Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Alex Riley on John Cena, WWE release, The Miz, commentary, returning to wrestling

Episode Date: January 23, 2020

Alex Riley (Kevin Kiley Jr) sits down with Chris Van Vliet at his house in Hollywood, CA. He talks about how and why he was released from WWE in 2016, which wrestlers he still keeps in touch with, his acting career since leaving wrestling, why he feels now is the right time to return to the ring, being paired with The Miz, what happened between him and John Cena and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Look at you, man. With the powerful questions. Woo! This is the Chris Van Vlead Show. Chris Van Vlead Show. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Bund, Br! Here we go, my friend. Welcome to another interview.

Welcome to another episode. And this is one I got a lot of requests for. And I'm so glad that Alex Riley, real name, Kevin Kylie Jr. was able to make the time to do this. Because we haven't heard a lot from him since he was released from WWE three and a half years ago. So it's great to catch up with him. See what he's been up to as he's looking to make his way back into the wrestling ring. in 2020.

Mm-hmm. Have I told you how much I appreciate you lately? Like a lot. Like I'm super, super appreciative for you taking the time out of your day to listen. There's thousands, if not tens of thousands of other wrestling podcasts out there. So thank you for taking the time to spend some time with me. Whether this is your first episode you're listening to or you binge them all. Either way, you're awesome.

Although if you binge them all, I think you're like slightly more awesome. You're especially awesome if you listen on Apple Podcasts and you leave a review. And I'm going to keep reading one on every part of the show because you are the best part of the show. You, yeah, for listening. It's amazing. This one comes from Josh, so many Js and O's and S's and H's. It's titled Awesome. Just happen to hear about this podcast while listening to a different wrestling podcast.

I wonder which one. Listen to David Bedouin and was hooked. I've downloaded all the other episodes. episodes and I'm working my way through them. Absolutely love it. Well, I absolutely love that too. You're going to listen to all the episodes? That is all large investment of your time. Josh, but thank you for that. So I spent five days in Los Angeles last week. I did the interview with Lily and Garcia, which I'm sure you've seen or heard. I also did a fascinating interview with Ryan Satin that you'll be seeing and hearing soon. And I did this one with Alex Riley.

We were supposed to do this one at the end of, like at the middle of last year. And you might remember, I was like, oh, I'm going to interview Alex Riley. Let me know what questions you have from. And then at the last second, we weren't able to make it happen. So we were able to reschedule it now for 2020. What a way to kick off the year. I also had chicken wings with Alex Riley after this interview. And that's my absolute favorite food.

So it made it that much better. I actually did an interview with Alex Riley years ago at WrestleMania 29. It's super short. It was at WrestleMania 29 access, so you only have a few minutes of time with him. But it was like three minutes long. Nice here to be able to sit down and have a full hour chat. He invited me into his home in West Hollywood,

and this is a great conversation. We cover everything. And yes, I know you're wondering, yes, we talk about what happened with him and John Sina. We also talk about why he moved from in-ring competition to the broadcast booth and what his reaction was to that. We talk about why he was released. from WWE, moving to Hollywood right after he was released.

And now he's been in TV shows and movies. And in 2020, you're going to see him back in the ring. Oh, we get into all of it. So put your hands together for Alex Riley. All right. Now it is happening. It's happening. It is happening.

It is finally happening. It's happening. Thank you for inviting me into your home. No problem. Anytime. You are in the heart of Hollywood, by the way. I am. I am centrally located where I can get.

to any audition at any time within a matter of two or three minutes. So it works out very well. Yeah. That's, yeah. Can't beat that. Good friends around here and it all works. You and I are, I have known each other for a while actually. Yes.

Yeah. WrestleMania 28? 28. Yeah. If you go way back in my interviews, you'll see. Short interview. Absolutely. But yeah, no, it's, and it's great to reconnect with you.

Right. Although I feel like I know you because I worked with your father. You did. Yeah. You did. I know a, I have a lot to live up to, I feel like. I feel like. But I feel like I'm doing it. I'm doing the best I can. He's a good man. He's a good dad. He always was a good dad. He is a radio broadcasting legend. Kevin Kylie Sr. Absolutely. You're of course Kevin Kylie Jr. Yeah, but I worked with him at 92-3, the fan in Cleveland.

He was one of the main hosts there. I worked across the hall at a like an adult contemporary radio station. Right, right, right. Yeah, he's right. I don't want to talk too much about him, but he's in his office right now writing his own book. Oh, wow. Yeah, so I'm proud of him. He's had a good life and he's certainly proud of it. So good for him. And I'm sure he's proud of you. Yeah, no, he is. I put in an honest effort and I worked as hard as I can every day. And, you know, in the entertainment business, the chips fall where they may. And that's something that he taught me from a young age. Well, yeah. Well, you mentioned that you're, you know, you can go to an audition in two or three minutes. That's because you're out here in Hollywood. You've been in some movies. Yeah, no. I.

Well, at first thing, I got in Glow, and I know that was about three years ago, but that was such a thrill for me to transition right into an experience like that being a wrestler and an actor. And, you know, I knew it very well. It was the perfect transition. And then right from that, got some opportunities to be in Bennett's War. Yeah, that's a feature film. Amazing.

It was in theaters not that long ago. Yeah, yeah. And another opportunity to work with some great people. people, Michael Rourke, Trace Atkins was fantastic. And, you know, it's, it's a, it's a slow build. It's a, it's a marathon, not a sprint. But there's a whole bunch of people that come out here to Hollywood and think they're going to just get discovered walking on Hollywood Boulevard. Right. You're actually like, you're in the trenches. You're going to auditions. You're auditioning here, I'm sure. You're self-taping some stuff. Yeah, yeah, all the time. All the time.

