Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Giovanni Vinci On WWE Release, What's Next, Imperium, Gunther, Wrestling John Cena

Episode Date: April 21, 2026

Fabian Aichner (@VinciWWE) is a professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE as Giovanni Vinci. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet at West Coast Creative Studio in Los Angeles, CA to discuss his WWE release, getting kicked out of Imperium, his repackaged character, losing to Apollo Crews in less than 10 seconds on SmackDown, the way he was introduced by ring announcer Samantha Irvin, staying in NXT when Imperium was called up to main roster, his match with John Cena and Seth Rollins in India, and more! Please support our sponsors: HELIX SLEEP: Flash sale! Go to https://helixsleep.com/cvv for 27% off sitewide! COZY EARTH: Go to https://cozyearth.com/CVV for up to 20% off! BEAM: Go to https://shopbeam.com/INSIGHT and use code INSIGHT for up to 40% off Beam’s Dream Powder DELETEME: Use the code INSIGHT to get 20% off your DeleteMe plan at https://joindeleteme.com/INSIGHT FACTOR: Get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year with the code INSIGHT50OFF at https://factormeals.com/INSIGHT50OFF PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/cvv SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount NORDVPN: Exclusive deal! https://nordvpn.com/cvv Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! PRIZEPICKS: Download the PrizePicks app today and use code INSIGHT to get $50 bonus credit in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. Follow CVV on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Great to see you. Great to see you too. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for coming in. Looking gigantic. Thank you. Thank you. It's incredible what sleeping in your own bed every night,

working out whenever you want, eating how you want can do for you. So I feel good, man. Feel strong. Probably the best I felt in like five years. Maybe the best you've looked in a long time too. Thank you. Appreciate that.

Thank you. You posted this photo on Instagram in March, and you basically said, like, new chapter. And you're flexing. and you look like you're ready to go. Yeah. What's that new chapter look like? You know, when I got that call about a year ago,

the first thing I did was, like, immediately after that, I thought, okay, I'm taking a month of the gym because I've been going really hard. Like, in NXT, I made the decision, okay, it's the time now to get in the best shape in my life. So I did step up my workout regimen pretty intensely, like the cardio twice a day, worked out five days a week, wrestling three matches.

And I did make good progress, but you can only maintain that for so long. And I just kept going, kept going, and then got called up to the main roster, so I definitely didn't want to slow down. And yeah, it's just one of those things where I got the call. I knew this was the first time, for sure, that I wasn't going to step in the ring for three months.

So I definitely gave my body the break because I didn't get the results that I used to getting. My body started getting really stubborn. Like, if I dieted, like things just didn't move it fast. So I gave my body. a break, gave my mind a break, just been resting up a little bit. I live in Vegas, so there's always something to do. I like racing.

I always been Formula One fan, so I tried a couple of spots out there, and just took some trips, enjoyed the fruits of my labor, and just recharged because I didn't want to come back too quick. I didn't want to get into things too quick, because I didn't want to have acid, basically. So I gave myself the time. Didn't really have a timeline in mind of how long I was going to be out for or whatever. But then as time went by, batteries recharged.

I started feeling better and started working out again. That was a lot of fun again. And just for the first time, go by how I feel. And I feel like it's obviously when you listen to your gut and go by how you feel, then it's not that drag or forcing things to do. And I just felt ready, man. That's what I basically had in mind. Like, I'm going to take the time that I need.

And when I'm ready, I'll be back and I'll go all in. We didn't hear from you for over a year until you posted this photo on Instagram, was the idea to go away for a year? Not really, no. I just knew that after the call, because it was such a surreal feeling, man. It was like, on the one hand, it sucked that that chapter was over because that's what I wanted to do since I was 13 years old. But on the other hand, because it was such a roller coaster leading up to that, it felt

freeing in a way. Like I told a friend of mine, he asked me if I was okay. I said, yeah, man, I'm good. It's almost like when you're in school and school ends and you go in summer vacation, just all the weight was off. Because at least I knew. At least I knew there was no more thinking about it. And really, after that, all I did was, I just knew I was taking some time.

Didn't know how much it was. And, yeah, I didn't think about how long exactly I was going to be out for. Just like, okay, I need some space, take some time for myself, figure myself out. And, yeah, enjoy life a little bit. How surprised were you by that call that you were getting released? I was and I wasn't because, I mean, during the summer of the year previous, I wasn't on TV, but I knew there was a plan to come back eventually. And we did those vignettes and everything.

But that didn't last long, unfortunately. So after that, I noticed when some thoughts started to creep in. But, you know, I tried to focus on the positive. And I always had high hopes. Like, for example, when the New Year started, I know SmackDown went from two hours to three hours. And I was told, like, you know, there's a quote from one of the producers. Like, we have all the real estate in the world.

There's just not enough land. which basically you have all the great wrestlers, there's just not enough time on the show. So when Smackdown went to three hours, I thought, well, maybe now it's going to happen. Like, maybe here's the chance and whatever. And then, yeah, it wasn't needed for TV for a couple of weeks. And, you know, you don't want to hear that call.

But when it happened, like, I can't say that I was really surprised at it. So it was kind of like a weird mix of feelings. A lot of people right after their 90 days are up, like they hit the Indies or they start doing conventions. You haven't done any of that. No. How do you feel about wrestling right now? You know, there's, it's funny because, like, this is what I wanted to do since I was 13 years old. And when that chapter ended, I knew I wanted to take some time away, but I feel like there's,

there's way more things to do for me. I feel like I haven't reached my full potential yet. I feel like some people know what I can do, but I know I can do a lot more. And I just really, like, yeah, wanted to take enough time to not come back and, like, go in halfway. So I definitely work out like I want to wrestle again. I feel like there's many things still to do. Nothing set in stone yet, but when that opportunity comes,

I know I'll be ready for it. Do you have a timeline in your own mind of when you want to have another match? I mean, we'll see. We'll see what's coming up. I did have some talks with a couple of people, some really good talks, and we'll see, man. I always believe in the timing of the universe that everything happens for a reason.

and yeah, it's just a feeling that I got. Like at some point, I just felt like working out more. At some point, I just felt like dialing in my diet again, just getting more serious with cardio and all those things. And I don't have to force myself to do that. So I know when that opportunity comes, it'll be the perfect timing. I'll be in the perfect spot mentally, physically,

and I'm going to kill it. Your last match was December 13th, 2024. So here we are 16 months later. Yeah. Does your relationship with wrestling feel different now than it did when you were signed with WWA? It did. I'll tell you why.

It's because, so I grew up in Italy, in a small village, 2,000 people, right? And I remember when I was five years old, I was watching TV with my dad. And have you ever seen the movie, Commando, Bain, of course? Arnold, right? Yeah. So the opening scene. Classic. Yes.

