout the day.”

On creating content:

“Yeah the podcast has been going for a couple of years now. That’s only one hour a week. We record it on Wednesdays at 10:30. I just show up and talk and the guys have stuff to talk about. My little brother just moved down from Montana and is trying to figure things out. So we are going to do stuff for YouTube. But shooting content is fun, I enjoy YouTube, podcasts and TikTok. I also enjoy making money from it. You don’t have to train all day every day. Only 3-4 hours a day, so I can have a lot of free time.”

On his upcoming fight and fighting style:

“Yeah if I go out there and win by decision, it’s boring. I don’t go on to fight someone with a name. If I go out there and knock someone out, I can call my shots. I think we are close to a big one though. Louis Smolka has a ton of experience and I probably won’t just run through him. For the next 10 weeks, getting in 15 minute cardio shape is my goal. People get tired of beating him up and then he finishes people. I’ve got to be ready to beat him up for 15 minutes.”

On what he is grateful for:

“Being surrounded by my family, my friends and having a passion to look forward to.”

Featured image: Montana Sports

Scorpio Sky is a podcaster and professional wrestler signed to AEW. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about Double or Nothing, full capacity crowds returning to All Elite Wrestling, the break up of SCU (SoCal Uncensored), partnering with Ethan Page, his sense of style, the biggest influence in his career, his Mixed Martial Arts career and much more!

On what’s changed the most for him as a person:

“I think I have grown as a performer. I felt like I was a very good performer heading into the beginning stages of AEW. But I’ve learned a lot from Ricky and Chris. Now I’ve been able to work with guys like Dean Malenko and Jerry Lynn and Arn Anderson. And just performing, you’re going to learn so much by just getting out there and performing. I have grown so much and I still have a long way to go.”

On what he applies to every match:

“They talk about it a lot in basketball, when things start to click, the game slows down for them. That’s how it is for me in wrestling. It’s slowed down a lot for me, you can just see things coming. It’s like in the fight game you can see punches coming and you can slip them. Now I’ve become so calm in the ring, there’s no jitters. I don’t really get nervous before I go to the ring. There are times where I will fly into the town and head straight to the building. From the time I am walking onto the ground at Daily’s Place, I might be in the ring 15-20 minutes later. Sometimes there’s no warm up you just jump in. But I am so calm with myself and the people that I am with that I don’t really worry about it at all.”

On how excited he is to have fans back for Double or Nothing:

“Almost as excited as I am to leave it in July. I’m very happy with Daily’s Place, it has been a great home for us. But I’m very excited to get back on the road and fill some arenas like we used to. That’s why I got into the business, to put on the kind of shows we put on before the pandemic. But Double or Nothing is going to be awesome, it’s going to be great to fill that place up. I can’t imagine what that will look like filled up. I’ve gotten so use to pandemic wrestling. I keep looking ringside and seeing Austin Gunn. I’m very excited to not see Austin in the front row.”

On praise for AEW fans:

“A lot of people forget that one of the best things about this company was the fanbase. It was the reason why this company started. The fans have such a passion and a fire. It’s exciting to get back in front of them. I can’t say enough how exciting it’s going to be.”

On his partnership with Ethan Page:

“I don’t know if its because they decided to put the two best dressed guys together [laughs]. But we bounce off of each other well. The funny thing is he has his style and I have mine. They are different but at the same time they go together. We don’t plan it, we just wear what we wear and stand next to each other. It all just falls into place, we have this weird chemistry I didn’t see coming. People didn’t get it when they put us together. But it’s working. Sometimes magic just happens.”

On being a heel:

“It’s so much more fun being the bad guy. People look at me and think ‘Oh he’s such a nice guy, he’s a natural babyface.’ But everyone has different sides to them. I am a legitimately a nice guy, which makes you a bad guy in this day and age. People don’t like the nice guy. It’s very easy for me to go out there, smile and be like I’m a better athlete than most the guys I am in the ring with. The fans will look for reasons to down play my talent, but I’m going to out perform everyone.”

On mainly being complemented for just being a good athlete:

“They tend to describe black performers in sports as great athletes. I don’t take that as an insult, I believe that is a great compliment. But that’s not all we are. I will read tweets and things that people write from time to time. I don’t want to be just known as a great athlete, people already know that. I’m also a great wrestler and great performer, it’s just one of those things. When they write about Adam Page, they will say he’s got a lot of charisma. It’s never just he is a great athlete. That’s a narrative I want to call attention to and start changing. We are more than athletes.”