And, you know, keep a very close relationship with my manager. He's been great. And, you know, life is good. I also have a. real estate business on the side that I run. Look at you. Yeah, no, I'm, I try to stay as busy as possible. But it's been three and a half years since we saw you in a wrestling ring law or WWE last. It's been about three and a half years and I'm excited to say I'm going to get back in here

pretty soon. Yeah? Yeah, yeah. I haven't, well, I have March 28 scheduled right now in Iowa. Okay. That's your return match. Yeah, that's my return match. Check my Instagram for the address.

And I'm really excited. You know, I didn't think it was going to take this long, you know, to get back in. I never planned it to take this long but you know life kind of happens and I'm I'm just excited to be back to something that I spent you know 10, 12 years doing and it's kind of

found its way into my system But I mean you've been busy You've been busy being in movies You've been busy No no absolutely I've kept myself busy And you know it's been good But I still have that itch That burning desire I tell you're in it

You can't let it go It's very, very hard to let it go. There's no performance sport like it on the planet. And I want to give it one more shot. You know, just see what happens. What is it about wrestling? Everyone that does the retirement, not that you retired, but everyone that does the retirement, it's the wrestling retirement. It's basically like, I'm never going to wrestle again until two years from now.

I never technically got my retirement. I know. That's what I'm saying. So I'm free to give it another shot. But what I'm saying is even if you did retire, right, wrestling retirements aren't really retire. Yeah, no, I agree. Everybody comes back and forth all the time. And so it's a great job in that way that the door is always open, you know, hopefully. So we'll see what happens. You know, I'm staying humble through the process. You know, Hollywood has taught me that very well. I've had some success.

Obviously, anybody in the entertainment business wants more. But, you know, we're still at it. So you've got. You were also telling me off camera that you've had some big roles that you were up for that just at the last second, you know, they went with someone else. Yeah, I was. And you told me that everybody has those stories. Yes. It's true. Everybody does have those stories.

I know. No, but I was up for Creed, too. I had a great audition for that. Drago's son. You know, I bleached my hair blonde. And I think it got down to, like, I was, you know, top three or something that made it down there. And then they picked a guy that was, you know, an actual box. A world-class box.

Yeah, absolutely. So I'll lose to him. Yeah, I think if you're going to lose to anybody, maybe you could at least lose to a guy. You're going to probably lose a fight too. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah. I've interviewed him. Yeah. He's a giant man. They always have that discussion. Who's the better, you know, who's more dangerous, the wrestler or the boxer? And I think, you know, you get the guy on the ground. And that's a huge advantage. So it's not just this date in Iowa and some other indie dates. You've also got the autograph signing at the big event. I do. Yeah. I'm very, very excited about that. And I'm just kind of like, I'm taking everything. thing I can. You know, I want to get back out there. I want to, I want to reconnect. I want to, you know, it's like a repaying your dues process, which I'm fine with. You know, I was, I was away for a good amount of time. And, you know, I'm excited for the challenge of just kind

of wiping a slate clean and getting after it again. Well, I mean, for someone like you, you've, you've had such great success in everything else, you know, from playing football growing up. You played in the CFL, which I'm Canadian. I was, I have to, I was in the C. I was in the CFL for for a little bit yeah yeah I was I was in a training camp and um you know didn't didn't quite make it but I was around you know it's around the guys I was I was I was around professional athletes and I've been around professional athletes my entire life so you know who else was in the CFL and didn't quite make it a guy named um Dwayne Johnson yeah that's right that's right yeah you know that's

well you know another guy that's been in movies like Dwayne Johnson but that's that's you know I think that's going a little too far but yeah no I'll take the comparison thank you that's true But so you didn't, you went from football right into wrestling. I mean, I did. Yeah, I did. I got, I was trying out in football, didn't quite make it. And that was my next step.

I always had it as a backup plan was to hop right into professional wrestling and and give it a shot as soon as possible. And I was fortunate that my family knew Greg Gagne and he was able to connect me with John Laurenitis. So who has been great to me my whole career and gave me an opportunity my first start. So yeah, it was good. Those are some pretty good people to know. Yeah, no, 100%. So you're a lifelong wrestling fan. I am, absolutely. I, you know, I started in high school with the attitude era. I remember before football practice, after football practice, I went over to my buddy. He was another quarterback and we would just watch it on tape.

We would watch a Monday Night Raw. You know, just absolutely amazing. Degeneration X-Poc. I'm a Huge, huge Xbox fan. I got to do his podcast, you know, a while back. So, no, it's, it's always been a part of me. I've always loved it. And I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to have done it my life. But you haven't been in a ring since, like, because you, you know, the latter part of you have dabbled.

I've gotten into a couple rings around here. But no, I feel. It feels good. I was telling, probably hurts right now. I was telling you something or telling you this off camera that it hurts more when you're not on the road. I found that if you're not on the road every, you know, weekend, it's your body starts to kind of ache and break down more.

So I'm excited to get back in there and move around and get thrown around. And I always thought this about football. There's nothing better than the only thing better than hitting somebody is getting hit, you know, without knowing. And in the wrestling business, you take a beating. So for me, it's fun. I always love the contact. And, you know, we'll get back out there and mix it up.

The latter part of your WW career, you know, you were in the broadcast booth. Yeah, I was. Yeah. And like I felt like you had so much potential. You had the look. You had incredible entrance music. Thank you. Yeah.

No, that was great music. Thank you very much. That helped a lot. It certainly did. It was a good way to come out through the curtain. And, you know, you were talented in the ring. Why would they want to transition you out of the ring? How did that conversation begin?

So I think what happened was, I was, they were just starting the WWW network. And they needed a lot of, they needed spaces to fill on the broadcast side. They were coming up with something called the WWE pre-show. And they always, you know, they liked the way I spoke. So they gave me a shot at it. And, you know, I feel very fortunate to have had that shot. It was something where was I not a little heartbroken when I came out of the ring? Yeah, of course, you know.