So many good lines in that one. And the opening scene is, I remember as if it was yesterday, I was playing with something in front of the TV. My dad's in the back watching. And I look up and there was the opening scene. And that's Arnold, like tree trunk on his shoulder, carrying the chainsaw on the other hand. Biggest biceps I'd ever seen up to that point. Like, look up and I looked at my dad and like, who's that guy?

And he explained it to me like, that's Arnold, you know. He grew up two hours away from where I grew up. Same scenario, small village. He said, yeah, now he became bodybuilding champion, moved to the States. Now he's in movies. And at that moment, just my complete horizon just opened up. Like, whoa, that's possible. you can go from where we live to the country

where the movies are made. Like, that's how I looked at it back in the day. So I was very fortunate because ever since I was five years old, I told my dad, I'm going to move to the States one day when I was five years old. And in my mind, I knew I wanted to do something special with my life. I just didn't know what it was yet. So I tried all kinds of sports growing up.

I played soccer, which was big there, handball, played hockey, tennis. And then when I was 10, 11 years old, I started more going towards individual sports. actually became a pro skier before I started wrestling. Because I lived in the middle of the Alps. Like that's the perfect thing to do. Yeah.

And then I was just, it was pretty intense. Like, our coach was pretty insane. Like, it put us on a pretty professional regiment, trained year-round and whatever. So it was intense. What style of skiing? Everything. So racing. Like, you do downhill.

You do super G slalom, giant slalom. I did all the disciplines. And it's rough at the start because you have to work your way up. You know, you start at the very back. The track is not good anymore. So when you go down, like, it's all you're, feel like it's cold, man, I have respect for those guys. Doing that year-round, because you get up at 4.30 in the morning.

It's cold. You go up three lifts to get to the race. You sit around there all day until it's your turn and all that. But, yeah, I mean, I remember one of those days in the winter. I went home and I was just flipping through channels, watching TV with my brothers. And there's a channel in Italy called Italia Uno. And they showed Smackdown. It was a Smackdown episode before the Survivors.

series in 2003. And it was Undertaker wrestling Brock Lesnar and Big Show on a biker chain on a pole match. I'm like, what's going all here? What is this? Coolest thing I've ever seen. And then it just hit me. Like I saw a little documentary the week after about Ray Mysterio and how he started working out in Mexico and training.

Like, dude, that's it. Like, this is it. Just skiing, went down the list of priorities big time. And I just used the training that we got from our coach then to just, okay, like, I'm getting ready to wrestle. I have no idea how I'm going to do it. because there was no really huge wrestling schools there. And yeah, I just knew it was going to be a wrestler.

So everything leading up to that point was what's going to help me get to WWE and what is not. So that's how I based my life, basically. And that's how I made every decision in wrestling. And I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself because of that, just like maybe second-guessing things instead of just going with my gut. Whereas nowadays, I just want to have fun, man. I want to go out there because that's what it's supposed to be. It's just fun.

I want to have great matches. I want to be authentic. I want to tear it up with whoever I'm in the ring with. Just have a good time and enjoy the process. Live in the moment. And I know that's when great things are going to happen. So if you fell in love with WWE when you were a kid, and this is the dream, this is the goal.

You're working your way up through the Indies. You finally get signed by WWE, and you're there for eight years. And then you get that phone call that you're released. It's got to be heartbreaking. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it did suck to know that that chapter was over. you know, especially because you make big sacrifices to come here, you leave your family behind, you move halfway across the world,

you start out at the bottom of the ladder again with people who, like, have never done a role in their life, basically, even though you've been wrestling for six, seven years, but you just, you know, got to get a, not let your pride or your ego take over when it comes to that. So you go through that the whole process again, eventually get to the main roster, And then it was so weird because I really, I did put a lot of effort into those vignettes. Like I planned out where to shoot what,

where in Vegas with the guys there. And I loved how the vignettes turned out. Like I was super happy with those. And I thought, man, here we go. This is it. This is the time. And then it just went the way it did. So yeah, just having that thought in your mind that,

okay, here we go. But then it's kind of taken away. It sucked. But like I said earlier, it was such an emotional roller coaster. leading up to that, that it's okay. And I do believe everything happens for a reason. So you never, especially in wrestling, you know, never say never.

So we'll see what happens from here and out. But I'm more focused on the future and the present now and looking forward to it. Right before you got released, you were kind of repackaged, right? So you had these vignettes that you're talking about. It's like Italian elegance. You're speaking Italian. You're driving a Ferrari in Las Vegas. And then you come out and you lose to Apollo Cruise in less than 10 seconds.

Yeah. So what was the original plan with these vignettes and where your character would go? You know, I thought the plan was to get me going right away. And I didn't find out about that until, like, basically the day off the show. So at the end of the day, you're a professional. So whatever the plan is, you try to make the most of it. I do have to say, like, as far as entrance-wise, that was my favorite entrance I've ever done,

because in the group, I always felt a little bit like, I tried to fit in. That's why I didn't stand out. Whereas with that character that I did in NXC and it worked great there, doing that on the main roster, I just felt like, okay, I have some sort of direction, who I am, what I'm supposed to do, and was my favorite entrance, personality-wise, charisma-wise, and everything. And then the plan changed the day off.

Looking back now, I feel like from a business standpoint, if you look at the positives, it definitely got attention. Definitely, like, it got people talking. The unfortunate thing for me is just that none more came out of it. because I feel like we could have done a lot of cool stuff with that character on SmackDown. I know Apollo and I could have tore it up in a match. We did an NXC.

We did on main event. We have great chemistry. It was just things just kept happening. We moved to a different channel two weeks after. Then the next thing happened. I wasn't on TV for a little bit. And yeah, that's just one of those things that are a little unfortunate. Because I saw myself actually having really good matches

with the guys in the United States title picture at the time. like mellow, L.E. Knight, Andrade at the time. I think we could have done some cool stuff there, but yeah, it is what it is. How would you sum up that character? Like a playboy? Is that what it is? Yeah, like a high-class Italian playboy kind of world-class sportsmen, you know? Because the skiing, like, is a part of me that you saw in the vignettes. The racing is a part of me in the vignettes.

And he's just, I'm sure you've seen pumping iron as well, right? Of course. Yeah. I'm coming on the time. Man, what a guy. What a guy. Arnold, like in that one, I remember the one phrase somebody talked about Arnold, and he said, you know, Arnold, he's cocky, but he has a right to be because he is the best.

