Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Paul Wight (Big Show): Iconic Moments, Breaking The Ring, Rey Mysterio Stretcher Spot, The Rock, Possible Retirement

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

Get tickets to Insight LIVE in Las Vegas with special guest Maven: https://cvvtix.com Paul Wight (@PaulWight) is a professional wrestler currently signed to AEW and known for his time in WWE and WCW. ...He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Indianapolis, IN to discuss how much longer he intends to wrestle, the amount of times he has turned face or heel throughout his career, working with The Rock, being cast as Captain Insano in The Waterboy, a hilarious Arnold Schwarzenegger story after starring in Jingle All The Way, the scary stretcher spot with Rey Mysterio, Floyd Mayweather breaking his nose for real before their WrestleMania match 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

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Flee! Oh, it is so good to see you. Oh, man, we've probably been a long time, but we're here. We're doing it. We are here. What's the biggest downside of being seven feet tall? What's the most inconvenient part? You had to duck when you walked in this room.
Starting point is 00:00:35 I think traveling in the world outside of my immediate area. Like, obviously where I live in my home and my house and my cars, everything's kind of tailored towards me, countertops at taller. Everything is made so that I'm comfortable. The rest of the world, it's a little bit awkward sometimes. You know, like sometimes like the toilet in here, it's like I'm sitting on my ankles. It's like, it's a good thing I got my knees replaced or this wouldn't have happened. You know, so you, um, unfortunately the world is not used to giants.
Starting point is 00:01:07 It's made for the, you know, five foot six to five foot 11 individual. So your toilet is raised? Oh, yeah. How tall is your toilet? I have a big John. That's a thing? I bought it because it said it would flush 23 golf balls in one shot and I tried it. It's amazing.
Starting point is 00:01:25 It's amazing. Yes, it's about, I think four inches taller. So it's taller than a, like if you've ever been in a handicapped stall, how tall those are. This is taller. But I sit on it comfortably. Like your feet would dangle if you sat on my toilet. You'd be like a little kid with your feet dangling. You're looking lean.
Starting point is 00:01:44 We're working on it. It's been a very, it's almost the point like I don't like posting on social media about it because I'm sick of hearing my own shit. You know what I mean? But it's just been a struggle of, you know, okay, well, this hip's bad. We need to fix it. Okay, well, guess what?
Starting point is 00:02:01 The other hip went bad. Now this knee goes bad and now this knee goes bad. Oh, well, we're back to this knee again. So it's like, it's been a since, what, 2018, 2019. It's just been, it's almost been like, a surgery every year and it put me so far behind an eight ball because every one of those surgeries is intensive rehab therapy recovery and you know I'm not getting any younger I mean hey you know father time's undefeated but you know I'm just stubborn enough to keep sticking to it
Starting point is 00:02:29 so are you feeling good now feeling good I'm feeling real good um I just I think my main thing now is is uh I understand there's a short window left um and listen I'm not in anywhere straight of form delusional that I'm going to go out and compete for championships and pull the wagon. Those days are done. And you have to reality. And also, in fairness to the younger talent that's digging and striving, now they don't need to see my ass every week,
Starting point is 00:02:58 taking up TV time and ring time. No, I've done. There's nothing I can do that's going to make my career any bigger or better. All I can do is enjoy some of the last years that I have on a contractor at UW you and hopefully have some fun with some of the younger talent and teach them some of the lessons that have been passed down to me and just have a little bit of fun. I'm in a really good spot. You got a good boss that believes in me, supports me, and gives me an opportunity to be a part of a business I love. Do you have a number in mind for how much longer you want to keep
Starting point is 00:03:36 doing this? It's funny with wrestling. I think for me to get back in the arena and compete, I'm going to have to be a certain level. I'll never be what I was. Got two fake knees and two hips. The pro perception is different. The connection between your joints is different. You feel different as an athlete.
Starting point is 00:03:58 So I have to accept what am I now? And does that enhance the product that I'm doing? Am I able to? Sure, I'm smart enough and old enough. There are certain things that I can do that will. still give a little kickback to nostalgia, will still look like a big, dangerous giant that is my character, and teach, but at the same time,
Starting point is 00:04:19 if it looks like, oh, put a bullet in, well, I'm not going to do that. So that's what all this hard work now is, okay, what's the one thing that I can really control? That's conditioning and weight. I don't need to be 500 pounds anymore. I need to be about 350. Is that what you are now? No, no.
Starting point is 00:04:35 I'm 386 right now. And you're going to cut down to 350? Yeah, I got about another 35, 40 pounds. Wow. Because I don't need it. What were you at your very heaviest? 537. Wow.
Starting point is 00:04:47 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a, 200 pounds. Yeah. You're basically going to lose. Yeah, it's a, you know, but it's, I'm doing it right. Like, I'm not doing, it's not rocket science. Like, I've tried to shortcut so many ways with it. Oh, well, this gimmick, well, we'll do, we'll do carb cycling and we'll do keto and we'll do this.
Starting point is 00:05:09 And dude, it comes down the same thing. You have to take in less calories than you burn. And it takes 3,500 calories to burn a pound of fat. So in a week, I have to at least minimal create a 3,500 calorie deficit. Right now, I'm almost 7,000 calorie deficit a week. So that puts me right out a pound and a half, two pounds a week. It's slow. It sucks.
Starting point is 00:05:37 You look worse before. you look better. There are some days I get in the gym and I'm like, oh, all right, something's happening. And then, you know, a couple of pounds change. I go, wait a minute, I went down and weight and look worse, WTF. But that's just part of the cycle. Your body changes and grows. And unfortunately, fat is not targeted, you know, like, it's like, okay, yeah, well, I've got like, two, three abs on one side that are coming in really good. Then I got one side that's just like smooth. It's like the other side didn't show up. It's like,
Starting point is 00:06:11 But you posted this photo and it's like, I posted the good side. What's wrong with you? And also for me, it's also it's. Ab's at 400 pounds. Well, also it's, it's accountability too. Because sure, like, you know,
Starting point is 00:06:23 if it was easy, everyone would do it. So when I throw myself out there, it's not like I'm looking for that of boys. I'm looking at like, okay, well, all right, dumb ass. You put yourself out there.
Starting point is 00:06:37 now you've got to keep working because it's tough because I'm 54 you know I've been fortunate enough to have a good career I don't have to train as hard as I do in the gym or go as hard as you there's no sane reason for why I'm pushing myself to get better to get healthier to do all these different things I don't have to I could sit at home and play video games you know but I'm doing this because I know what this means to me and I know how important it is to me and hear of how I want to do things. I know there's a big current thing where everybody wants to write their story, which I'm so sick of hearing. Like, not everybody gets a story. I may not get a story. I may not get a retirement match. I'm very real about this, Chris, of, of I have to do certain things and hold myself accountable
Starting point is 00:07:23 to get to a position so that I can compete for fun for no other reason other than I want to have fun or right. What a great spot to be at in your career. Dude, I am so lucky because believe me, in a drawer full of knives, sometimes I'm a spoon. I'm not very sure. I'm telling it. Undertakers told me that many times. So thank you very much, Mark. But yeah, I mean, you know, I think it's funny. There's an old saying that youth is wasted on the young, you know. And when I was younger, I lived a little bit crazier as far as I ate, I smoke.