I've always been an athlete and I've always wanted to continue in athletics. But, and I told this to Xbox, it's hard for me to argue or complain about, you know, a life, a life that I've had and the opportunities that I've had to be able to work on the WW network when it was, it's groundbreaking platform. And to be one of the first faces on, it was great. Yeah, but when they told you we want you to be part of this panel, did they say, we're taking the wrestling away from you completely? Or was it a transition out of it? No, they did. It was done. Okay.

They made the decision that when I was. was part of the panel that the wrestling was done. And, you know, that was, that was that. It was one of those things where, also I wanted to, I wanted to give it everything I had, you know, with the, with the commentary. And that included getting very close to Michael Cole, you know, learning as much as I could,

going down to the Performance Center in Orlando, watching tape, hours and hours of tape. And it's like, it's an art, you know, it's a crowd, 100%. It's not, it's not, It's not an easy job, you know, and you have to think very fast. You have to, you know, keep your words very tight, very concise in the sound bites, and it takes a while to learn. So I dove into it.

I don't think that people give Michael Cole the credit that he deserves. He's amazing. He's so smooth. He's so fast. He's so clean, and he can, like, text you while you're home in Tampa while he's calling Raw. Which is amazing. Are you serious? He, and he's talking wrestling.

Like, you see what I did and what I said. right now. And I'm like, oh my God. Are you serious? I'm like, this guy is a genius. So it was, I guess, part of your homework to sit at home and watch the show. Yeah, if I wasn't at the show, I was, or when I would travel and do the pre-show in Connecticut

when they moved me over there and I wasn't home in Tampa and Cole and I would text and he would say, this is what I'm saying right now. And I'd say, can you, yeah, and this is why. And I'm like, oh my God. Wow. Yeah, no, it's an amazing thing. People in the WWE,

I mean, they are, they are as quick-minded as it gets. You know, they have a, an un, just a great ability to improv and go on the fly and make it fantastically entertaining. And that's something that, to be honest, when I first got there, I had to work on. I was like, this can't be the way it is. You can't go out there and just call a match on the fly. I remember Dr. Tom telling me that he was like, in the ring. you mean. Yeah. I said, no, we have to plan this or something. There has to be like a day or two that we plan this and or at least 10 minutes. A day or two. Yeah, or you know, at least, at least an hour

or something. And Dr. Tom said, when I'm done with you, you'll be able to just, uh, there's Johanick go. And by God, if that's not how it's done. What do you think it is that you miss most about wrestling? Uh, it, it, everything, you know, uh, just the whole thing, the sport, the performance, um, the lights, the pyro, the, you know, the not sleeping, the work on the road, the, the unbelievable dedication that it takes to be a WWE superstar. You were great on the mic. Do you think that your mic work helped you become a better broadcaster? Yeah, yeah, I do.

Because they are very different. And the reason I ask is they are very different. Yeah. No, I do. I think it was something that I kind of always grew up watching my father doing it. and something kind of that was innate in me. And then when I got comfortable with it, if you're comfortable in a 20 by 20 with a mic,

then you're going to be comfortable behind a desk. I mean, well, it's, I found it to be a pretty easy transition. I found it when I got, when you get out there in, knee pads and boots and your underwear and you're talking, it's, it's not, I mean, it's, you know, it's nerve-wracking. It's, people that can do that are extremely talented, and it takes it's a process of getting used to it you know yeah uh when you're in a suit and a tie and you know you're sitting behind a desk it's another thing yeah um but yeah no

the transition was was decently easy i think do you think that the reverse is also true the amount of time that you spend as a broadcaster for w a way will that now improve your in ring work or your promo work yeah i think uh and i'm learning this uh in acting as well as any time you're in front of a camera in front of people with a mic in your hand or performing or memorizing or doing anything like that. You know, it's, it's, you know, it's invaluable. And you get better. And then when you get away from it, the opposite happens.

You kind of get, you get worse at it. And it's like anything else. It's just reps. I saw Dolph Ziegler on your, on, you interviewed him on. You watch the way you show? Yeah, I love it. It's great. Yeah.

You do a lot for the wrestling. Thank you. Yeah, for sure. Thank you for saying that. Wow. Yeah. But he says, and it's true to who he is. He said that it's, it's,

It's reps. He goes, I'm doing comedy now. And, you know, I don't care what you think of me now. I think he's damn funny. But he, you know, whatever he says, people have their opinions. But after I get my reps and get out of my way, I'm going to take over. And that's really cool. And he's absolutely correct when he says that.

It's all reps. It's very much the 10,000 hours. Yeah, 100%. Malcolm Gladwell, 10,000 hours. 100%. And as soon, I mean, being in WWB for 10 years, you had way more than 10,000 hours. I had a lot of hours. I had a lot hours on the road.

It was a great time, though. They went fast. They flew by. Do you think you were paired up with the MIS because you guys look alike? So I don't look like him at all, like at all. Okay. Yeah, this happened to me in college. Like, I was, it was the most frustrating thing.

I was walking, you know, around campus, and somebody started chasing me down campus and said, there's the Mizz. And I was like 19 years old. I was like, who? Oh, and he was the reality show guy. Yeah, the reality show, when he was a reality show guy. And I said, who is the Miz? And he goes, you know, you got to watch this reality.

No, you're him. I said, no, I'm not him. And at first he didn't believe me. You know, he was like, no, you're him. And then he brought his girlfriend over. And she goes, no, that's him. And I was like, okay, so I got to figure out who this guy is, right? So I turned on the TV and I go, no, God, no.