And that's what I took from there. It's like, he's this cocky, almost arrogant, but cocky in a likable way. Because he has a right to be, because he is the best. And that's, that's like, I feel like in the ring, I can keep up with everybody. Like, I seriously, I don't, I'm very comfortable when it comes to that. I'm very confident when it comes to that. And it was the first time in my wrestling career where I really knew who I'm supposed to be or had some sort of direction.

And I feel like that's why it connected with fans the way it did. It was the first entrance I did. They were chanting my name and I wasn't even in the ring yet. So, yeah, plans change. It's wrestling. I wish we could have done some more stuff with that on the main roster on the bigger stage, but it is what it is. It's all good.

Is wrestling still the main focus for you right now? Yeah. Yeah. It's been my passions as I was 13 years old. It gave me purpose in life. It was the one thing that drove me, motivated me, made me realize my dream of moving to America and doing what I do. It gave me the life that I have now,

so I could never be bitter about wrestling itself. I just needed some time away like you do sometimes, you know. I've been on it for what's it been. I had my first match in 2011, so 14, 15 years, nonstop. And I wouldn't have made the decision myself, but the decision was made for me. And when it happened, because I was determined to like, when I signed with WWE, I'm WWE all the way.

Stick it out until the end. But when it happened, I was like, okay, well, that's that. I'm going to take some time away. I'm going to take some time for myself. And when I'm ready, I'm going back to doing the things that I love. Well, now the WrestleMania has done. All eyes are on the biggest party of the summer, Summer Slam. And I want to shout out our sponsor for today, Seekek.

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The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer Podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Klinemberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup. Time's ticking. I think you can feel the intensity. the guys are wanting to really take their claim. And they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it.

Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer podcast, presented by Henko. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. So what's been keeping you busy over the last year or so, other than getting into phenomenal shape? Well, it's really just like going after my hobbies. There's a lot of cool spots in Vegas.

Like, I feel like I still haven't scratched the surface. like in Vegas. I love racing, like I said. There's a couple of cool spots there in Vegas to try out, whether it's go-karting, whether it's like driving Ferraris or Lambeaus around the track and all that. I took a couple of trips and just enjoyed the fruits of my labor. Just lived life a little bit.

And it's weird because life without wrestling feels very different. Because when you're wrestling on a regular basis, you go from, okay, this wrestling match and just that, I mean, you had some matches back in the day right. No, I know. I had some backyard matches, which are not actual matches. But I understand what you mean.

It's like you go from the high of being in the ring to the hotel, to the airport, like, and that's your life for so many years. Yes. And you just go by like match to match to match. And man, having a wrestling match and things go exactly the way you want them to go and they go well. That rush, there's nothing like it, like after a wrestling match. And I kind of missed that.

It was weird experiencing life like that. it's just okay i mean it's it's another day you get your workout in you i don't know you take a trip you go to dinner you do some fun activity but that rush and that that thrill of a wrestling match i did start missing it a lot so i'm looking forward to uh what the future holds how did you get on wwee's radar in the first place for the cruiserie class yes yeah so i i actually started out um like i said i always watched wrestling and whatever and i was always like really into it so i read up backstage news the whole time. And there was a page, a German website called Wrestling Infos,

where I always read up the results and whatever. And one day I went on it and there was a picture of a guy pointing at the screen and it said, do you have what it takes? So I clicked on it and it was Alex Wright. And it said, Nuremberg, Germany, which was like a four hour drive for me every time I wanted to get in the ring. But I knew he was the guy that was where I wanted to go. He was in the States.

He worked for WCW for nine years. And I texted him asking if he trains people from Italy. He said, yeah, sure, come by. And I just did four-hour drives for like 200 times, I think. They are back. Worked all week, yeah. I basically, I'm very grateful because he allowed me to be in the ring as much as I wanted. And he had like 14-hour days on Saturday and 14-hour days on Sunday.

And I hung around all day, end up wrestling with him after that and then driving home. I remember one time that four-hour drive turned into an 11-hour drive because I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. And yeah, I did that for a little bit. Got on his shows eventually because he has his own promotion there. And I think my big break was when I went from wrestling once or twice a month in Germany to England where I worked for All-Star Wrestling where, like, Seamus worked for them. I think Drew, Stu Bennett, like Wade Barrett. So a lot of guys worked for them.

And you go from wrestling twice a month in Germany, maybe, if you're lucky, to wrestling 50 matches in seven weeks. Like all summer you work like once or twice a three. twice a day. And the promoter there, Brian Dixon actually had some good contacts to WV, and he was like, you got to check this guy out, you know. And I did actually have a tryout a year after I started in Munich, where W.W.E did a tour in Germany. They had me do a tryout, and they actually flew me into Orlando to train a week in the PC. But at the time, they weren't really looking for, they said they were looking for a 7-foot 300-pound monster. So I was like,

it's all good because I've only been wrestling for a year. And I knew, like, it wouldn't hurt me to got some more experience, which is exactly what I did in England. And then I just got a message from one of the talent guys back in the day. Like, he asked me, how much do you weigh? So I tried to get big. I went from 205 to 230. He said, can you get to self to 205 or less? So sure, no problem.

He said, yeah, we have this tournament coming up in June. Just be ready for it. Said, okay, sounds good. So I did my last show in England, actually, that I agreed to. And the last day of the tour, I break my shit. Yes, it was three months before that tournament. I was like, man, what am I going to do now? Like, everything was up in the open.

You know, I had never broken my leg before. I didn't know, like, okay, how long is this going to take or whatever? All the guys kept saying, like, dude, I feel so sorry. I was like, I think, I think I'll be all right, just making it. So I spent like eight weeks on a couch in England, just sitting there watching wrestling matches. I didn't want to be home sitting in my room doing nothing. At least I had the guys that were coming back from the road,

had a couple of good days there. And then just slowly started walking in England, eventually flew home. And I think six days before the Cruzeway Classic was the first time where I started jogging a little bit. My leg kept swelling up and everything. And then, yeah, did the Cruzeway Classic, which originally wasn't really supposed to happen

because I thought it was German, just because I speak German, naturally, and Italian. And I said, well, I'm Italian, but I mean, could be cool if you have an Italian guy in the tournament too. And they agreed to it, thankfully. And yeah, there was actually one spot in the match where I did that double springboard moonsault. And I remember when I landed, I was like, is my leg hole?

I think we're good. Covered the guy. I finished the match. It was like, oh, thank God. Your leg's still pretty much broken at that point. Yeah. I mean, it's very, like, it felt fragile. Yes, it felt fragile.

But it was strange, yeah. I lost a lot of weight because my leg got so small. I was like, oh, well, I'm 210. Like, 2.05 is going to be a piece of cake. But then I put the muscle back on and I was 2.30. So I had to lose like almost 30 pounds in three weeks. It's so funny to me that you had to legit be 205 to bring the Cruiserweight Classic. Yes.