Starting point is 00:07:58 I didn't really drink that much. I wasn't a big drinker, you know, but I didn't really take care of myself. because I never expected to honestly be around a long time because you don't see old giants. You know, Andre died at 46. Yeah. You know what I mean? I'm already eight years older than Andre when Andre passed away. Wow.
Starting point is 00:08:18 You know, and it's like fascinating to me because I don't feel my age and my brain. I'm sure a lot of people that talk to me will tell you I'm 14 between the years too. But like it's amazing. Wow, okay. So as you get older, what's more important? Luckily, there are a lot of smart people that I have that are good for. friends that have good nutritional advice, good training advice. I'm currently working out with Rob McIntyre, who's been an absolute realist to work with. You know, he works with John
Starting point is 00:08:45 Sina. And, uh, because I'll get bitchy and why he was and so, oh, you know, I want to, I want to bench 500. He goes, you'll never bench 500 again. And I'm like, well, I just, you don't need to bench 500. You're 54 and you can still bench over 400. You're fine. Why do you want to bench 500 for your ego. Yeah. Yeah. You got fun. But no, we're working on being healthier and live longer.
Starting point is 00:09:11 So that's the thing. What does your life look like if you don't find wrestling or if wrestling doesn't find you? If I don't, like, if I've never done wrestling? If you never wrestle. Oh, probably would have been one of Kansas's largest drug dealers. No, I'm kidding. Totally kidding. Not smart enough.
Starting point is 00:09:28 I'll just tell you that right now. Probably glorified dormant. No, I think at that point where I was making that decision, it probably would have been to go back to school, try to figure out how to get a teaching degree and probably teach history and coach basketball. You probably realize at a young age, you had a gift. Yeah, I mean, I was 6 at 12.
Starting point is 00:09:53 So I was 6 to 20 at 12. So I mean... I'm 5'10. How old were you when you were 5'10? 5'10? probably 10 or 11. That's not fair. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:05 You know, but it's, you know, it's... But you realize it's a gift and you've got to do something with it, right? I realized that I had an opportunity, which is good and bad. You know, my old boxing trainer, Ardi Artwell, used to tell me all the time, I hit a great line about potential. Potential is a French word for you ain't worth of shit yet. You know? Because, you know, that's the thing, oh, the potential, potential, potential.
Starting point is 00:10:26 But sometimes when you're given a lot of athletic ability, you take it for granted. And I'll be honest if I reflect a lot of things. Sure, I took a lot of stuff for granted. Because I never thought I was going to get older. I never thought I would even achieve the success that I've had. I never thought I'd have a career in wrestling as long as I've had. I never did.
Starting point is 00:10:47 I never expected it. I thought I was having fun for a couple years. Like I came in this business with loving it as a fan, being amazed that I was around all these guys that I watched on TV. you know, and I didn't understand what they were trying to tell me business-wise. I didn't get it because I didn't understand what I was then. I was like, oh my God, I'm making better money. This is awesome, you know, this is fun.
Starting point is 00:11:13 Now, I realized, no, this is a business and this is a responsibility. And I think it wasn't until later in my career that I started connecting all those dots and figure out, okay, this is a business. And how do you stay at a top level? and stay valuable to the company and also to your locker room to yourself. And what does that look like? That was how it happened, how I connected the dots. Well, that's Stone Cold's fault.
Starting point is 00:11:42 I blame him entirely. I went on a tour just before I started working with Lesnar, I think, right around that time frame. I was on a European tour and I was wrestling Stone Cold. And I got nothing. I got five minutes, got beat up, kicked in the gut, stunned, had a beer poured on my head. I got Fit Finley laughing at me, which, you know, Fit, Fitz not going to hold your hand. He's, you know, it's the last guy, if you called, if your spirit needs consoling, fit will stop on it.
Starting point is 00:12:14 Fitz's idea of a fun time is pulling your inner child down and kicking it. So I got John Lauren and I just, show, damn it, you got to be a giant show. Okay, well, what does that mean? Do you want me to, like, beat the shit house? cold like what do you want i couldn't get i couldn't connect the dots with what they were asking and it's now it seems so simple but then you're getting input from all over so we get to earls court in london i think it was and uh it's stone coal vince myself and uh vince wanted stone cold to put me over in the dark match to kind of give me a shot in the arm to work with Leznor.
Starting point is 00:12:55 And I remember Steve at the time was chewing his red man or his Levi Garrett knowing him, some extremely heinous chewing tobacco. And he goes, I don't know, Vince. These people paid a lot of mice. He stoned cold Steve Austin, drink you few beers and hit a stunner, not do a job to the fucking big show. And I'm staying in there. And I'm like, hmm.
Starting point is 00:13:19 He does know this business is fake, right? Like, I could snap his ass in half. Like, my feelings are hurt. But he's 100% right. Because at that time, I didn't deserve to be a stone cold. I didn't, business-wise, I didn't. But my feelings were hurt. So Vince says, I'll talk to Steve.
Starting point is 00:13:37 So they go sit in the bleachers, the arena's empty. And they're talking. Finally, they're laughing. And they get a big man hug. Vince comes over to me, goes, well, Stone Cold has a point. No shit. The guy's the top. guy in the company and sells all the t-shirts. I'm sure his point is much more valid than
Starting point is 00:13:52 mine. So go out and have the match. Steve was selling a little bit more for me. He was trying to help me. I bumped him to the floor. I get on the floor. I go to throw him back in the ring, and we mistimed it. My fault, whatever. When I were to throw him under the bottom rope, he was on the way down instead of jumping in the ring. And I pulled his shorts up his ass. So I gave him a wedge. His big white baby face, ass cheek fell out. And there were a couple people that popped on it because he had a tan, but obviously he doesn't lay in the tan in bed nude. He's got his underwear on. So his ass was all white.
Starting point is 00:14:27 So he was mad. So when I got in the ring, he hit me the chin and those big burly knuckles three times pretty frigging hard. Like where your ears ring kind of off the tight, you big son of a bitch. And I just kind of mad. So I grabbed him by the face and picked him up and ran him in the turnbuckles like, I mean, I, you know, I lost it. And I just remember having him by the face in the corner, like I was debating, just snapping him completely in half.
Starting point is 00:14:58 And he goes, there you go, kid, way to fire up. And I was like, okay, yeah, we can work with this. So the rest of that match, I treated him like I would if I was doing an enhancement match. I body slammed him. I side-slan him. He'd come with offense. I would head butt him. I would nose.
Starting point is 00:15:14 I didn't put over anything. He had to fight for everything, and he had to fight hard. And then he hits me with a stunner. Okay, that's his finish. This is over. I lay down for the cover. He covers me. He goes, kick out.
Starting point is 00:15:32 Now, this is how fast your brain works. I'm thinking, holy shit, he's trying to get me fired. Nobody kicks out of the stunner. If I kick out of his stunner, I'm going to get fired. You know, he told me to kick out. The referee's here. I know Kevin Dunn has the, the rest of the stunner. ring post miced.
Starting point is 00:15:50 So, okay, well, we'll see what happens. I kicked out at two and three quarter. He goes, get up. Get up. Gets me another stunter. And the reaction was louder. We went through seven stunners. The last one goes, I'm blow it up.