Right? And then, lo and behold, I'd make a career. That's how ironic is it? Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing. Let's just say this. I guess WWE knows what they're doing. If I'm 19 walking around and they're pairing me with the MIS, what, 10 years later? Wow. When they first did pair you with the MIS, how did they present that to you? Oh, my God. It was John Lornitis called me. And, you know, he said, I was, I believe, yeah, I was in Tampa. And he said, they told us that at the camp, at the, at the, FCW, that they were starting a show called NXT Season 1.

and then NXT season two was coming around and that I was going to be on it and then a month went by and the developmental process they started writing it and John Laurenitis I get a phone call from him and he goes he calls me and he goes

get ready you're with the Mizz he's gonna be your pro and I was like this is because he's massively successful and good on the mic and charismatic and all that so I couldn't have been more fortunate man it was great

I was very excited and I you know I thank John profusely and I got down to FCW and kept working. I'll never. Yeah, adjusted my promos a little bit and went for it. I'll never forget when the Miz won his first title. Yeah. I mean, you were, you were ringside for that.

I was ecstatic. Oh my God, you might have been more excited than Mike. Yeah, and I got a decent vertical, right? So I was on the side, so you can literally see me flying up and down. Yeah, no, I was pumped, man. And that was, that's the thing, like, WWE creating magic, right? And there's so much that goes into that title and, you know, the way it's treated, the way it's presented, the history behind it. And when Mike won that that night, it was incredible.

What was the, like, lead time? Like, how long did you guys know before he actually went in the rain and cash? So I didn't really know much at that point when it came, like, I was kind of one of the last guys to know. Or he would know before I would, you know, type of thing. So it was kind of his job to come tell me in the beginning. and then I kind of would stink my way in there and and and hear myself you know because I always I love taking direction and stuff like that so um so did he come up to you maybe it was that day and said I'm cashman tonight I'm going to win I think he I think it happened about uh for me like two or three minutes before

what yeah no I didn't know all day like that's what I mean I'm I'm sure he that's what I mean they kind of kept us separate in the beginning and I think Michael Hayes came up to me and he said he said Ms. is one in the title, get out there. Because they want the, they want, you know, it's real. You know,

you want the spontaneity. You want the emotion. And I had it. I was like, whoa, whoa, okay, let's do this. So it worked. I remember interviewing Mike seven years ago maybe, six, seven years ago. And I asked

about that. And I said, it's your first championship. How do you celebrate? He goes, well, we left there and nothing's open. Right. So you guys went to Denny's. I think. Yeah, we did. And well, that kind of is how we celebrate everything in the W. He is the only place that's open is go to Denny's or IHop. You know what I mean? Maybe Waffle House, if you're lucky. Yeah, exactly. Waffle House. Those are kind of the places. And boy, at that point, you're lucky to be there. You feel good because you're tired and you want to sit and eat some pancakes. But with that said, you remained ripped your entire career. I did. Yeah. You don't you can't do that by eating at Denny's all the

the time. Well, the cardio that you're, that you're in is ridiculous. I mean, you're on the road five days a week. You're, you're in the ring. You're in the ring for, you know, 10 minutes, 15 minutes a night. And it's, and then the travel. So yeah, and I'm always, I was always like really thin, you know what I mean? So if I, it came off me pretty quick. So, so you were like, you had skinny guy abs when you were young. Yeah, yeah. I started much. I was six, four, a hundred and 95, people would, you know, people would give me a hard time for this, uh, like, you're so big, but I spent my whole life eating, you know, and I was 195 pounds in high school at 6'4, so, you know, or that is my senior year. I guess I was 160 pounds my freshman year.

So, yeah, I mean, it was out, yeah, and I'm, and I'm out there trying to compete with grown men at the time, you know. You were, you were, you were, the quarterback? Huh? Yeah, I was the quarterback. Yeah, when I was a, when I was a senior, yeah, I meant I was, yeah, it took me a while, to kind of like gain the mass. But when I did, I was proud of it. So the varsity villain, that's not too far off of who you actually were then. No, yeah. It was a good, it was a good character for me.

Dusty was great. He was kind of the one that really looked after me in FCW and helped me create it. Oh, wow. Yeah, no, he was, I always said, like, the varsity villain is a Dusty Rhodes creation for sure. And Alex Riley is, it will always be a Dusty Roads creation. I'm very grateful to him for his time, you know, that he spent with me down there. So, yeah, it was a situation where everybody had to bring a ring jacket to practice,

and I brought my Letterman jacket and they go, keep it. That's it. And I said, all right. Oh. I've heard so many people talk about how brilliant dusty is when it comes to creating characters. How does the process begin? So he just says go. He just says, go talk.

It's beautiful. It's one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had in my life. Wow. And watching people develop through it, you know, because it's not one of those, he takes the nerves and he rips them off you, you know? He goes, just talk to me about yourself. And somebody goes up there and they kind of get through it.

And it's okay. And then the next week he goes, go talk to you. Just, and then after a while, you know, you see colors and lights coming off, you know. whoever it is, the wrestler and you see them grow and develop into a character. It's cool. That sounds like magic. It is.

It's amazing. It's really, it was an amazing experience for me, for sure. One that I will always cherish, you know, watching, you know, watching people go up there and cut promos is very cool. What's the one match in your career that, you know, if someone's going to watch your stuff for the very first time, that you're super proud of? I liked the tornado tag match that I had with Jack Swagger, Ray Mysterio, and Mike. It was in Las Vegas, and I did it with one contact lines in. Yeah, and I have this horrible eye condition called Kertaconis, which is a, I can't work, I can't work like glasses. Like, this is legit.

I'm not making this up at all. I can't wear glasses so I can only wear contacts. So I'm when I'm walking like at night when I take my contacts out like that's it That's it I'm done I'm blind I have to go to bed instantly right like instantly It's it's it's it's it's hell it's torture and I know you're laughing at it but it's not your storytelling is great It's not it's not fun it's it's and has this always your whole life I developed it when I was 27 okay And it's they give you these I'm wearing four contacts right now I swear to God I'm wearing two soft contacts

in two hard contacts. And I have a doctor down the street called Dr. Boxer Wachler, who's like the world specialist in Caritoconis. And they also, I don't know anybody out there who has Caritoconus. I'm sure there are. It's very rare. But it's, there's no surgery for it. There's no, they can only like do this one thing where they shine horribly bright lights

in your eyes and poke needle holes in your cornea. And then they, I'm not making this. And then they squeeze a, like a gel over it. And the light is supposed to harden your cornea and make it thicker because mine are too thin. That's the problem. So I can't get LASIC. So people with LASIC. I had LASIC.