On the shift to MMA:

“It was always something I just wanted to do. I always loved MMA as a kid and martial arts in general. I always wanted to fight, but I got so wrapped up in wrestling. So I’m like let me do this before I get too old. That’s when I started, I got linked with a great team who I am still close with. I’m really competitive, there’s nothing like going out there and stepping into a cage. Even training for the fight and earning it. I can’t tell you what the rush of winning is like. It’s like a drug without putting anything in your body.”

On possibly continuing a MMA career:

“It’s not a likely chance I will fight again but if the right opportunity comes along I will. I had multiple fights lined up that guys pulled out of. That was one of the things that frustrated me about the sport. You take the fight, train for 6 to 8 weeks and a week before the guy pulls out. They won’t say why he pulled out and there isn’t a replacement. So then it’s like can you go up 2 weight classes and fight someone that is 50lbs bigger than you. That happened to me a lot. I had 2 or 3 fights that fell through. There was that and trying to refocus with wrestling, it is impossible to try and train for a fight while you’re on the road.”

On his goals to be champion:

“If you don’t want to be a champion then what are you doing. I get that winning a championship in NBA is different to winning a championship in professional wrestling. It’s like getting an Emmy, it’s an award. It’s also that the company has their trust in you. Also, people will not see you as a high level performer until you are a champion.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My health, that I am able to live the dream and the people around me.”

Scorpio Sky can be found on Instagram here.

Featured image: Instagram

Xavier Woods (aka Austin Creed) is a professional wrestler, YouTuber, podcaster and TV host. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his entire career including his time in TNA and WWE, forming The New Day, being ringside when Kofi Kingston won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, his popular YouTube channel “UpUpDownDown”, what he learned from his Achilles injury, becoming a father and much more!

On being the host of G4TV:

“G4 is the job that I’m going to transition to once I am done being a bump boy! But also I am learning bass guitar, I have aspirations to be a studio bassist. Hopefully in the next 5 to 7 years. It’s music, so there are components that I already understand with playing trombone. That part is easy, I’ve got the music theory. Translating it to bass has been fun. All of your favourite songs are driven by a bassline. It feels good to play and to spread positive energy.”

On how he got into playing trombone:

“The trombone found me. So I wanted to play drums, but 6th grade me had no idea what the word percussion meant. When they called out percussion and we went into a room, I was like I don’t want to do that. Then they went on to the next instrument. Later I asked when are they doing drums? They told me that they called that 10 minutes ago and that door is closed now. So instead it was try to make some noises on these other instruments. Saxophone is sexy, maybe I can get good at that. They gave me a brass mouth piece and asked what I thought I should do with it. I made the sound instantly and then they asked can you do it with this smaller one? I could and then they tried the smallest one, which is the trumpet, which I couldn’t do. Then they said cool you are a trombone player.”

On how the trombone was first introduced:

“At that point we were trying to see what they would say yes to us doing. They had an idea after we won the titles in New York and they wanted us to sing a song. They wanted us to sing ‘New York, New York.’ We were in the car and I said do you think they will let us have a trombone, because I could figure it out on that. The guys were like lets see. We texted them back and they told us yeah we can get a trombone. We played it during the show and I’m supposed to give it to someone so we can do our match. In my head I’m thinking I’m never going to be in this situation again. I get to take my passion of professional wrestling and my passion of trombone and experience this feeling again. So I’m going to keep the trombone and play it during the match. One of the camera guys is crying as he is trying to record. We go to commercial and the camera guy says ‘You got to keep playing that trombone. Vince is loving this.’ We got to the back and everyone is loving it. Vince told us ‘I never want to see you without a trombone when you go out there.'”

On why the trombone is so significant:

“In my head I think back to the old school wrestling. A guy would bring a water bottle or a mirror to the ring. That inanimate object means the world to him. The more you put into this inanimate object, the more people perceive it as important. If this is the most important thing in your life, people will feel that. I was excited to explore that side. Those auxiliary things have always been what is most interesting to me. I knew I wasn’t going to be 6 foot 5, but what can I do to stay in WWE. That’s why I put so much effort into it.”

On his colorful ring gear:

“That’s why my gear is always so crazy. That’s my canvas to show my personality and express myself. When you see the Xavier Woods figure on the shelf, you go oh my God there is orange, pink, blue, there’s unicorns, there’s pancakes you’re like what the hell is this? Even if you don’t like wrestling as a kid, you see the bright toy and pick it up. To me, it’s important to market yourself to different demographics. Like in our promos it’s like with Shrek. There’s the adult jokes but you can always talk to the kids.”