Starting point is 00:16:05 Let's go home. So, three count. Everybody's excited. It clicked in my brain. I'm like, okay. This is what I need to do. I need to, work like I look, I can sell, but it's how I respond. And that was the biggest disconnect.
Starting point is 00:16:25 Because if you know sell, it just looks like you can't work and the other guy can't punch. But you can sell anything, but it's how you respond. And that changed a lot for me and my attitude and working with things because if they weren't closing, I didn't leave the dead space there. I mean, I could give it right back to him. You know, okay, they don't know what to do. I'm picking them out, dropping behind my shoulder, telling them to clip me in the knee. But we kept it moving where they were always potentially fighting from underneath
Starting point is 00:16:50 because that's the story. It's not the size of the dog and the fight, the size of the fight and the dog and all that. Happy horse shit that people do to motivate themselves. But, you know. The video of Stone Cold giving you the five stunners and you don't go down. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:03 Has become a meme. That's a loop, though. I really didn't take five and not go down. Are you sure? Yeah, that's a loop. I don't see myself not selling. a stone cold stunner, but then again, Chris, I've been accused of having been. I'm going to pull this up.
Starting point is 00:17:18 I've had a really shoddy memory. I thought that was like some kind of. So like, so here it is. There's one. Oh, yeah, I remember that. So they've turned this into a meme. This is what your alarm clock looks like. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:32 You know what's funny? That is Steve working with me to make me a giant. And then you finally sell it like. That's, I think that was after we did our thing. London, but the difference was in London, we got counts in between. Timing's different on live TV. That was a hot show. But that's Steve doing his, I earned Steve's respect, and I love Steve.
Starting point is 00:17:53 I mean, my God, I love that dude to death. Like, I would call him every day if I know it wouldn't irritate him, you know, because, like, we can talk hunting and guns and cars and, you know, then I'll wear him out. So I use my stone cold time preciously because I love the dude to death. But I FaceTime him one day. And he answered fun and goes, God damn, dude, what are you doing? I said, I'm just seeing what you do. He goes, dudes don't FaceTime dudes.
Starting point is 00:18:23 Hang up and call me back regular. So I was like, I didn't know that dudes don't face time dudes. Okay. I just want to see my friend. Hey, man, what's going on? You know, I was like, okay. Note to self, dudes do not FaceTime dudes. I got that.
Starting point is 00:18:39 I need to write that in my man book. Have you always been able to do these great impressions? Only the people I really love, I guess, is just Steve always sunk into me really hard because to me, he's always had the coolest way of talking. Even in WCW, when I met him in WCW right before he exited, DDP Dallas says, hey, you want to go over and talk to Steve Austin, he's a good guy, you want to get to know him. This is before he became Stone Cold. I mean, he just got back from Japan, Torres Tricep. He said, hey, I'm Paul. You know, nice to me.
Starting point is 00:19:11 Hey, nice to meet you. damn, you're big son bitch. I was like, wow, this dude is cool. Like, it's like you can just listen to him talk about anything. So, yeah, I'm still the kid when it comes to that. Now he's going to see this. And I probably, he'll probably not let me talk to him anymore. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. soccer podcast.
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Starting point is 00:19:57 I don't feel like you get enough respect for being the youngest world champion of all time. Is that true, though? Yes. I don't. Randy Orton's always the name that comes up. He was 24. You were 23. Yeah. You know, I'm the worst at this, Chris. I'm the worst. I don't, I don't live in yesterday. I don't.
Starting point is 00:20:18 What's today? What's tomorrow? So most of, I remember Edge getting so pissed at me one day. He almost punched me because we were doing something. We were doing the Vicky Ango for us, and we were having some live event matches. I said, oh, hey, man, I'm excited to work for you.
Starting point is 00:20:31 I told him because I was excited to work with Edge. And he stopped and he looked at me and he got kind of ready to think he goes, show. We had a program two years ago. I went, oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I'm excited to work with you again. That's what I meant to say. That's what I meant to say.
Starting point is 00:20:47 But I've always just, what's today, what's tomorrow. You know, I don't have, I have two things up in my house, wrestling oriented. I have the championship that I took off Brock Lesnar because Paul Hammond put it in a case to hang on the wall and send it to me because Paul knows me. I have that and I have a picture of me, taker, Sean. and Sina after a WrestleMania, we were all pretty lit. I have that picture on my desk. That's it.
Starting point is 00:21:20 That's it. I don't have any of my stuff up. I don't have a shrine with all my action figures and all my posters and chairs and my faces on it. No, I just, this is not me. What's the thing that you've been most proud of in your career? I would honestly have to say respect of the guys that I worked with. I never
Starting point is 00:21:47 F-D-in-by-over behind their back. I never intentionally hurt anybody. I was always careful with them. And guys that would come up and tell me that they enjoyed working me that it was easy working.
Starting point is 00:22:00 That meant it like, because it wasn't that way in the beginning. In the beginning, it was, I was too athletic, I was too strong, guys were scared
Starting point is 00:22:08 that didn't want to help. As the business went along and I got better and seasoned and trustworthy, That means a lot. I have guys now that will still call me and, you know, just good buds that call me and we laugh about old stuff and they tell me what's going on with them. And, you know, that means a lot to me. It does. I got a few guys. I've been in a group text chat with a couple of guys for going on 16 years or something like that. Wow. It's pretty cool. It's nice to have that, you know you made a difference in other talent's lives, other co-workers' lives. You may. something to them. And I think that that means a lot to me. I'm always grateful, of course,
Starting point is 00:22:50 for the fans, you know, because I mean, I wouldn't be anywhere without them. But just as a personal note, I think the respect to the guys that I worked with means a lot. Your size is obvious, but I think your athleticism gets slept on sometimes. Especially when we see like missile drop kicks or like. Yeah, but God, Chris, you're killing me. Um, You know, I used to jump over the top rope? Yes, I've seen the videos. You know why I stopped doing that? Why?
Starting point is 00:23:21 Because Vince fined me $500 for doing it. What do you mean? Because that's not how Giants move. He was in a different mindset then. He wanted, that was the thing that I was battling. Vince had Andre. Vince wanted Andre. Andre ruled the locker room with an iron fist and, you know,
Starting point is 00:23:39 Andre did this and Andre did. I'm not Andre. You know, I'm not a raging alcoholic, and I'm not a mean, I mean, don't get me wrong. If you talk to Woods and Big E, they'll say that I'm grumpy. But, you know, that's just traveling. I'm not really that grumpy person. But, you know, I think it was always struggling with that.
Starting point is 00:23:58 Everyone had an opinion of how I should work. Some people wanted me to work like Andre. And when I was younger, I had so much athleticism. I was like, oh, I need to show this. I need to show this. And then it was like, no, you take away. I had Hogan call me. Rest and peace.
Starting point is 00:24:13 I had Hogan call me in Japan. I threw a drop kick in Japan off the top rope and got suited with it. And I got to my room. It was a blinking light in my hotel in my room. And the message says, please call Mr. Bolaea when you get to your room. Oh, hell, they didn't even Hulk. It's Mr. Bolaio. Like, oh, shit, I'm in trouble.
Starting point is 00:24:33 So I called Terry Collette, Japan back then. He goes, brother, did you just do a drop kick off the top rope in Japan? I went, yeah, I did. He says, brother, you ever do that again? I'll never work with you. Click. Oh. Because there were guys that they wanted Andre. You know, I wasn't Andre.