Yeah. So your cornea is thin. So they're able to cut into your cornea and make a scar. So the light can refract off your scar. Right. I can't have that. So I have like these mountain tops and ranges and all that. So I have a, I can't believe of getting into it.

So I have two soft contacts that even my cornea out to a flat surface. And then I have two hard contacts. So I'm constantly walking around for context. Back to the point. I lost two of them. I lost the right eye. And you didn't have extras with you? I did not have extras.

I think I had already gone through my extras. Because you're on the road a lot. Yeah. Two, yeah, if I don't remember right where that case is, man, like I'm effed, because it's, you know, you have to take them all, because I can't put glasses on regardless. It's like next to your bed. Got to be next to my bed. Yeah, it's right up there all the time and I literally can memorize and feel it.

But regardless, going back to the point, to the match. Not making this too medically boring. No, I think people find this interesting. Yeah, no, it's, it's, you know, what I was dealt, and I do the best I can with. it's certainly not something that's going to change your life in a way that's like horribly dramatic but it's it's something that you got to deal with especially when you lose your contacts on your own road it was the best match I had in my whole career wow with one freaking would it would it have been I consider it yeah would it have been even better had you not lost your contacts

no I don't think so I think I whatever whatever was happening that night with I think it was one of those things where you just when you had to turn your mind off right where I like I can't believe this is happening to me, this is an impossible situation. I can't see anybody. But I'm going to just do the best I can. And it adds to the aggressiveness a little bit. I did, I had to, you know, kick a little harder and, you know, and so you look great tonight. So, yeah, it worked. So actually, Evan Bourne after that match, and he was, I don't know if he was a fan of mine or not or whatever but I remember he came up to me pulled me so I'm the best match every person so yeah and he's a hell of a worker he is so I bet you you'll have a match with him on the

indies yeah I would look forward to that that he works he works indies all the time I think he was the first person I worked either him or MVP I think MVP was first but Evan Bourne was second when I came up on the road he was great man he was he was really cool so you know you had the moment with Mike where he won the championship he was also in the main event of WrestleMania since you were there with him ringside for those moments are those also your moments so i've always said no right and this is one of the things that drove me crazy uh is people say you're in the main event or wrestling mania and i'm grateful for that absolutely like my god uh but i was you know on the side i'm not i'm not gonna sit

here and say to anybody that I was, you know, the rock and John Sina or Ms. and John Sina, I didn't earn that. You know, I didn't earn that spot. Was that my moment? No, absolutely, absolutely not. That was Ms.'s moment. And anybody that says, no, that was my moment. They're trying to trick me. I guess, though, you know, because you were a wrestler and still wrestled in matches, if it was, okay. For a valet, it makes sense. Yeah, it's a hard, it's a hard. It's a hard, It's a hard thing to describe. It's a hard thing to describe. Was I out there and did I, did I feel everything and was I proud of the place that I had gotten in my point in my career? Absolutely. But was I in there carrying a 45-minute match, you know, selling tickets?

Eh, no. I'm smart enough to realize that. You know, yeah. I, I filled my role the best I could, always you know I always really did try to do exactly what I was told well then all that built up to that great feud yeah no that was great and I was I was ecstatic that happened it was you know it was it was a great moment of my life I'll always remember it and it you know it got me going in a little bit of a career and and and separated me from from Mike and and gave me an opportunity to get out on my own and do my thing and I and I really appreciated that to go out there and be a big fiery baby face with great music and and you know uh great music yeah great music and to my face it was good

and all the guys going to do yeah it's it's really good and and uh yeah so it no it was it was it was a great experience and um you know mike's the best he's he's always been the best uh when we were going through that whole thing um i don't know if he you know it's it's hard because he's going to lose to his old rookie and but he's a pro he was a professional the whole time and and it all worked out really well. I feel like, and I don't know the Miz as well as you do, but I feel like from an outsider looking in, he's always been really good at doing what's best for the show.

Yeah. What's best for the brand. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And that's what, like, that's what you do. You know, if you want to last in the WWE, you do that, you know, and he always did it. And look where he is now. I mean, he's all over the place.

He's hosting his own shows. Is he back here? Is he back in Illinois? No, no, no. I believe he's in all. Is he? I think he is. I should call him up.

I should call him up. Because he was in Austin. Yeah. That I think he moved back here. Did he sell his house in Austin? I think so. Yeah, I should give him a call. Yeah.

Oh my God. You guys could reunite. Yeah, that would be, that would be nice. If you took a picture, people wouldn't know who's who because you look identical. Okay. Stop that. Yeah, no, that's. And the horrible part about it is, is he, he swears he doesn't look like me either.

I think we both hate it. I go, no, no way. And he goes, yeah, no way. Like, you're ugly. Yeah, I'm ugly. And maybe that's why it worked, you know. I'm better looking, you're better looking. And who the hell knows and who the hell cares?

I mean, you have the title. So, you know, and I'm taller. Who is it that you still keep in touch with from your time in WWA? I still talk to Zach, you know, Dolph, you know, Mason Ryan, Joe Henning, he's Slater. Those guys are good buddies of mine. And, but, you know, the pack, it thins when you're, when you're let go from WWE and you got to kind of find a different direction and stuff like that but I you know I those guys always be my brothers you know they're they're I shared the ring with them and

you go to war with those guys and it's it's a bond that can't be recreated like a brotherhood yeah no it's it's it's incredible it's an incredible you know connection that you make when you're on NXT season two and you know look to Percy Watson I talked to Percy Watson And then you looked at him and you say, what are we doing? And he says, I don't know. They didn't tell me either. Oh. Yeah.