On the process of getting hired by WWE:

“It’s very weird. The first time I did the whole thing of sending a cover letter and resume. I got made fun of by people and I’m like it’s a job right? I’m supposed to come and talk to you, be respectful and be professional. I don’t understand why I am being made fun of. I did that and brought stuff to them and WWE was the only group to actually send a letter back. I sent my stuff to a load of indies but WWE was the only one to send something back. They told me I wasn’t the right height at the time, but try again in 6 years. I got lucky enough to get a job at TNA 6 months before I went to college. When that run was over I sent my stuff to WWE again. Luckily they remembered me sending in a resume. They appreciated that I went somewhere else to get experience, I had a try-out and went from there.”

On what he learned from his injury:

“I guess it was to not stress things I could not control. I am a big perfectionist and a big control freak. Before I tore my Achilles, I was at a birthday party with my 3 year old at a trampoline park. We were doing flips and it was so much fun. We were planning to do it every Saturday. The next week I tore my Achilles, I immediately thought I can’t go to that trampoline park. Then it’s I can’t dance with my kitchen with my kids, the third thing was not being able to wrestle. That’s how much having kids has affected me. Before it was I want to wrestle everywhere and I want to have my name in lights and help change the industry. That was my focus and my motivation. I realized that my motivations changed when my kids were born. You feel that when you see them, it’s a crazy experience. But to have a life changing injury happen to you, everything rushes forward for you. This is what is most important, it’s cool to see that change happen. By the time I was jogging again and playing with the kids, it hit me that I would be able to wrestle again. Some months later I got to come back to wrestling and everything felt great. Learning that wrestling is not the be all and end all is the biggest takeaway. I filled up my diary with conventions to keep my busy. I had surgery on the Thursday and did a convention on the Saturday.”

On who he thinks is the greatest tag team:

“I’m bad at picking the greatest. My favourite is Billy and Chuck, mainly because of their matches with the Hardys. It was the first time I noticed that The Hardys are not huge but they could still knock the huge guys down. In my teen head I was like this is how wrestling should be. This is where you put your ego aside and have this good match. I’ve always been a fan of tag team wrestling. But I like groups too. I was into 3 count in WCW too. I love so many teams for so many reasons.”

On KofiMania and if he knew Kofi would win:

“I didn’t know it was going to happen. I said don’t tell me. If the outcome changes mid-match I don’t know what I am going to do. I said don’t tell me a thing. I knew what we had to do at the end, but I didn’t know anything after that. I assumed [the result]. But it was all so real, not that it wasn’t real before, but this was the thing that said it’s not just us having fun and having a good time. We’ve created something worth what we believe it is worth. Now everyone sees what it is worth. It’s for everyone who walks into work and they do everything in their power to possibly move ahead. But you just can’t. As your crushing it, you see people with little or no experience, they haven’t been through what you have, they are flying past you with no one saying a word to you. At that point in that moment, it made every decision I’ve made in my life correct. You never know if you are making the right choices. You have an idea but you never know.”

On what he is grateful for:

“That I woke up this morning, because you never know. For all my friends and for this experience I’ve had during quarantine. I’ve created bonds through this whole mess.”

Xavier Wood’s YouTube channel UpUpDownDown can be found here. Xavier Woods can be found on Twitter here and Instagram here.

More podcast quotes can be found here.

Featured image: WWE

Anthony Trucks is a motivational speaker and former NFL player. He talks to Chris Van Vliet about the idea of shifting your identity and the powerful effects it can have on your life. Think about it, we are the projection of who we think that we are. But what if we shifted that? Anthony says it can have a massive effect on your life and that anyone can be anything that they want. He also talks about his time in the NFL, how a shoulder injury ended his football career, how being a father has changed him, and much more!

On what is an identity shift:

“So it’s first about going to the root of it, what is an identity? When we hear that, a lot of people think it’s this separate thing like a soul. I’m like it is not. It is a very tangible and very real thing that people have rocking in the background, but are completely unaware of the power that it holds. Think of it like a computer, we have the hardware of the screen and the microphone. Then we have the software, the programs. The programs are the things that run it all. When the operating system gets bogged down, what happens to the programs? They crash. Doesn’t matter how good the hardware is, if the operating system goes kaput I’m done. It’s always in the background so you never see it. But in our life, that’s our identity. Things like our health, relationships, hobbies etc. When we talk about identity, there are things running our background life and we are not running it. It’s just there and just created. It got woven in and we just started living our life that way. Then when we wonder why don’t I have certain things? It’s not a matter of the lack of information, it’s who are you with it? When I say identity shift, the identity you have right now has everything you have. It’s responsible for all the things you have and the things you don’t have. When I talk about a shift, I’m saying let me shift you into the identity that has all the things you want.”