Starting point is 00:24:52 I wasn't, I wasn't Kane or Taker either. Those guys are tremendous athletes. Like, Kane and Taker are like two of the best big men I've ever seen in the business, in my opinion. They're the two of the best big men ever. So I wasn't them either. I was kind of a weird hybrid. So we tried to find it along the way. You've, it took till that Stone Cold story to figure it out?
Starting point is 00:25:14 that stone cold story to figure out what I needed to bring to the ring for business. Because, I mean, I was really, that's why I had so many ups and downs because a lot of times I'd work with guys that knew me and knew how to, I would say, present me in a way that I could be presented and I would follow what they told me. And that worked. Like, I would work an Andre style match when I worked Hogan and Savage and kind of the same with Lugar. Sting did a lot of great work me of trying to tell that story of how hard is to cut me down. I remember Sting used to jump from the top turnbuckle from corner to corner with a diving elbow just to get me weak enough to finally take me off my feet with a diving stinger clothes lying off the top rope. But Sting loved
Starting point is 00:26:01 telling that story. And that's the thing when you're working, especially when you're green and big, like you kind of got to have guys that are invested in telling that story and helping you too. And there were some guys that didn't want to tell that story. You know, I never before. forget one of my favorite moments with Road Dog. And I love Road Dog. Like, we get along great, and Road Dog is brilliant. And I think Road Dog has a lot more respect for me now, but there's one point, WW Road Dog didn't have respect for me. I had to go down. He was wrestling the Rock, and they're doing a spot. For no reason, they send me down there to punch Road Dog. I'm like, okay, well, let's go. I'm going to help Rock win, I guess. So I went down, I'm still there, boom,
Starting point is 00:26:39 I punched Road Dog. I head back on. Then Road Dog runs two or three more spots, and then finally they do the thing with rock. But if you read between the lines, it's like, I'm not selling that weak shit. You know, so, I mean, you know, it's good to work through that and go through those trials and tribulations and find it.
Starting point is 00:26:57 You know, I mean, there was a lot of, I mean, I came out my first match was against Hulk Hogan. Like, if you've been this business a while, yeah, it pisses you off. And when the kid kind of does okay, because most everybody's first match is kind of a stinker.
Starting point is 00:27:11 You know, when you kind of succeeded on that level. And yes, I made a ton of mistakes when I first started. You know, because I looked at everything like a team and went, oh, you break my balls, I'll break your balls. Well, older veterans love to break balls, but older veterans don't like to get balls broken back. So when you say something smart back, oh, kids got an attitude, he's arrogant, he's this, he's that, it's like, no, I'm just effing around like you guys. Yeah. So that's why I say, sometimes they're a drawer full of knives. I was a spoon. You know. And, yeah. Yeah, and I would create my own problems.
Starting point is 00:27:45 I'm not an innocent victim by any means. I'm fully well. Like if I went back in time, I'd have a talk with myself too. I'm like, hey, dipshit, come here, we need to have a talk. But to work through that and get the other side and to be able to take guys that liked you but didn't have respect for you and to be able to turn that around into respect levels. I'm pretty proud of that. How was it working with the rock?
Starting point is 00:28:11 Easy. Easy, other than the fact that he wouldn't look at me when he punched me. What do you mean? Rock used to love to tell the story of me being on one knee and him being the same height with me on one knee. So he would spread his legs out really wide when he's throwing those punches. And he loved that visual of here's this giant on one knee and here's the rock. you know, but most of the time he's looking at himself punching me on the Titan Tron.
Starting point is 00:28:44 You know, it's like, hey, if you looked at me, he might not potato me every time, but no, I'm just breaking his balls. He was great. I have no, rock was always fun to work with, and he always knew what Rock was going to do. Rock was going to pop the crowd. He was going to make fun. And just sell for him. I used to love to sell for Rock making fun. Like, somebody got a haircut.
Starting point is 00:29:05 You know, like. That one end. Well, it's the big. Big slow. They did that. Him and Stone Cold killed me one time in the garden. They had me so mad I wanted to kill them both. It was a main event at the garden is a triple threat.
Starting point is 00:29:20 Me, rock and Stone Cold. And I come to the ring and I'm not rock. I'm not Stone Cold. I'm new here. I'm trying to figure out all this stuff that everybody does. Because I didn't get that coach in WCW. Like those guys were all in the chill zone. You know, these guys were all a bunch of,
Starting point is 00:29:38 hungry dogs. So there was, the information in the handholding wasn't flowing as freely as it was in WCW. So I come to the ring, I step over the top rope, and rock and stone coal,
Starting point is 00:29:50 both the air, and I just, I just sucked the wind right out of me. It just, just killed me right there, suck the wind right out of me. I was like, oh, why are you guys being mean?
Starting point is 00:30:01 That's not nice. Like, damn, that's not necessary because it was funny and it was good. But it was, I look back at all of that stuff now, And even Bradshaw used to aggravate me and drive me nuts all the time. But I look back now, it's, it was good for me. You know, because, yeah, I was saying I had to, I learned to eat a lot of shit sandwiches and like it.
Starting point is 00:30:24 So, yeah, I had to learn through, I went through the things that most of them went through in smaller territories and making mistakes and learning before. I kind of went through that all there. So I'm totally fine with all of it. It was good. It's a ribbon. It's become an observation of how many times you turned face or heel, right? You know why? Arne Anderson told me,
Starting point is 00:30:47 dumbest thing you ever did, give, was learning how to work. So any minute, I was able to be a good opponent for what we were doing. I knew that, me personally, I don't think I should ever been championing. You don't need a giant to be championing. You need a giant to be an obstacle for the upcoming champion. You need somebody, something, a wall, a mountain, something that has to be overcome. So that next talent can be on its way. There's a damn good living to be made in that position.
Starting point is 00:31:16 You know, I think the last time I got the title is just because I've been like five or six years in title matches all the time, hadn't won the damn thing. I think, well, he's been in here a while. We might want to put it on him, so I get some validity out of it. But I was okay with that. I enjoyed that because I look back in my career now. I got to help create, you know, some big, big stars from, you know, I was early working with Roman and early working with Cody.
Starting point is 00:31:40 And there were a lot of talents that I had a great coffee and Woods and, um, Cesarro, big moment with Czaro at Claudio at Russell Meele. Like, those are all good moments for me. I always understood that I'm not, and this is no way am I putting myself down. So I'm not. No, no. I'm not a leading man. I'm not rock.
Starting point is 00:32:04 I'm not Stone Cold. I'm not John Cena. You know, I'm not the leading guy. I'm the funny sidekick or I'm Phanos the villain. That's where I fall in. And that's okay. But it's great to hear the perspective of why you turn face or heel so many times. They needed it.
Starting point is 00:32:23 Right. If you're working a heel, you're a baby face. If you're working a baby face, you're a heel. You're trying to make them look good. That's the whole name of the game. My philosophy is different. what I took to the business and brought to it, not that it's any, you know, super algorithmic formula that's going to guarantee success.