Even though it's pro wrestling. Yeah. I actually asked Brian Kendrick, because he was here before. He said, do you really think they're going to do a shoot weighing? He said, man, I don't know. I don't want to tell you they're not, but he's never experienced it. I just didn't want to risk it. Like, in the day before, I still had to do like two hours of cardio with a hoodie on and whatever,

brought my own scale. I think I was like in kilos, it would have been 93 kilos. I was 92.8 when I stepped on the scale, like right on the dot. Yeah. So yeah, that was actually the thing that I think really got me noticed because Triple H saw me for the first time, actually wrestling on, on WWE platform. William Rego was a big fan at the time. He said, you need to be here as a heavyweight.

And it was weird because the tournament happened in June. And then I think they did the 205 live right after. And I didn't hear anything for a while. So, like, everyone told me, I did good, but we'll see. So I kept wrestling that schedule in England again. And then I had a show in Germany that year in December. And we went out after the show, just partying a little bit. And when I got back to the hotel room, I set my alarm for the next day.

And an email popped up from Kenyon Seaman at the time. I was like, why is he texting me now? See, I'm getting goosebumps already. And he said, William Regal and Triple H told me to put you in the hiring process. Wow. Best Christmas present ever. I couldn't wait to tell my coach the next day. And yeah, that's how it all started.

I got my visa six months after, moved here, and that's got started in NXC. What was the biggest difference for you from moving from where you grew up to moving to the U.S.? Because I also moved to the U.S. So I get it. I grew up in Canada. Right, right. Well, it was definitely different because, like, everything's small where I'm from. Like, it's a 2,000 people village.

I think a school here has 2,000 people. You know what I mean? Yeah. My high school had 2,000 people. Exactly. And I was always such a big Simpson fan. Like, that's how I actually learned English. It's basically from the Simpsons.

What? Yes. Yes. Like, the most was probably from the Simpsons. Because I grew up watching it all the time. And then I was okay in school in English. But then when I came across wrestling, I obviously wanted to know, like, what did that guy say? And I did the research and got better through that.

And then one day it just dawned to me. I should just watch the Simpsons in English. Because I knew pretty much every word. what they were saying, I didn't have to look anything up. And I switched that. I watched all the Simpsons in English. And like a couple of things that happens in those episodes is like, for example, when I call someone in my village, right?

You talk to a person right away. When they did it at The Simpsons, like, there was one episode where like, I think Bart had a cast on his foot and he tries to call the police about a murder and whatever. If we want to report a murder, press one. I'm a huge Simpsons fan. I love that. That's awesome. So there's a lot of similarities when it comes to that.

So first time I called someone in the States, if you want to do this, press one. Like, dude, it's the same thing. But yeah, I was always so focused on coming to America. That was like, man, I'm here. Like, I'm actually here. I looked it up all the time on TV. I watched shows about it or American TV shows.

And it just felt like, yeah, a little bit living in a movie. It was a dream come true. What was the idea behind you? being in this group with Walter at the time and Marcel at the time to form Imperium. I think it was just a perfect fit because of how we came up in the business. Like our beliefs about the business, I think, was perfect.

Obviously, like Marcel, for example, he has a whole, like his dad was a wrestler. We're German speaking, we're the foreigners. I was trained by Steve Wright and Alex Wright, which, like Steve, Alex's dad, wrestled with Marcel Dads back in the day. Walter was perfect fit for that as well, the way he goes about the business

and the way he defends the business, basically in and outside of the character. So I think it was just one of those things because Marcel and I were the only two German-speaking people in NXT. And I picked him up from the airport back in the day and we hung out ever since. Like we were thick as thief, as it likes to say.

So we did everything together and it was just natural. Like, our chemistry as a tech team was undeniable. And he actually had a good point because in NXT, NXT was packed at the time when we started. The black and gold was like really on point. Like, all the guys were there. And he actually said, I think we have a better chance of getting on TV as a tech team.

And it did work. Like, it was great. And then Marcel Walter, lifelong friends, they did their thing in Germany with the group there. And then it was basically just a WB version of that. It was a perfect fit. How many languages do you speak? speak three yeah so it's weird because i'm italian but i grew up in the very north of italy

and that used to be a part of austria but it became a part of italy with the first world war so it was kind of like it's an autonomous uh autonomous autonomous region where like people didn't want to completely italianize it so they made that deal of okay we're going to keep our language which is like a german dialect but we're also going to learn Italian in school and then at 10 years old you start learning English. And then German as well? Yeah. Yeah.

So I have a German dialect as my mother language. Then you start in school at five, six years old. That's when you speak the proper German, like the German that they speak in Germany, which is like Marcel always makes fun of me. It's like, yeah, you don't really speak German. That's Ludwig Kaiser, everybody. There you go. There you go.

And yeah, just you start learning the proper German, then Italian after that, and then English when you're 10 years old. So it just seems like they took three guys without, like, real European style of wrestling, put you guys together, called you Imperium, it's like, figure this out. And obviously, like, there seems to be this thing in WWE dating all the way back into the, like, 80s and 90s of like, if you're foreigners, you're immediately a heel. Right, right. Evil foreigners.

Like, I know German sounds aggressive, the language itself, even though you can say the, the sun is shining beautifully, you know, and it sounds aggressive. Oh, tell us what that sounds like in German. Sun shines, wundashirn. You know. So, yeah, exactly like you said, it's the evil foreigners. It was just easy. I mean, I really just adapted to what they had already been doing,

and it worked great. Yeah, you guys were like standout tag team in NXT UK and then NXT as well, two-time tag team champions. When do you go from there to the main roster? Well, that all came a little bit unexpected. because we were at that group in NXT where it was the three of us, and when the call-up happened,

they got called up, I didn't. So that was a bit of a mix-up. That was also a bit of a, like, what's going on here, you know? So that wasn't an easy time. She's been there for a while, too. Yeah, yeah. We started at the same time. Then Walter came over after that.

But they went up there, said, you guys do your thing. I'll do my thing in NXT, a little workout. But it was a little bit like, it was like an avalanche, of emotions at the time because you don't know like what's going on here like am i am i not going anywhere am i like what's what's happening like do i have to move back or whatever so you feel like you're being left behind a little bit yeah yeah but i didn't really know why because we did everything

together all the time everything went well with the matches and all that um but after three days i had a great talk with sean he's like hey don't worry about it we're going to figure it out he's the man matt bloom as well they're they were both great and uh i remember three days after that. I got myself three burgers. I'm like, I eat these and tomorrow we go to work. I'm going to show them. And that's where we came up with that character, that Giovanni Vinci character,

which I had a ton of fun with. I think I did more in those three months in NXC that I had done five, six years prior to NXC. The promos every week, had great matches, did commentary, like those segments. So that was great. And then I heard rumors about me getting called up, but, you know, in wrestling, you never get too excited until it actually

happens because nothing's ever set in stone. Yeah, I mean, the debut was great, in front of 60, 70,000 people showing up there, clash at the castle. But you're doing this work in NXT as a completely other character. And then it's like, you immediately say goodbye to that, it's back to what you were doing before.