And that's the fun of it. And, you know, so then you go up there and you talk some smack about your buddies in a very lot. I remember the first time I was on NXT season two, uh, uh, loki, Kavall. Yeah. Uh, he goes, we're closing the show. And I think there's, there's about three minutes left or a minute and a half. And he just grabs a microphone. on at a layless hand, I think, and walks to the front of the ring, into the hard cam,

and just starts trying to, you know, talk and to do his thing. And Ms. jams the mic into my chest, and goes, go cut him up. And I was like, wow, okay. Yeah, so it's, it's, it's, and I think I turned his shoulder and I called him a nerd and, you know, whatever. That was always the best for me is when it was kind of like, it was, it was improvisational. You know, I, I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that a lot.

and to see how, you know, to see how quick you could think and all that stuff. After 10 years, how was it that they broke the news to you that they, you know, we're going to be releasing you? Mark Carano called me, actually. I was driving down to the Performance Center in Orlando. And he had, I had just signed a deal. It was a three-year deal. And it was a year in.

They decided to go a different direction. And, you know, that's all good. It's their company. You know, they're allowed to do that. But it was heartbreaking, you know, and they, you know, he called me. He just said, look, we're going to go a different direction. And, you know, a year ago, a year ago, it was, oh, Vince really likes me and wants to bring me back. And then, you know, a year later.

And but that's, you know, that's entertainment for you. And they're at the top of entertainment. Yeah. So, you know, they're allowed to do whatever they want. And if they don't want Alex Riley there at the time, then, you know, he's not there. But if you, you know, you just signed a three-year deal, you probably thought, like, I'm good. I'm good for the next three years. I did, yeah.

I really did. I thought I, I think I went out and I invested in a property that I had to, you know, get rid of it. Or, you know, really do some restructuring. But so, yeah, it was, it was tough. And more than that, it was, you know, that was 10 years of my life. Yeah. Yeah. And coming into it really, you know,

really green. Yeah. And trying to pick it up and join in with a group of guys that weren't really so green, you know. So, yeah, it was heartbreaking, but that's life. You know what I mean? And they built me up to a point where I could go out and get a rolling glow. And that was a great experience for me. And, you know, and get some other things going in Hollywood.

And I was a, you know, like I said, I was a skinny kid in high school, 140 pounds. and, you know, and look at you now. Yeah, and now I'm still kind of skinny. But, but no, and I, and very shy and very introverted and got an opportunity to come out and, you know, join a, join an incredible entertainment organization and now be out in Hollywood. So I've really nothing plain about. No, life's pretty good. Yeah, it's good.

The rumors were out there for a long time and then Ryback addressed this that John Cena had some sort of effect on your career. What exactly happened there? Yeah, so it's hard to. you know, it's hard to really put a label on it. And I don't, you know, did he have, you know, some of the things that, you know, I think it came down to really at the end, like two men just not liking each other. Okay. You know what I mean?

Sure. And I think that as sad as that is, it had an impact on my career. because he is who he is you know and that's and that's and I don't think that goes without saying in in other businesses you know this one just it it just happened I just happened to be in a situation I think where right from the start it was just you know he he he didn't like me I don't I just don't think I just don't think he had a I just don't think he did.

And I tried to, I tried to change that. You know what I mean? I tried to change that the best I could. I worked very hard and, you know, try to do the best I could to grow and learn, you know, and fit in in the way that, you know, a wrestler fits in. And he wanted me to fit in. And it just kind of got to the point a little bit with, you know,

even some of the other guys would kind of be like, what's up with that? I don't know. You know, I don't know. So it was a tough, it was a tough situation. It was known that he didn't like you. I would hear, I would hear that from, you know, from others, you know. But it was not, yeah, yeah, I would, I would, you know, hear that from other wrestlers from time to time.

And it certainly didn't seem that way when we would, we would interact. But, you know, it's, it's tough. It's a tough thing. It's wrestling. You know what I mean? And it's something where you do the best you can to learn in a way that, you know, that is productive. And that is, you know, that will get you better. And I try to do that the best I could.

You know, I really did. I tried to do the best I could. And, you know, it just didn't work out. Are there any hard feelings there? No, I mean, no, not for me. You know, I, you know, there was, there was, there was, there was, there was, there was, there was, there was one, you know, there was one, there's one either mistake, you know, that I made or, or he made, or there's some, there's, where we got really crossed and we kind of got into a little bit of an argument, you know, and, and I, and I, and I, and I didn't think it was going to, I went, I went to him, the, I, I, I went to him, the, I mean, and, I went to him, and me. the next day and apologize and you know for for whatever it happened and you know I don't I think I think he was you know he's pretty offended but you know again I think it was

it was two grown men that you know just didn't see eye to eye at the time but yeah yeah I think so you know I'm I'm not you know holding any grudges or anything I'm sure he doesn't either yeah yeah no it's it's it's it's it's it's It's not something, you know, it's not something that I certainly don't want it hanging over my neck, you know, for the rest of my life. Yeah, no. So, yeah. And there's, you know, there's a thousand, I think, stories like this. Well, there's, of course, you know, and we talked about Ms. before, but there's the story of Ms. eating chicken in the locker room and that causing him to get, like, cast out of the locker room.

That's a thing that happened, right? Yeah, no, that was, yeah, I wasn't there at the time, but I heard. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, yeah. You're right. There are a thousand stories like this in wrestling.

Right. That just happened to exist. Yeah. And when you work in a company with hundreds of other people, right. Not everybody's going to get along. Yeah. And I, you know, and towards the end of it, it was, you know, yeah, I think we had patched it up and,

you know, figured everything out. But I say this. It was a tough situation while I was there. But, you know, I respect, I respect John. I respect his work ethic, everything that he's done. And, you know, I certainly, you know, didn't expect to be on the wrong, you know, on the wrong side of it. So, but yeah, it was, you know, is what it is. What with that and everything else that happened in your career in WWA, what do you now want to approach the Indies with or getting back into wrestling?