Starting point is 00:32:41 I looked at what I brought to the table and what are my responsibilities. Get the match over, get my opponent over, and the third thing is going to happen, I will get myself over. I didn't know how to do those things early in the beginning because it was, oh, do I just go out and get myself over, do I do this, just figuring out how to respond on things, just a couple little tweaks and then also trusting, trusting the other talent and talking to them, explaining them what we're doing. And once you explain to guys, no, bro, this is if we do this right and we build this here,
Starting point is 00:33:13 this will get a bigger reaction. And then guys get crazy. Like your buddy Ray, you're wearing his sneakers. Yeah. Aren't they great? Yeah. Ray used to be insane with the stuff that he wanted me to do with him. All this stuff on the stretcher is crazy.
Starting point is 00:33:25 Well, that, that, I hate that spot. That gives me nightmares. That went so bad. It did? Oh, that went terrible. Because it was my idea because Ray was tied in it, and then I thought I'd rip him in the afternoon where I was, oh, I'll just pick him up and scare him.
Starting point is 00:33:40 I was like, ooh, I can, this isn't that tough. And I said, oh, what am I swinging the pole? It was, oh, my God, that'll look crazy. It does. But the whole thing was, I was going to swing him in the pole. I was going to swing him in the pole again. You know what I mean? And I was going to shove him back in the ring.
Starting point is 00:33:55 somewhere, somewhere, or, because it sure as hell it wasn't me, the guys used to put this conditioner crap on their hair and sometimes it would get on the ropes and it makes your hands so slimy. Like even if you grab the top rope getting out of the ring, your hand just comes right off of. So when I swung Ray into that pole,
Starting point is 00:34:19 that thing popped right out of my hands. Like it squeezed like a hard-boiled egg or something. I just popped right out. And then I saw Ray go, and I went, oh, I just killed Ray. Oh, Jesus. So I'm freaking out on the inside,
Starting point is 00:34:34 but we're still doing our thing. He's moving. Oh, God, they're putting him in the ambulance. Oh, my God. So I ran back to the locker room, grabbed my clothes, threw him in the car, and drove to the hospital in my rental car. Because I'm thinking like,
Starting point is 00:34:47 oh, man, if Ray's seriously fucked up, I'm done, I'm quitting. I'm done. I'm, you know, because I really cared about taking, care of the other guys. And I get there and Ray sitting in the hospital bed with his hands behind his head, you know, just chilling. Hey, man, that was good, huh? And I'm like, you're okay? Oh, yeah, man, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm like, yeah. I want to get, you know, like, you know what I went
Starting point is 00:35:14 through driving over here worrying? Like, you know, but, you know, Ray used to love in the house shows me work. He used to love to sit on the top turmbuckle and have me chop him in the chest and he would bump from the top turnbuckle of the floor. And it looked like he got assassinated. He's a loud smack and then boom, there's no more Ray. He just disappears and goes down. And Arne Anderson was the agent. And Arnard said, you know, when I see you do that Ray, he says,
Starting point is 00:35:38 I want to call the police on you. You know, that's not me. It's his idea. You know, like, it's not me doing that. That's Ray that's getting me in trouble. How did you think up the idea to tell the audience? Accident. Complete accident.
Starting point is 00:35:54 certainly do not think I am smart enough to come up with that on my own. We were somewhere working, and I used to always just do those chops and roll through them. And there was one guy in the front row that was just on my ass. And that's okay. But it's almost at the point like, enough, dude. Like, you're here to watch us. The show's not about you. But, you know, he got out of my mind.
Starting point is 00:36:24 my skin. Let's just call it what it is. So I looked right out and I went, shh, and the whole place dead quiet. And we had probably 12, 13,000 people in the building where it and it went dead quiet. And then I hit the chop and it resonated so loud. I went, hmm, wow, like that works. So, and it was a good way, too, of not doing too many chops because that's the thing you've got to be careful of too when you're a giant. Like, you can't do so many things in a row. you shouldn't because the more you do and the less impact, the less result. Like, okay, if I really go after a guy with five or six big boots, well, he should be dead or pull.
Starting point is 00:37:05 So we pull it back. Because I think a lot of times the way I was told is our job in the ring for that brief amount of time is to try to suspend belief, the fans, but we all know it's a word. We all know we're characters. And you'll talk to every wrestling fan that will, oh, I'm a fan. I know it's fake, but I'm still a fan. But this one time, no, it wasn't that one time. That one time we did our job and got you.
Starting point is 00:37:32 You know, because this is, you know, in the end, this is, and I know, don't get me wrong, they're egos. I mean, there are a lot of guys that I've worked with that I don't like, and I'm sure there's a lot of guys that don't like me. You don't like everybody you work with. I mean, personality's clash. But our job is to go out there and I think it was William Regal that used to talk to me a lot about being crisp with things, crisp.
Starting point is 00:37:51 And he had such an elegant way of saying it, you know, when he was, clubbing me in the throat in the clothesline, but, no, he was fantastic. But the guys that are really good when you watch them work, they pull you into it. And you know this is a work, whatever your favorite word is, but their execution of what they're doing, the drama in the moment, the execution, the choice of the moves being done, the selling, the responding, the emotion it goes through that. That's the artwork that I love. that magic of, and it doesn't have to be me doing it. I just appreciate that artwork.
Starting point is 00:38:32 And it's tough sometimes when you say in between, you see talent working hard, but they're missing that, that little thread, that little bridge, that little connection to let that resonate, to let that set. More doesn't necessarily mean better. You know, so, yeah, that's a long window statement went nowhere. One of the big moments of suspending belief is you breaking in the ring with Brock last. Yeah, I know, and they Fed that up too. God, darn it. What do you mean? Because we did it again. I actually, Vince and I had an argument about that, and of course, he's the boss, so he won, but, you know, I don't have any stroke. But, like, we did that thing with Lesnar, and it was so well done. And I'm not a big fan of, like, lying to the fans, you know,
Starting point is 00:39:19 like, even when they were having me as Andre's kid, that was, oh, I loved her dad. In my mind, I'm like, yeah, my dad was a mechanic. I'm glad he made a good impression. I'm glad he made a good impression. You know what I mean? But it's, you know, it's a storyline. I get it. But that ring thing was so good because, like, everybody knew, oh, that wasn't supposed to happen. It was great.
Starting point is 00:39:38 It was perfect. It was chef's kiss. Then a couple years later, I want to do it again. I'm like, why are we doing it again? Different audience. They need to experience the same feeling. No. And then now my career is the guy that, like Rock said that one time, oh, yeah, you're the guy
Starting point is 00:39:53 that breaks stuff. Yeah, that's my career. broken the rim three to four times. Yeah, that's me. I break stuff. Cool. But then you broke that laptop and half it. I did. I did. I did. But that was still, that's one of my favorite interactions with him. That was fun. That was fun. Yeah, that was fun because he, he just, people believed that ring break for years. It was just so well done. Yeah. So well done. Executed the cell. The ref bump, Taz's reaction. Yes. It was just. Taz cursing really sold. Yeah. And it was.
Starting point is 00:40:26 was just, it was right on the money. But, you know, doing it, you know, now that the secret's out, we had different positions to be in. They had to lift that ring on an airbag. So when Brock and I are getting up to that top turn buckle, that ring is doing this. You can't see it on TV, but you damn sure could feel it climbing up there. I'm not the most nimble guy in small spaces. We're going, and we could feel that moving up there. And the whole match, you're working on a that's kind of floating? No, we did a spot, someone I forget now. We have one spot doubled down or something.