Yeah. That's, yeah, it was definitely a decision I had to think about, but at the end of the day, do you want to take yourself, or do you want to keep yourself from getting the chance of maybe doing it eventually on a bigger stage by saying, hey, like, leave me in NXT. Like, obviously, you get the chance,

which is what everybody comes here for. Like, we all want to go to Raw SmackDown. We want to get to the big stage. We want to get to that platform. And I just felt like, you know, there's good chemistry there. If we can do what we did in NXT on the May roster, and then maybe eventually go the same path as we did in NXT,

when we go separate, then that's great. But I didn't want to take away that chance for myself. So yeah, got called up. We did that thing for a couple of years. And then the debut went away it did. Yeah, that main roster debut is really interesting because they're booing Ludwig Kaiser, right? He's healing out in the mic.

And then he introduces you, and the crowd like turns, like, oh, here he was back together. And then he introduces Gunther, and it's like, oh, okay, we're going to boo again. Right, right. And it was a funny, like, roller coaster for emotions. It is, yeah. But I think those are the best moments for the people,

It's like, oh, nobody knows what's really happening. Like, you can tell that the audience was involved in that. And when the audience is involved, like, it's amazing. Why did your name have to change? I guess copyright, I don't know. Because it was your, it is your real name. Yeah. But then you change, actually, all you guys in Imperium change your name, right?

Walter goes to Gunther and Marcel goes to Lubbuk Kaiser, and then you change your name to Giovanni Vinci. Yeah. Now, what was a thought process in changing your name? I basically just got a message saying, hey, come up with a couple of last names, a couple of first names. And I looked up a couple of cool ones.

I think Vinci actually means win in Italian. And I sent him a couple of first names. And it was actually, Giovanni is actually, so my little brother is called Hannes. His name's Hannes, which is the Italian or the German version of John. And the Italian version of John is Giovanni. So I feel like Giovanni, sounded good, Gio, sounded good. and Vinci went good together, and they just picked those two names.

I think the way that Samantha Irvin introduced you, like really helped to get you over, especially early on. Yeah. Oh, for sure. She did an amazing job. I was actually looking forward to the introduction every time myself. Like, oh, here we go. And Giovanni.

She did amazing, yeah. Did she tell you she was going to do that? No, no. Caught me off guard myself. I was like, oh, that was cool. Yeah, because you're probably so used to hearing the Giovanni, Vinci, right? She put a totally different.

twist on it, very enjoyable twist. And I think the people liked it too because they were starting to get behind it the way she announced it. Yeah, it was great. And she did the same thing with Ludwig Kaiser. Yep. Utwig.

Yeah. It's strange because if you just make it a little bit different, it has such a big effect. Just that tiny little change. And yeah, I mean, she's amazing at what she's doing anyway. What do you think really on the main roster helped to get you guys over as a faction? I think the authenticity,

just the quality of the matches, because I feel like whenever we had a match, you knew you were going to see something cool. You knew we were going to see something entertaining. And we didn't hold back with whoever we were in the ring with. And yeah, it was just that natural chemistry that connects with people, I think. Who were you traveling with most of the time when you're on the road? I'm a bit of a loner.

So we started traveling as a group, but eventually, like, I kind of started traveling by myself a little bit. I feel like that's when, yeah, we started drifting apart a little bit there. But, you know, it is what it is. Everything happens for a reason. Well, then, so you have this big buildup to, like, there's some dissension within the group.

And then finally the payoff is Ludwig Kaiser, it kicks you out. And, like, he decimates you, right? He beats you down. And you're actually a big reason why Ludwig was able to get over as a single star. because we were able to see so much aggression in that moment. But talk me through the breakup and what led up to it. I mean, it was just one of those things where I feel like it was planned for a little while.

And when that moment happened, you're a professional. So whatever I can do to make that segment look as good as I can, I'm going to do that. I feel like it came across really well. I feel like you said, it got him going right away. and I wasn't bitter about it or anything. I knew I was going to get my thing later on. So, yeah, just do the best you can with whatever you're given. He slams you into the LED ring skirt and like it glitches out.

Was that a plan or is that just he slammed you into that hard? Oh, no, they had to replace the whole thing afterwards. If it wasn't planned, man, that was timed out perfectly. Yeah, yeah, it looked great, yeah. And then him walking away and then he turns back around and you're still, laying on the steel steps. He runs full force all the way from the ramp around the ring and then kicks you.

And it's like, man, that's like a kill shot. Yes. I think that's exactly how it was perceived. So I think it was good that I wasn't seen for a little bit after that to give that more effect, got him going. And yeah, I mean, he's killing it now. Gunther, Walter, killing it now too.

So it's good to see that because I know how much work went in to that and how many sacrifices were made. So good. I've heard a lot of people saying that this new Al Grande Americano looks a lot like Ludwig Kaiser. I don't know if that's true or not,

but what do you think of the work that he's doing? I think he's killing it at whatever he's doing. Like, I think he has a good feel for what the people want to see and what people want to get out of it. And the reaction speak for himself. Like, he may be more over as Al Grande-Americanano than he ever was as Ludwig Kaiser.

Like in AAA, he is so. star. Yeah. Like, he's shaking hands, like literally kissing babies in the front row. It's amazing seeing that he's taken that and just ran with it. Yeah. I mean, that's what you got to do. If whatever you're given, you just got to commit to it.

And he did that 100%. And, yeah, that, I mean, you don't get those kind of reactions if it's not, if you're not doing something right. So, who knows to him? And look at the run that Gunther's been on right now. Like, the last, I mean, the Intercontinental run is amazing. then the world championship run was amazing. Then it's retiring all the legends now.

He's the career killer. Goldberg, then John Cena, then AJ Stiles. You've known Gunther Walter for a long time. What do you think of the work he's doing now? I always thought he was like that final opponent in the video game, you know, the ultimate opponent. We always saw him as that. And he lived up to the expectations.