Yeah. You know, revamped version of myself. I'm trying to be the, are going to go be the varsity. Villains, see what happens, you know, throw the Letterman jacket on and grab the mic and, you know, put some matches together. I miss it. You know, I really do. I really miss it.

I should have been in there a while ago. But now I'm getting an opportunity to go back. You got to start making some T-shirts. Yes, I do. Yeah, I do. Pro wrestling T's. Absolutely. Yeah.

Now, I'm excited about the opportunity to kind of, you run your own business. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's really cool. It's really cool. And, yeah, I can't wait to get at it because, you know, in the WWE, there's a structure where, you know, they make your shirts and they do all that stuff if you're looking enough to get a shirt and then there's this structure where you can kind of control the whole thing yourself so that's that's going to have some t-shirt ideas because people are listening right now yeah no i like the uh the vv on the

you know in the back of the shirt where i used to have the letterman yeah could go here uh so yeah and then maybe you know i don't know how many fans are out there still i mean it was a while ago but you know steel horse yeah no steel horse would be a good yeah it would be a good thing so yeah no i'm i'm i'm i got some ideas and we're going to get it up and run and and just get back out there. If I can have a pro wrestling teas.com store. Yeah. Surely you can have one. Absolutely.

100%. Yeah. Also, if you want to buy a collar and elbow shirt like this one, the code is CVV10. Why aren't you on the ring, by the way? Why am I not in the ring? I'm in the ring as like a ring announcer. Yeah, no, I know. Ladies and gentlemen.

Why aren't you with, why don't you have knee pads and boots on? I've trained to be a pro wrestler. Yeah. And to make a long story short, I was 20 years old. I was going to college at the time. So that summer, I went and started training in Toronto, the squared circle. Rob Fuego is the head trainer there. He spent some time in WWE as El Fuego.

Angelina Love was at the school when I was there. It was great. I learned how to bump. I learned all the basics. But then when it came time to go back to school, I realized you can't do both. Like wrestling is a school in itself. Like, you can't do both. If wrestling is going to be your thing, it needs to be your only thing.

And at the time, I was studying communication studies. and I had a massive passion for broadcasting and realized I couldn't do both. Yeah. I knew that wrestling would always be there. So I kind of put the wrestling on hold, got my, got my degree. And the communications degree led to me working in broadcasting and still being able to do some stuff with wrestling as a ring announcer, now as an interviewer, did a little bit of work with AEW. It's been great. Awesome.

Yeah, no, you're fantastic at your job, and I don't know a wrestler out there that doesn't appreciate your work. Oh, my God. Yeah, you do a lot for the business, man. Thank you. Absolutely. And thank you for agreeing to do this. 100%. Yeah, no, I, of course.

Yeah, why not? Well, you know, I think you say, are there still any fans out there? Yes, of course. They're all listening. I'm watching this right now. Yeah, I try to, you know, I try to be very, realistically humble. Yeah, yeah.

And they're all going to come out and see you when you go to their respective towns. 100%. But, you know, the Indies can't be the end goal. So what's the, what's the, what's the, What would you like to do? So right now, I'm just going to focus on my in-ring work and, you know, my promos and my character development and getting back out there and having a match, you know, because it's been a while.

But that's the, you know, that's the start and the finish of it right now. You know, if I, like I talked to a couple of people that are like, hey man, you're starting from scratch, man. So kind of, because you're, you had like the NXT as it, as it started. stands now, like the Performance Center training before that existed. Like you came up without ever having to work the Indies. Yes, I did. You went right into it.

Yeah. And that blessing and a curse, you know what I mean? Ziegler's in the same boat. Yeah. And it was just one of those things where, you know, it was a quick learning curve. And, you know, you're never done learning in wrestling. You know what I mean? It's just one of those things.

So, yeah, I'm excited at the challenge. Back to the Indies to start it all over. You're going to get backstage at an independent show, and all the wrestlers are going to have so many questions for you. Yeah. Because you've been where they want to go. I'll be ready to answer them the best I can. Yeah.

I can't wait to see you in the ring. Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. It's going to be amazing. And I also can't wait to see what other film and TV work you do. Yeah, no, I'm out here. I'm grinding every day and keeping myself busy and still hitting auditions. And, you know, they work together.

They do. Yeah. So, you know, I, again, you know. Do you ever walk into an audition and someone's like, my kid loves you? Like, though they recognize you from wrestling? From time to time. It happens, yeah, it happens less and less these days. But yeah, no, absolutely.

And I remember that, you know, the first time I got recognized in a mall, what a feeling it was, you know? So, so cool. Like, so amazing. And, and, but you got to earn it, though. You know, you really, you have to earn that. You have to earn people, you know, seeing you and recognizing you. You got to stay current and topical. And the ones that are the ones that have earned it, I'm sure it's happening to them right now.

Well, with the circle of friends that you talked about that are both out here and then just people that you still keep in touch with, you're in the right circle. Also, Damien Sandow, who I believe got released at the same time as you. Yeah. He's out here. Yeah. And I had a conversation with him very similar to this, like in April of last year, February last year. Right. And he's like, no, I'm done with wrestling.

And now look at him. He's in the NWA. Yeah, no, I know. And I tell you what, not a bad place to be. They're great over there. And, you know, the whole 80s feel and everything. And yeah, him and I are good buddies. And, you know, maybe that's where it'll end up.

The varsity villain would be great in NWA. Yeah, no, it would be. And I love the desk and they're able to do the promos. And Eli Drake, man, who, it's fire. So, yeah, being able to, you got to work, too, with, with talented people, you know, other talented people will make you better and all that. So if you grew up watching wrestling, who was it that you really looked up to? Oh, man.