On being self aware:

“I love the statement ‘It is hard to see the label when you are inside the jar.’ How do you see it? You don’t know, you are just living your life. People are like what are you doing, I’m like what do you mean by that? I’m not 100% self aware, but I am highly self aware. You don’t have to live in self awareness, you just have to take a moment and go ‘I don’t like this life, wife, husband body etc.’ Wake up and instead of going it’s OK so you can sleep better. Wake up and go this doesn’t feel right. We can all say this about anything in life. We make excuses on why we don’t want to change, and it is hard to change. It tests the ego, it makes us think there is something wrong with us, which there never was. If you can give yourself permission to suck, you can give yourself permission to improve.”

On people limiting their identities:

“I don’t know if that’s a limiting factor or a lazy factor. I know I’m not a runner, but if I think about it I could be. When I saw ‘I’m not that [runner]’ it’s because I am too lazy to do that. The problem isn’t whether you are or not, it’s whether you think you are or not. It’s what you choose you want to be. If I got a letter saying if I can’t run a marathon in 60 days someone will kill my kids, bro I’m a f*cking runner! I am a runner now and will run all day long. That is the difference, am I motivated, do I want to?”

On having the footballer identity:

“The problem with the football identity I tell people it’s like a tree. It’s the fruit of our labors, the apple tree. The apple falls off the tree and it sucks, something changes. Lose my job, lose my money etc. The apple can last on the ground for a bit, eventually it will rot. That’s how you will feel inside, and some people will always feel like that. They never realize that you have never been the fruit, but always the tree.”

On his career ending injury and how he reacted to it:

“It sucks. It’s the journey, I think it happens many times, and by accident. The problem is most of the time we are reacting and not responding. When I go into a situation and it all falls apart, we have this reaction to do something. Quite literally that is your identity, it’s who you are without thinking about who you are. The beliefs and thoughts come flying through in moments. Like I’ve said that thing, it’s not PC but it’s who I am. When I respond, that’s a vastly different situation. This happened, I would love to punch that dude, but I’m not that kind of guy. who punches dudes in the parking lot. We react to life, and then we are haphazardly creating an identity. Like I’m broke but I’m not going to be a stripper.”

On his process to realize an identity shift:

“There’s a process I created called the shift method. There’s a lot of in-depth work that we do. The three steps are see, shift, sustain. The Shift portion is the work, that’s the planning process and execution we take to complete the shift. Most people in life will jump to a certain level of work. The will go ‘I’m going to work like so and so.’ And they will start doing those things. They get to 50 years old and go who am I? They were following their boss or some guy on TV, they got to the top of the ladder and it was on the wrong building. The see phase allows you to look for your individual sticking points. When you have that, you can’t dream something that’s going to be great. If I think I’m stupid, I don’t think I can be a teacher. But if I realize I am dyslexic, I can do it but do it different. When you see the blind spots, you can see who you want to be. Third thing is sustain, basically stay the course and sustain it over time, or else it will fall back. If you get to the top, you get lazy and slide back down again.”

On going from husband mode to dad mode:

“I was actually a dad before I was a husband. At the end of the day, being a great dad is the same as being a great example. When I look at what I want my kids to have in terms of spouses, it’s kind of like what me and my wife have. I want my daughters to be around certain people and I want my boys to treat people correctly and respect them. Look at qualities and aspire to be those qualities. They all tie together, my marriage wouldn’t work if I wasn’t a great parent.”

On what he learned from the NFL:

One thing is getting comfortable being uncomfortable. The NFL is a very uncomfortable environment. I’m going to say this, I don’t believe people don’t really grasp what that means. Whenever I hear people say comfortable being uncomfortable, people just think it means just be OK. I took it to a level of understanding in NFL. If I think comfortable, I think winter time with a hot chocolate and my favourite movie. That makes my stomach warm. If you don’t have that level with problems, you will struggle. Everyday the NFL could say you’re going to get cut and you won’t have a job. You made a mistake, you’re home. You’re away from your family and no one cares about you, because you are taking money away from their mouth. It pulls at every emotional string. The only way to stick around is to find a weird way to enjoy it.”

On lessons learned from being a father:

“The biggest lesson is that I know far less than I think I know. I’m not talking about parenting I’m talking about life. Kids can teach you a lot if you listen. They teach you through their experiences of you and it’s like a reflective mirror. How they live their life tells you if you are doing it right. That has taught me a lot as a dad. There is also teaching the position of power. Knowing that your kids will put their foot down and stand up for themselves. If I do something wrong, I will tell them. I’m dad but I’m not perfect.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My wife, the family God has given me and the heart of me.”

More information on Anthony Trucks can be found here.