I think he's doing great work. I think what he's doing is very authentic in the ring. And it's just high quality. Did you see like the shift that was happening with him? Like he lost a ton of weight, dialed in his nutrition, dialed in his workouts, and like his character changed completely as a result. Yeah, yeah. I think it's just he also realized that the platform that he was on,

it was, I know he made the decision too like, okay, this is the time to do it. This is the time to get in the best shape. And I mean, he did a great job sticking it through because it's not easy, especially like you had to lose a good amount. And he stuck it through. He worked out all the time. And, I mean, he looked that much better for it.

What's the match in WWE that you're most proud of? I think one of them that was a, I feel like a defining moment was that debut that I had in NXC when I was coming out by myself just because that went from like one match to the other. It's not like I had a lot of time to figure out, okay, who is this guy? What's happening next? And I just took the ball and ran with it, like just committed to it. And it was a short match against Guru at the time, but I was so happy with it

because at the end of the match, even before I got in the ring with the new character, people were into it, they were chanting my name, and then at the end of it, they were just standing. And I was so happy that that match went well. That's always the first thing that comes to mind when you ask me a question like that. There's this one moment, I think it's a match on SmackDown,

where you do like a guerrilla press slam off the top rope. Like, I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one of those. Yeah, I don't know if it's ever been, done in WW. Like, I couldn't, man, think about it. I've watched a lot. Like, watched pretty much everything, but I don't know. Joachim actually said, you think we can do that?

I was like, yeah, let's give it a try. It was a bit of a balanced thing, but it came off great, yeah. And the fact that people still talk about it says everything. And I think it's because it's such a rare thing. Like, maybe I saw it on the Indies. I don't know, but like, there's a lot that goes into that. Yeah. Like, standing on the top rope in and of itself is not easy.

And I think because we see it on TV all the time, people think, oh, it's just so easy to climb up there. Yeah. It's not. There's a lot of balance that goes on. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And then obviously, like, there's a good amount of pressure on you

because at that point, you're responsible for the other guy. Because if you slip, like, that could end badly. Yeah. So I'm glad that it worked out the way it did. And yeah, I mean, it's a cool clip to watch nowadays. You had a match where it was Imperium versus John Sina and Seth Rollins. And I don't know if a lot of people know that, You were in the ring with John Sina.

Yeah. How did that match come about? Man, it was such a surreal moment. It was announced that Sina was going to be on that show in India. And it was kind of a last minute. It was kind of thrown together. It was announced that Seth and Sina against Ludwig and I at the time. And I tell you, that was the loudest reaction I've ever heard in my life.

Like that building of the floor was vibrating. It was shaken when we were standing there. He did his entrance, and then it was one of those, it's almost like you wear a real-life VR, you know, those virtual reality things. Because it was my brother's favorite wrestler growing up in like 2004, 2005. Obviously watched him my whole life myself. And then he gets a tag and I get the tag.

I'm like, okay, I'm wrestling John Cena now. Crazy moment. Obviously, you want to still be professional, like 99%, but that 1% in the back of your mind is like, oh, this is cool. This is very cool. I've heard so many stories about how John Cena just like calls everything in the ring.

Yeah. Based a lot about like on how, what he's hearing from the audience. So how much of that match should you put together in the back and how much of it's being called in the ring? Most of it. Most of it been called in the ring.

And I, like, you know that. Like, it's a well-known fact that he likes to go about it that way. But like neither of us had a problem doing that just because of how we grew up in the business, like calling stuff on the fly is just one of those 101 things that you learn. And I feel like everyone should learn

because you never know. Like if, if everything is planned out, something goes off, like you need to be able to cover it somehow. But it was a very fun experience, actually like, yeah, experiencing that ourselves and going through that quick trip as well. Like I think it was like a 50-hour trip to India. We landed at 6 in the morning, slept for six hours, did some media, did the show, straight back.

Yeah. And Cina's not just calling spots in the ring, like, duck the clothesline. Like he's calling things like wait, wait, okay now. Yeah, right? Yeah. It's cool because, um, you know he's going to tell you, and you just kind of,

you can just kind of observe. You know what I mean? But it's very interesting to see, like, also how calm he was, just taking his time, listen to the crowd, like you said, and then just going off, it's like an action reaction kind of thing.

It's like interaction with them. I think that's why he gets the reactions that he does. And also it being on a house show, like a little bit of the pressure's off too. You don't need to perform for the cameras. You're performing for just everybody in the arena. Exactly, yeah.

That was one of those things. times where it was just fun. It was just so much fun being in there with two guys like Seth, Sina, like top of the, top of the line professionals. And we were just there having that match with them in front of a crowd that was going absolutely nuts. Man, that's cool. One of those things I'll never forget.

Yeah. You also got to be in the ring with Kurt Angle. Yeah. So walk us through that one. Well, so Kurt Angle was actually my favorite wrestler growing up. Like I saw that biker chain on a pole match and in like 2003, 2004, I think Perth was like at the top of his game. He was the wrestling machine at that time.

Absolutely, absolutely. So the only show that we got in Italy was Smackdown. And obviously, he was the man on Smackdown. So I was always looking forward to Kurt Engel matches so much. Still a big inspiration for me and how I wrestle. And yeah, it came about on a raw. I forgot if it was the 30th anniversary. I think it was a different one.

but he ended up being the special referee in the match. So that was another one of those moments where you watch a guy growing up, you idolize him, and then he's in the ring and he's refereeing your match, right? It's full circle moments like that that are just surreal to accept in a way. Was that the first time you had met Kurt? I met him one time before, but just shook his hand, introduced myself really quick, but it was actually we had a little bit more to do with each other, yeah. And that's pretty cool that like you get to, at least in a little bit of a way,

put together this match with him too. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean, that's just a different side of what you experienced because that view shifts so much from like me being a 13 year old kid watching that on TV to getting in the business to actually end up working with him.

It's like a like the whole experience is just complete. You know what I mean? You talk about watching your idols as a kid and like growing up and meeting them. Yeah. You got to meet Arnold. Yes. Like how cool is that that? you got to meet Arnold, that gold gym, right?

Yes. Oh, it was amazing. It was one of those times where, again, everything happens for a reason, right? Yeah. First time we go to California, or I've been to California, for the main roster,

and I always wanted to work out at Muscle Beach. So we go to Muscle Beach, and it was the one day a year where they had a CrossFit event. So all the weights were gone. All the way, nothing, like we couldn't work out. So it's like, okay, what do we do?

Well, it's a 15-minute walk to Gold's gym. A few blocks away. Yes. He said, screw it. Let's just go there. The mecca of, bodybuilding. It's Gold's Gym. The spot, yes. And you know how, like, if you're a little bit into working out, like, you know how many videos you see about Mecca and Gold's Gym and all the people

working out there, like Michael Hearn is another guy that I take a lot from. So we walk there, we get our workout in. I just was like, man, I feel like it's happening for a reason, like everything does. So we get a good leg workout in. At the end, like, they have this merchandise shop next to the checkout station. We're like, okay, let's get a hoodie or a tank top or whatever. And I'm paying and I see this guy like pushing in a bicycle and I look over, I'm like, that's big tires on that bicycle. I'm like, I know who has those big tires on that bicycle.