Starting point is 00:41:02 At that double down, I think they zoomed in on the two of us in the middle of the ring. That's when they raised the ring. And I think you'll hear a ping somewhere in there where they release the locking pins on the ringpost. And then from then, we had to climb up the corner. and do all this with this thing like moving. So, yeah, there's a party that's like, yeah, I'm going to wind up on my head. This is going to be a short trip to nowhere.
Starting point is 00:41:35 And then when it happened, I remember laying there going, yeah, this is good. Yeah. This is really good. Yeah, I was proud of that. I'm still proud of the bump, but I would have taken that one to my grave. You know, that was like one of those,
Starting point is 00:41:48 like, yeah, that's a good one. And then we, like we did, we stooge it off. So, you know. How long did it take you to start? to really lean into the comedy stuff. Not hard. I love making people laugh, Chris. I wish I was funnier.
Starting point is 00:42:03 Like, I have friends that are like real comedians, and I have yet to make them laugh. Like, one of the funniest joke tellers I know is William Regal. I have known him since 1995, and I have never made him laugh. And I'm sure it's a rib that he won't put it over. But he goes, you're not funny. Stop it. And he walks off.
Starting point is 00:42:22 I'm like, come on. It was a good joke, man. Come on. Give me a smirk. Give me something. But I just, it's, it's, it's, um, I think it's a way to connect with people. Like, uh, it's, it's a little bit difficult to be, I don't realize how big I am or how massive I am. I really don't. I'm regular like all of you until like I go to get in a car or do different things like, oh yeah, I am a friggin monster. But relating with people and stuff like that, I, I don't see that.
Starting point is 00:42:54 So I'm real sensitive to people's, like, energy around me. So I try to make them laugh. I make fun of myself. All that self-deprecating humor is my go-to because I'm like, if I can make fun of me, you can make fun of me too. And everybody's good. Your range is tremendous. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:43:13 So how much money am I going to owe you on this joke? Jeez. The first interview we did in Miami where we were standing in front of the ocean. Oh, yeah. To tell us all that story? I don't care. Dude, I have no shame. We got so mad at me because I posted the interview, as I always do, just as it is, right?
Starting point is 00:43:33 And we came back. So in the middle of the interview, you're like, I'm so sorry, I got to go to the bathroom right now. Right now. I'd say go to the bathroom. I didn't say what really happened. So then we paused, and then you went inside. Yes. Well, what happened was because that was in Miami, right?
Starting point is 00:43:49 Yeah. I had had one of my first Cuban coffees. and it went straight through me. And while we're doing that interview, I'm like, okay, well, I can get through an interview. I'll be all right. I'll be all right. No, I'm not going to get through this interview.
Starting point is 00:44:03 I am about to poo all over this young man. And I'm sorry, dude. I need to take a break. I got to go. And I was like, okay, so then you went in, did your business. We came back out and I was like, oh, we'll just pick it right back up where we were.
Starting point is 00:44:17 And you're like, no, let's say it. Yep, no. Yeah. Like you were being super honest. Like, I don't mind, man. I don't care. I had everybody everybody does number two right it happens yeah it's funnier when a giant almost does it on himself that's funny so so I just kept that all in there because I'm like back to what you were just saying
Starting point is 00:44:35 self-deprecating humor like right like making light of it so I put the interview up I mean I think it killed my chance to be a Calvin Klein underwear model to say the truth so I think they were looking at me for their big and tall and after that interview they're like oh we don't want this guy pooing on our product so I put that up as it was because you know you made life of the situation and they were like edit that part out and I said are you sure like it already it already has a hundred thousand views in like four hours are you sure well and they were like could could you just edit that one part out there's so I needed to I needed to take the video down re-upload the entire thing and then everybody said why did you take that part out yeah they were like why did you re-upload this
Starting point is 00:45:17 because I said oh there was a there was a glitch or something yeah but I think at that point it was like closing in on like a million views or something. Yeah, so a million people saw me. I almost pooed myself. Oh, that's good. So,
Starting point is 00:45:31 yeah, I've learned not to mess with coffee. You know, I drink, like energy drinks. Sure. You know, but coffee in me is within 20 minutes
Starting point is 00:45:41 having a coffee, I need to go be alone because something's happening. You know. But in that interview, we talked about your range and, like, the idea that,
Starting point is 00:45:49 like, you're able to get really emotional. Mm-hmm. Like, to like, it's probably because I'm batshit nuts. No, I'm kidding. Whatever it is. Like, the promos where you get, like, you'll cry.
Starting point is 00:46:02 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, that is a skill that not many wrestlers have. It's, well, it's funny because I'm actually working with an acting coach right now. I do class once a week, even now. I do classes that I've been doing O'Leon, I'm doing Doubt, I'm doing Shakespeare, things that I'm doing class. never get for a part. Could you give us some Shakespeare?
Starting point is 00:46:28 Mark Anthony's funeral is what I've done. So let's... No. We're not doing that. That's not going viral. I could give you... Because I'm working on doubt now. I could give you the parable from scene seven with a priest.
Starting point is 00:46:48 Yeah, I can do that. Let me see. Oh, boy, I'll put myself in a line here. A woman was gossiping with a friend, about a man she hardly knew. I know none of you have ever done this. That night she had a dream that a great hand appeared above her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized by an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession.
Starting point is 00:47:22 She got the old parish priest, Father O'Rourke. She asked the old man as gossiping a sin. Was that the great hand of God Almighty pointing down at me? Should I be asking for your absolution, father? Tell me, have I done something wrong? Yes, Father O'Rourke answered her. Yes, you badly brought up ignorant female. You bore false witness against your neighbor.
Starting point is 00:47:51 You played fast and loose to this reputation, and it should be heartily ashamed. So, one said she's sorry and asked for forgiveness. Not so fast, says O'Rourke. I want you to go home, take a pillow up to your roof, and cut it open with a knife, and come back here to me. So the woman goes home, takes a pillow off the bed, a knife from the drawer, goes up the fire escape to the roof, and stabs the pillow, and returns to the old priest as instructed.
Starting point is 00:48:19 Did you gut the pillow with a knife? He says. Yes, father. And what was the result? Feathers, she says. Fetters, he repeated. Feathers everywhere, father. Now, I want you to go back and gather up every fetter.
Starting point is 00:48:38 It flew out on the wind. She's well, it can't be done for it. I don't know where they all went. The wind took them all over. And that is gossip. In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. So in this particular scene, this, yeah.
Starting point is 00:48:58 Well, I'm sure I chopped it up a little bit. But again, I'm working on it, so be patient. Wow. He's a priest. This is a great movie with, with, Merrill Streep's in it and Seymour Hoffman. He's a priest that Sister Alosius, who was played by Merrill Street, thinks he's doing something wrong with the kids.
Starting point is 00:49:20 So she doesn't have any proof, but she thinks it. This character is a priest that's in the 1960s. So his whole thing, that was a message that he did at a parable in church. But he's also sending a message to her about gossiping, you know, kind of thing. So it's actually a really good play. I'm enjoying it. I tease my acting coach. I'm like, wow, so I give you the vibes of a pedophile priest.