You know, I was a Sean Michaels guy, you know? I like Sean Michaels. I like, like everyone said Sean Michaels. Yeah, no, I like, I mean, I like, I know I get the heat all over the place for this. But I'm saying, he's great. No, no, I mean, no, but I was to say the rock, like, the people, the first time I said, the first time I said to Dr. Tommy goes, well, who do you like? like the rock and he goes well everybody likes the rock you know no i i i'm a fan of it all you know

i i like i like hunter i like uh you know the undertaker you know all those guys you know it's uh brett heart you know uh so i i've been a fan and i want to continue to be a fan and there's a lot of wrestling now oh a lot uh cody at a e w and uh you know kenny omega the young bucks all those guys they're doing a great job and wow, what a time to be, you know, what a time to be a wrestling fan and a, you know. And a wrestler. Yeah. This is the best possible time for all of this.

Yeah. And, you know, they should be really credited over there for, you know, all their work that they did. And I don't know, I was telling you, it's like if Jerry Seinfeld and George and, you know, those guys were carrying around handheld and NBC went to him and said, hey, we're going to put you on to you. Like, that's what they did. They changed the way, you know, business is structured and intelligence. television. So, uh, kudos to them, man, massive, massive accomplishment and, and massively talented people. Well, and there's no reason that you can't be in the mix with any of these

organizations that you mentioned. Yeah, no, I would, uh, you know, I would, I would, I would consider that a huge honor, to be honest. Um, you know, I got some work to do, uh, I'm going to get out there and, uh, and, and, uh, you know, you don't, you don't have a lot of work to do. You just got to get a little bit of ring rust off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'll pick up a few tricks, you know, yeah, a few tricks. Yeah, a few tricks. Do a little, be a little different, you know, you know. Just get in there with PJ Black. He'll teach you. I know it.

I know it. I keep telling him, I'm like, we'll do swan tons and. Oh, my God. And then you get the, well, you're too tall. You're too big for that. But I always had it. No, there was, remember Sean O'Hare did the shantan bomb? Yeah, that's right.

Yeah. No. Yeah. No. I'll come up with some cool stuff. Well, I'm excited for what 2020 holds for you. Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.

I appreciate you inviting to me to your house. Yeah, no. Right in the heart of Hollywood here. It is. It's a good spot. It's a good spot. See, like we need to do something like really Hollywood like after we leave here. What's that?

I don't know. What would be a really Hollywood thing? I don't know. Actually, I did Runyon Canyon this morning. Did you? That's pretty Hollywood. That is Hollywood. Yeah.

Chicken wings are Hollywood. That's my favorite food, by the way. It's only January. Right. So that's why I'm so excited for what the future holds for you. Yeah. No, it's early in 2020. Fresh start, clean start.

And, you know, an opportunity to really go for it. you know, I'm in a, you know, I'm in a good spot. You are. Yeah, I'm happy where I am. I mean, I'm not happy where I am. I'm always, I want to get better, but I'm very fortunate. Well, like you said, you're hungry for more, and anybody in the entertainment industry is, I'm hungry for more.

Yeah. And I think if you're not hungry for more, which you certainly are, it was a problem. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I meant to say, though, like, I've been a, you know, I'm fortunate, a person, and I just want to, you know, I want to work hard and add to that and get back out there. and see, you know, see what happens. The greatest part about wrestling is, you know, it's, it's crowd, and, and, uh, you're judged every minute, you know, and that's, that's cool and we'll see.

Well, where can people find you? Uh, Kylie Jr., WWE, Twitter and Instagram. Okay, great. Well, we'll link that up here so people can find you. And thank you so much. Thank you, sir. I appreciate you. I appreciate it very much.

Oh, thank you. So how about that? I can't wait to see Alex Riley back in the ring in 2020. PWS Professional Wrestling Showdown is his first show in Walnut, Iowa, Saturday, March 28th. Of course, you can find all the info out on his Instagram account. Once again, it's Kylie Jr. WWE. And speaking of Instagram, take a screenshot, tag me at Chris Van Fleet or tag it on Twitter at Chris Van Fleet and tag Alex Riley as well. I love resharing those stories or retweeting those on Twitter.

I say this all the time, but you need to understand this. I am sitting on my bed right now in the spare bedroom of my house talking to a microphone. The fact that you are listening to this blows my mind. So when I actually see these tweets or these posts on Instagram that you're listening, it's like we're connecting with each other one-on-one. So I love that. Keep them coming, please. Alex Riley, Kevin Kelly Jr., whatever you want to call him,

is immensely talented and was so underutilized in WWE, whether it was in the ring or at the broadcast booth. I just feel like he had so much more that he could have done and wasn't able to do it. He has a great look. He's great on the mic. And of course he has an amazing entrance theme. And there's no reason that after spending some time on the Indies,

that he won't get signed soon. So I can't wait to see what 2020 has in store for him, both in the ring and also in Hollywood, the movie roles and the TV roles that he's been up for. He's a great guy. And thank you again, Kevin, for finding the time to do this. your biggest gap in life is between what you know and what you can do. Those are the words of Bob Proctor.

So I know there's a lot of people. Every time I'm at a wrestling show or I'm at a wrestling convention, someone's like, I want to start a podcast. Well, do it. Absolutely. Dive in. Do this thing. Because if I didn't start with one YouTube video, I posted it in 2011,

I wouldn't be sitting here right now having this conversation with you. So if there's something, maybe it's not a podcast. Maybe it's not a YouTube channel. Maybe it's a significant other. Maybe it's a guy or a girl that you like. Dive in. Do it. Take that first step.

The biggest gap in life is between what you know and what you can do. So get after. We've got a whole bunch more interviews. Oh my God. There's so much traveling going on. I was in Vegas. Then I was in L.A. I'm heading to Atlanta this week.

I'm in Miami next week. So much going on. So many people to talk to. I can't wait to share it with you. So make sure you subscribe. So you don't miss out on those. Have a great week. We'll talk to you soon.

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