Featured image: GDA speakers

Chuck Palumbo is a retired professional wrestler, mechanic, and TV Host. He joins Chris Van Vliet from his home in San Diego, CA to talk about his YouTube channel “Chuck of All Trades”, his passion for motorcycles, being trained at the WCW Power Plant, wrestling with the faction “The Natural Born Thrillers”, going to WWE after WCW was bought by Vince McMahon, being part of Billy and Chuck with Billy Gunn, his biker gimmick being compared to The Undertaker and more!

On what he is doing now:

“So right now it’s a restoration of a home built in 1924. It’s basically ripping the thing down to the studs and rebuilding it with modern touches. But we are also preserving the 1924 style. It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun.”

On his original path:

“I originally thought I was going to go into law enforcement. First I went into navy and then college. I got a scholarship for college from the navy, but I had no plan but I was always interested in trying different things. I was also naïve so I took a lot of chances. But sometimes you have to take those chances.”

On what went through his head when he saw a WCW Powerplant advert:

“Opportunity. I knew nothing about wrestling, I didn’t know what was a work and what wasn’t. I knew who Hulk Hogan was, but that’s about it. During final exam week, I’m flipping through the channels and it came onto Nitro. I saw 2 guys being very athletic and physical. At the end of the match, the commercial came up. I wrote the number down and called the number. Next day I get a call and they ask if I’m an athlete. I said I played basketball. They tell me to get $300 together so I can try-out. I saved up some money and flew to Atlanta. I make it through the try-out and take me into the office. They say take your shirt off, I did and they said I look good. Then they ask me ‘What’s your plan?’ I didn’t have one. Next thing they said was ‘Alright. Come back with $3,000 and we will come and train you.'” I was 26 years old and the ad said I could make 6 figures. I’m thinking I’ve got to go for this. I sold everything I owned and drove cross country with our clothes in garbage bags. Then it’s off to the Powerplant 5 days a week.”

On the potential of a 6 figure contract:

“That’s what it was for. It’s all it was. I started training, and when you are young and naïve you don’t know the adversity that you are going to face. If I had known that I was going to face that type of adversity at that time, I wouldn’t have made that decision. No guarantees of money, no benefits, no place to live. I started off in a hotel living daily. At the time I wasn’t thinking that though. 7 or 8 months later I have a training contract, about $1,000 a week. Going from nothing to that was a big deal.”

On if talent paid attention to ratings during the Monday Night Wars:

“Not as much. This business is about self promotion, what’s going on that night. Guys are more wrapped up in staying alive. If you’re taken off TV for 2 weeks, things change. There’s a backstage dynamic to navigate through to stay current. Some of the senior guys who have that navigation down, may have space in their brains for that part of it. At that time we are just happy to be on TV and stay on TV. We weren’t thinking dollars and cents, we would have done it for free.”

On cutting his hair:

“It wasn’t long after I was finishing the Discovery shows. Long hair is a lot of work. It is a nice change and you can look back now with the internet. When I had the long hair, I was recognized all the time. When you are big with long hair, some people know. But California is not that big into wrestling, the fans are more diluted.”

On when WCW closed their doors:

“We were looking for answers. Shane McMahon walks into the locker room, you know it’s real. Next thing is am I going to have a job? Is this ride going to end? OK if we go over there, are we going to survive. Vince doesn’t accessorize a guy from another company. There’s double the roster but the same TV time, where do we fit in? When we get there, it’s such a challenging time. The Monday Night War, the guys were taking it personal. A lot of guys were not that welcoming. If we bonded, we would have all made more money. It ultimately reflected in the product, it went downhill. But it was a fantastic time to be in the business, that will never happen again.”

On the Billy and Chuck partnership:

“It was pitched on a whim, like all things at that time. I think the first person that told me was Triple H or Sgt Slaughter. Later Vince outlined it. We were going to have our hair platinum blond and wear robes. We were like alright. Little did we know that cable television network week was coming down the road. The wedding was where they wanted to peak out. We were number 1 rated that night. But the characters were just 2 guys having fun, and the audience saw that. When they saw that, they read that. It was like we were 2 bros. A lot of straight guys were like wow that looks so fun. It was just a character and we never took it personally. The storyline at the time was cutting edge. It also paid well.”

Chris mentions Billy Gunn telling him that his kids found the storyline difficult:

“I’m glad you brought that up. My daughter was super young at the time. I don’t think she believed that it was real, she was like dad what are you guys doing? Some of the guys were like tell them you don’t want to do it. We were actors playing a role, and some guys were trying to live their gimmick too much.”

On what he is grateful for:

“My daughter, my health and people around me.”

Featured image: Instagram

Chuck can be found on Instagram here.