Starting point is 00:49:49 So, you know, but it's fun work to do that to challenge yourself. And there are tremendous actors out there that are way better, but it's a fun exercise for me. What have you done to tap into that really emotional side of you? It's funny. I broke through that doing knucklehead, believe it or not, with Mark Feuerstein. It's a funny, I had to do a scene where I had to be emotionally upset. It's a scene in the movie, and, you know, not knucklehead's gone with the wind. But my character had made a lot of mistakes, and he's looking at a mirror in a gas station bathroom,
Starting point is 00:50:32 and the mirror's cracked, and it's like the face of the Gorgon. and there's a lot of symbolism with it and trying to get emotional. But I went on set that day, like, no one's talking to me. It's like, you know, what I do? Like, eat everybody's catering. Like, why is everybody mad at me? And I went over to the director, Michael Wox,
Starting point is 00:50:48 and said, hey, everybody's kind of, did I do something wrong? Did I get heat? And it was, oh, no, they know you're seeing today is a big scene, so everybody's trying to give you your space to prepare. And then I'm going, prepare, for what? Like, I'm just looking in the mirror. Like, what am I supposed to do?
Starting point is 00:51:04 So then I sit down and think and then understand, okay, well, I need to be emotion. Okay, well, what's the right emotion? So we go in and it's this little bit of gas, the real gas station bathroom. It's a cameraman shoved in there and it's real small and I'm just looking at this mirror. I think I got a little tear of embarrassment and frustration for the character. And then I went back to my trailer and started bawling. Just I couldn't start crying. I had snobbles going.
Starting point is 00:51:34 I was hyperventilating. And I called Mark Feuerstein. I said, I don't know. I think something broke. You know, because I was like, I never cried like that. Never. And he says, oh, buddy, that's a good thing. That's an actor.
Starting point is 00:51:48 That's a breakthrough. You tapped into that. Now you have a direct mainline to that emotion if you need it. I don't fucking like it. But it was very cathartic and very helpful to go through that. So not, that's a lot of what I'm trying to do. Not so much the crying, the emotion stuff now, but trying to put yourself in situations and scenes in understanding what I need from the scene.
Starting point is 00:52:16 What's your motivation? What do you need? You need something to see. You need something from them. They need something from you. And how do I understand that? And then, you know, usually if I understand it, the words fall into place. So we're working on it.
Starting point is 00:52:30 I mean, you know, it's, and it's, it's tough. too because you don't think of a seven-foot, 380-pound giant as somebody that's really trying to be a legit, good actor, not a doorman or, you know, the big thug, or, I am working on. What was your first movie role? My first movie role was Reggie's Prayer, which is a horrendous experience of not understanding the business. It seems to be a common theme with me. I tend to get into things I really have no idea what I'm doing now that I'm noticing that. It was a Christian movie with Reggie White,
Starting point is 00:53:16 Pat Marita, and M.C. Hammer. And I'm the only white dude in the movie, and I'm the town drug dealer. Pat Marita is a high school principal. And Reggie White is Reggie White who quit the NFL to be a high school football coach because he had a dream from God that the kids needed him. So, not understanding budgets and how the movie business work. Because I literally walked in that movie, never done a movie, and I'm a fan. I love movies. Oh, this is great.
Starting point is 00:53:44 I know my lines. I say my lines. I'm like, great. Oh, one take? Wow, I'm really good at this. Oh, you didn't have a lot of money. I got the dialogue out. I had a fight with Reggie where I hit him with a board in a warehouse,
Starting point is 00:53:59 and it broke apart and it was styrofoam. I was like, hey, the inside of that board's blue. Oh, they'll touch it up. and post. No, I didn't touch it up and post. Inside the board's blue, you know. And I'm trying to be so helpful and like there's one scene where it's like not understanding things. There's one scene where I drop kick Reggie out in the middle of the field. Well, it was in Tennessee and it was 40 degrees outside and it was red clay dirt and it was like dropping on concrete. And I did 25 of them because they were trying to get the right angles and different angles and they slow-mode it.
Starting point is 00:54:31 I can't remember. I don't know if they did it or just. John Sina did it when he made fun of me because John Sina, I still have the DVD. John found that movie and played it in the afternoon. And it's so, John, just get your boner pants because this is, he does the whole talk over to the movie. And they throw the $6 million man that noise when I jumped to the drop kick. And they highlighted a lot of stuff that I did that was really bad. It was just there. I still have that DVD.
Starting point is 00:55:03 It's one of the most precious things anyone's ever gave me. It's a complete rib fest. There were people that were howling ringside because it was atrocious. It would come on BET at like three in the morning. But, you know, hey, I got to hang out. And MC Hammer was the Game Warden because I eventually flee into the mountains of Washington to Mount Hood. And the way it was in the script, there was going to be helicopters and all this stuff.
Starting point is 00:55:28 And I just end up like sleeping a tent. And remember, I was cooking. I have one of the kids as a hostage, and I'm cooking chicken in a frying pan on a fire. Because, you know, I'm telling it's rabbit and it's good. I'm talking like this because I'm a bad guy. But I got a briefcase. It looks like it's gold in it, but it's really a miniature train set that I carry everywhere because I guess that's what I do.
Starting point is 00:55:52 So I'm cooking this chicken, and I'm trying to do my lines and overact and push, whatever you want to call it. So I picked the chicken up out of the frying. pan. Now, I realized it, yeah, it's in a frying pan, dumbass, it's hot. So in my brain, I'm going, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. And then I got to eat it. And I'm like, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. And I'm chewing all this is going on in my mind and my face. And I'm like, yeah, you really didn't think this through. Like, I went to Green Bay. The premiere was in Green Bay. Brett Farber was there. And, you know, it's a nice little theater for the premiere. And I'm all excited.
Starting point is 00:56:25 Like, yeah, this is good. Yeah, I'm on my way. I'm on my way. I couldn't get far enough under the seat after I started seeing my work. Like I was, I was trying my best to turn invisible. Like, oh my God, what have I done? Yeah, it was humbling. So then I think I did Waterboy, which legendary.
Starting point is 00:56:46 That was one take. One take? One take. Captain Insano shows no mercy. Captain, and that was just me blatantly ripping off Hulk. Because I wasn't even going to do it. They were doing interviews at Orlando and everywhere, and I heard Jim Duggan had gone and read for it.
Starting point is 00:57:03 I was like, oh, well, Duggan will get it. He's amazing. Captain Insano, Jim Duggan, yeah, he'll get it. Like, oh. And then the casting director, she saw me in person, said, would you please just come read? I was like, sure, okay. So I just took the verbiage and did Hogan, ripped him off.
Starting point is 00:57:22 And then she said, oh, my God, that's what we're looking for. That's it. Congratulations, your Captain Insano. I'm like, okay. what did I just do? You know, I didn't know. And then Adam had me, and it was a funny thing about Adam Sandler, too. He was, that whole group, his whole crew, dude, they're so amazing.
Starting point is 00:57:43 They were so nice to me. And Adam's mom, like, I would run into them at the Super Bowl. I ran him to Super Bowl in Miami, and this little Jewish lady comes up. She grabs my hand. And she says, you're in a movie with my son. I said, I was? Yes. Yes, yes. My son, Adam, I said, oh, you're Adam Sanders' mom. Yes, ma'am, I sure was. You've got to come say alone to Adam. So she held me by my hand and took me over to like where Adam's people were in Him work, Super Bowl. And she's like, this is Adam's big friend. Paul. He's a pro wrestler. Big friend. Yeah, but she was so darn sweet. You know, and Adam was like, hey, man, I said, dude, it's awesome. But all those guys were super cool. And that was a great, great moment. And then I did.