I'm like, it's Arnold. And I look around and I see him walking to the outside area of the gym. I was like, this is my chance. Like, I got to go up to him. And it was the first time in my life where I was like completely starstruck. I think like the five-year-old kid in me coming out and I go up to him and I talk to him in English. Why did I talk to him in English?

And I said, I'm, man, can we take a picture real quick? He's like, let me finish my workout first. So I didn't get to take a picture with him, but at least I got fist bump. Hopefully I'll meet him again. Maybe I'll go out today since I'm here already, get a workout in. And I don't think people realize this. He works out at Gold's Gym Venice.

Like, that's just his regular routine. Yes. It's not like it's a special event. It's not like he's going there for photos or autographs. Yep. That's his gym. Which is crazy because as rich as he is, as famous as he is, he can work out at home. And I'm sure he does have a very nice gym at home.

And I'm sure he does have a very nice gym at home. But from what I understand, when he's in town, he rides his bike from wherever he lives, into Venice with his bodyguard, gets his workout in, like he's just one of us. I think he just enjoys the community. I think that was big back in the 70s, like with all the guys.

I think, like, again, if you watched the pumping iron, they would work out four hours a day, go to dinner, go to the beach. Whatever they did, they did together. So I think he just enjoys that. And I mean, he's been working out there like 50 years. Exactly, exactly. I think he always will.

That's just part of your identity at that point. And it makes you feel good. Like, it does something to you. If you work out, I think it improves your quality of life. Like genuinely, if you want to meet Arnold and you spend enough time around Gold's Gym in Venice, like one day he'll come in. I think so too. Like one day within probably the next week or two.

Yeah, very good chances of meeting him. Like you said, it's crazy because he's done everything. He's like been top of the time. Hollywood highest pet actor, but yet he's like humble and goes to work out there. And I think he just enjoys being around people. Yeah, that's wild. So what would you have said to him? Like you're regretting that you spoke to him in English.

What should you have done? I think I should have told him in German that were WW wrestlers. I think you would have appreciated that. And if he had a second to take a picture with us, I think that would have went a little differently. So one of those things. I don't know. We'll see. Like I said, it's not the first time I'm in, not the last time I'm in California.

I'll definitely check out Gold's Gym again. So if I meet him today or tomorrow, I'll send you a picture. Please. I feel like there's certain words that you say like biceps or California that sound a lot like Arnold. Oh, really? Yeah. I never thought about that. I don't know.

Can you do an Arnold impression? Oh, man, I don't know. California. California. Maybe it's because you grew up not that far from him. It could be. You have like a similar-ish accent for some of those words. It's funny.

My girlfriend actually pointed that out sometimes. Oh, you said that. You sound a little bit like all of things. Even when you said that. I don't know. You sound a little bit like Arnold. I can't be the only one that's hearing this. Maybe.

I mean, I'm sure we're going to get some comments when the video goes out. Do you think your accent is more German or more Italian? I honestly believe I didn't have an accent. I would say more on the German side. I think so. Just because it's my native language in a way growing up, like that German dialect. So I can see that because Arnold's German as far as, like, it's not the proper, proper German.

Like, they speak in Germany. It's also a kind of a dialect a little bit in Austria. So I get what you're saying. Like, I can see how things are being pronounced, but it's not on purpose. When you moved here, you tried to drop your accent as much as possible? Yeah, because I watched so many of the Simpsons

and the wrestling. I feel like, because we're being taught the English from England in school, like the proper, like announcing it that way. But I spent so much time. watching American TV, like Simpsons, two and a half men and, like, wrestling and all that. And now I did go to England, but then I feel like when I came here, I picked up that kind of American way of speaking. It's just because you're surrounded by people that talk that way the whole time.

I feel like you subconsciously adapt to that a little bit. So, yeah, I would definitely say it's more on the German side. When Arnold first moved to the U.S., his accent was so bad. They had to dub, I think it was Conan the Barbarian. Yeah. And he tells this great story if he went to a dialect coach. And he's like, I want to get rid of my accent. Yeah.

And he was told like, no, that's what makes you different. So, like, instead of dropping his accent, he just learned to enunciate different words, pronounce them like, so that people could understand what he was saying. Yeah. But his whole thing was he didn't want to lose his accent because that uniquely made him who he was.

Yeah. How's that saying go? I can't remember it. Something about standing out. But just that little bit of difference makes him stand out right away. Nobody talks like him. Yeah. It's actually funny.

I watched him on a talk show. where he's like, he talks about those accent removal classes, and he goes, I should give my money back for that one. There's our Arnold accent. Yeah. You had some really fun moments with Kevin Owens. Yeah. So there's this moment you're in the ring with Kevin Owens and Sammy Zane,

and he's talking about like everybody in Imperium. And he's like, we never hear from this guy. What's up with Baldi? And the crowd starts chanting Baldy. It's, hey, whatever can entertain the crowd is great. The fact that they got into it was surprising to me. Same thing with, there's this video out there of him at Commentary. Like we said, wipe the sweat off your head and you see me do.

Like right after you, right after he says it, you wipe the sweat. Could you hear him? No, no idea. It was just crazy coincidence. Like, I saw it a couple of days after it happened. I was like, well, look at that. Like, who would have thought? Kevin Owens is hilarious.

Yeah. He's a good guy. Yeah. And like, I mean, the things he's doing, the things he's been doing, he has a completely different style again. I think that's what makes him stand out. And yeah, I mean, he definitely understands what he's doing and he does it in a very great way. What are you most proud of from your time in WWA?

Realizing my dream that I had as like 13-year-old kid coming from a village because it was like unheard of, you know, I don't think I know anyone in quite a radius from where I lived that did make it to America that did like something like that. Because watching wrestling on TV is like so much larger than life. Like it's so unrealistic.

When I told people, like, I'm going to do that. Like, yeah, right. Okay, sure. We can beat you up here for free. You don't have to pay to get thought that, you know. Yeah. But yeah, just the fact that I was actually able to get to WWE, walk out on the main roster,

actually do what I always dreamt of, just the whole package, basically, like, just being able to realize that dream. I'm very proud of it. So when we do see you back in wrestling, have you thought about what you want to do? Have you thought about what your character's going to be? I just want to have fun, man. I want to be authentic. I want to have a good time.

I want to have great matches and just go with my field more than I did in the past, like, go with my gut more than I did in the past. Not overthink it and just kill it. I think that's going to be the thing that connects with people, and that's how good things are going to happen. Because Matt Cardona talks about when you get released from WWE, you basically have like three choices, right? I'm paraphrasing here, but one is like you could just play the greatest hits

of what you were doing, right? You could come out to the Imperium music and you could be that guy. You could also completely reinvent yourself. And I think there's a lot of people that just watch the main roster, just watch Rawr Smackdown. They only know you as the guy from Imperium. if you did the Giovanni Vinci character, the Playboy character,

it might be new to them. They might not know it. So you've got this decision you've got to make of like, do I be the character that fans relate to most? Or do I be a new version of myself? I think it's just a matter of being the coolest version that you can be,

being the most authentic version that you can be, and just that standard saying, just dial the volume up a little bit. I think that's what's going to draw people in. And I think the biggest thing for me is I neglected having the fun part a little bit. Because I feel like I put quite a bit of pressure on myself to live up to those standards and make sure this is on point and this is on point. But at the end of the day, you get into this to have fun.

And if you're having fun, the people are going to have fun. How much of that is just like you're happy to be there? Like if this is your dream as a kid when you're 13 years old and you're signed to this contract and you renew the contract, you got to be happy to be happy to be happy. to be there. But at the same time, you've got to be hungry for what's next. Exactly. And that's the, balance that you have to weigh out for yourself. Like, it's great. It's great that you're there. But now that you're there, and that's kind of the thing, you get used to whatever you achieve. Like, okay, I'm here now. What's next? Here now. What's next? So you want to move up the ladder

and you just always strive for more. And that's one of those things where I was very focused on the outcome, very focused on the goal. Now I want to be more focused in the moment and just enjoy the moment, enjoy the process of what's happening right now. I think that's the recipe to success. So your 90 days would have been up, I think, like around May 8th, 2025. Did you have conversations with AEW or TNA about doing something with them? Not really. I did eventually have some good conversations, but nothing is set in stone yet.

I just know that the way I'm working out now, I think I'm good to go already. And the longer it goes on, the, the, longer it goes on, the, better the better setup I will be. And when that opportunity comes, wherever it is, I know I'm going to go all in and I'm going to kill it. Because that was the whole point of taking that time off, just to completely recharge the batteries and come back fresh and then go all in. I feel like you're teasing us for what's next.

It's like, we'll see you back in the ring sometime in 2026, but it's a matter of like, just keep watching. You'll find out. Pretty much. Yeah. Pretty much. Keeps eyes on the product. Well, it's interesting.

You live in Las Vegas. WrestleMania 42 is in Las Vegas. Obviously, that's a big show. But there's also dozens of indie shows that are happening the entire week. So I'm just saying maybe there's a chance we see you in a ring sometime in the next few weeks. The opportunities are there. Definitely. Definitely.

And like I said, whenever there's a perfect fit, whenever the time is right, I'll be there. I'll be ready. And we're going to have a good time. Do you feel like the batteries are recharged to hit the Indies hard and grind like you were doing before you got signed to WWE? Whatever it is, whatever it is. I didn't make my mind up like I'm only doing this. I'm only doing that. I'm very set on one thing.

Whatever, whatever comes up and whatever feels right is what I'm going to commit to it 100%. However that turns out, I don't know yet. But yeah, I'm going to go all in and make the most of it. But this is the career focus. Wrestling is still the career focus. It's always been my passion, yeah. But it's not like you have another, like, day job right now. No, not really, no.

I've enjoyed my life a little bit, made some good investments, just took up some hobbies, spent some time with the hobbies that I already had, like the racing and stuff. Were you there when F1 was in Vegas? Oh, for sure. Oh, okay. Oh, absolutely, yeah. How was that?

It was great. Yeah, I went there two years in a row, actually. Yeah. It is interesting because when you're there alive, you see them go by and whatever and it's cool, but you only see that small part of the track. So whatever you see around. Exactly.

Oh, that's it. So, yeah, I was actually, one of my goals is to go to every single Formula One race around the planet. Oh, wow. I think that would be a cool thing to do and to just check off, you know. Gives you a destination right away, where to go. And it's always a new experience. F1 is fascinating. I got into the Netflix series.

I thought so. Right. I think that got a lot of people in, right? But like learning the ins and outs of it, so intricate. This is one video. I'm fascinated by, like, people who are masters of their craft,

people who are the very top of their game. And I watched this clip on YouTube of these drivers with their eyes closed, listening to the gear changes, and they were able to tell you exactly what course. What? Like, that's just masterful to me. Right.

That, and, like, I saw similar, clip where they could tell you what kind of car engine it is, like what brand and if it was a V6, V8, V12, you know, all those things. So, yeah, like, they're into it. Obviously, learning the tracks of the top of your head, but it's a very, very, very precise sport. And yeah, I've been into it because that was like the big thing in my village was every Sunday, was go to the local sports bar, which was the only place in the whole village that had a big TV. So the whole village kind of gathered there was the Ferrari fan.

club, which my dad was part of, so I'm still like diehard Ferrari fan. And then there was like the McLaren fan club, like Michael Schumacher at the time, Mika Hakenen were two legends. And yeah, it was, it was, I'm still, I have the VR at home with my race seat and all that. So I'm really, I'm into it. Yeah. If there's ever a chance to like sit in a race car, I would take it in a heartbeat. Yeah, absolutely. Fans are going to be really happy to hear from you. So thank you for doing this. Thank you for coming in here. Thank you for having me. When you posted that photo, People were like, he's back. Everything's okay.

Yeah. And it was also great to see that when you posted that photo, you're in a good headspace. Yeah. And you seem to be in a great headspace now. Yeah, definitely. You seem to, like, the batteries seem to be recharged. Yeah. So I think it's the best I've felt in probably five years, physically and mentally.

Love that. Absolutely. Yeah. Just because, like, again, you're in WWW, you want to do things right, put a little pressure on myself, go hard with the workouts. The traveling takes a demand on your body. The workout takes it. and abandoning your body.

And just having that time to myself to just completely, like, it felt good to have that little bit of distance. I actually deleted Instagram off my phone for a long time, just completely just figured out what life is like without all that. You know, and just, yeah,

it wonders for me, I really have to say. Well, we're excited to see what's next for you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. I end every conversation talking about gratitude. And I know that's a big thing for you as well. What are three things, Fabian, right now that you're grateful for.

My family, my health, and the fact that I'm able to live my dream that I had as a five-year-old boy on a daily basis, being in the States doing what I love. I love that. Well, again, can't wait to see what's next for you. Appreciate it, Chris. Thank you so much. Thank you. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary.

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