Starting point is 00:58:29 Jingle All the Way. I love that every Christmas, we get to see you and Jingle All the Way. I know. I'm pretty proud of that. I was a lot of fun. Like, I had a good time on that set hanging out with Arnold. And, you know, again, I shot myself in the foot on that movie, too. Why?
Starting point is 00:58:44 What do you mean? So I'm sitting around. We're waiting on a lens for the warehouse scene. And I guess it was like a million dollars to rent this lens. And there was only two of them in L.A. And the original crew that had it rented was six hours late. and our production is healthy. Anyway, I don't know how those things worked.
Starting point is 00:59:02 But apparently it was a big hoodoo and a lot of producers are mad and everything. So I'm just sitting around in my stand-of-suit, chilling. You know, I'm sitting next to the little monitors and stuff, you know. This guy comes in, like in a jogging suit, short hair, round glasses. Like, he'd gone for a run, you know, obviously to work out some stress. So he sits down and I thought he was a sound guy. I didn't know who he was.
Starting point is 00:59:26 You know. number one rule I learned then everybody's important be careful you talk to so I'm sitting there I'm like hey believe how much fucking money they waste doing this shit like really a million dollars on a lens like who's fucking dumb idea of that you know and then
Starting point is 00:59:43 oh I know it's crazy you know some of these shots are just I'm just gotta have it you know I'm like yeah it makes me want to be in the lens business you know whatever my stupid conversation was he goes hi I'm Christopher Columbus oh yeah the director Yeah, the guy that's making all these decisions. You went for a run because you're so pissed
Starting point is 01:00:02 because production's being held up because you don't have your lens. Yeah, yeah. And then hanging out with Arnold, which was great. Yeah, how was he unsaid? Onsad he was awesome. At one point, he was supposed to hook my suspenders in one of those hooks
Starting point is 01:00:14 and it was supposed to yank me through the warehouse, but they couldn't figure out how to rig it up. So while I'm hanging the harness, I'm just hanging there. My feet get out of the ground. He slats me in the nuts and goes, pay attention. You know, and I'm like, oh, I'm swinging.
Starting point is 01:00:29 You know, it's fun, guy, shit. So then we were doing a shot where Vern Troier was supposed to get ziplined when I punched him up in Arnold's back. But they were trying to figure out how to do the close-up without getting the wires and the harness and all that stuff. So I said, I can just stand off camera and chunk them. And they were like, you can do it? No, yeah, I can do it safely. Like, 40 pounds? Yeah, I got it.
Starting point is 01:00:52 So the part where poor Vern Troier hits the toy boxes. I'm off camera like this holding him by his little Santa suit like this. And they go, okay, I went, and that's how I shoot him right there. And they, oh, that was great. That'll work. That'll work. Meanwhile, being Vern Troyer is mad as shit because I treated him like a, well, you know what I mean? He was a big fan of mine.
Starting point is 01:01:14 So he went from talking to me every day to not talking me to the rest of the entire shoot. So, all right, well, learn a lesson there. So it brings me back to Arnold. I have a story for you about. Mr. Schwarzenegger. Okay. I felt like Arnold and I bonded on Jingle all the way. I had met a childhood hero.
Starting point is 01:01:34 We talked about cigars. We talked about Andre. I felt like I know Arnold Schwarzenegger. I can call Arnold Schwarzenegger at least an acquaintance and quite possibly a friend. A couple years go by doing something. Arnold's there. I come up. Hey, Arnold.
Starting point is 01:01:56 He looks at me. I told Schwarzenegger, nice to meet you. Oh shit, he doesn't remember me. Wow, that sucks. But hey, I get it. He's Arnold. Who am I at the time then? Some time goes by again.
Starting point is 01:02:08 Now, meanwhile, I'm getting a little bit more famous and a little bit more recognizable. I'm starting to understand that people don't forget me. Run into him again. Hey, Arnold, Schwarzenegger, nice to meet you. I'm like, hmm, wow. He really doesn't remember meeting me. Like, okay, well, it's Arnold, you know, busy dude, a lot going on. So now he comes to, like, WWRWA, I think it was.
Starting point is 01:02:35 Joe Maganella's there. So I think he's governor at the time, actually, because he had security. So I went by to say hi to Arnold. Again, I'm still looking for that. Oh, I remember you. Yeah. We made a movie together. Like, dude, you slapped me to nuts.
Starting point is 01:02:50 We bonded. Like, dude, really? So I go in. I talk in the security says, oh, big show, you want to say hi to Arnold? I said, yeah, man, absolutely. So he'd open his door. I'd go in the dressing room. Joe's there and meet Joe.
Starting point is 01:03:04 Joe and I became fast friends. We have D&D and just I like Joe Maginatelite. Just a good dude. So Arnold's in a conversation. Arnold turns around, looks right at me and he goes, I'll switch and I go, nice to meet you. And I'm like, ooh, damn. Like, really? This is number four now.
Starting point is 01:03:21 This is four times you've met me. I get if you don't remember my name, but now you don't remember me? Okay. Didn't sell. Even Joe's looking at me like, oh, that was kind of rough. How do you forget a guy who's seven feet tall?
Starting point is 01:03:36 Well, yeah. And even Joe, it's funny, Joe was this, weren't you in Jingle all the way? I'm like, yeah, that was. All right, man, I got to get to work. I'm pissed. So now this is going on. I would see him at gold.
Starting point is 01:03:47 I'm on the wall in Gold's gym in Venice. I'm on the freaking wall. Okay. Like, you know. And he works out there every day. I know, I know he's walked by and seeing that picture. I know he has. So I see Arnold and Jim.
Starting point is 01:04:00 He's, he's walking. I just went, hey, what's up, Arnold? He stops, turns around, sticks out of his hand, goes, Arnold's, what you're nice to meet you. And I'm like, like this overdramatic, like it's the first time we've ever meeting. Bro, I couldn't work out. I was, I was like, wow, wow. This son of a bitch, like, I mean, Arnold was living in my head rent-free.
Starting point is 01:04:22 Like, I'm like, you know what, next time he's around, I'm not going to say hi to it. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. So then I get a call from WWE that I have to go to the Arnold Classic. He's given an award. WWE had done something and he's given an award. So they want me to get it. So I'm there with Mark Henry.
Starting point is 01:04:40 And Mark Henry knows this whole story. And Mark Henry's trying to calm me down. Because I'm like, no, you know what? If he pulls that nice to meet you, shit, I'm going to go off. I said, there's respect. And there's like, no, man, you're going to remember me this time. You might not ever like me, but you're going to remember me. Like, this is bullshit.
Starting point is 01:04:58 And Marsh's like, man, calm down, dude. You know, like, it's not that big a deal. I'm like, no, dude, he's going to remember me. Like, no, this is bullshit. So I'm literally, I've created this whole scenario in my mind that I am so unmemorable that Arnold can't take the time to remember me. But he knows all these stories about Andre. You know, so it's like, really?
Starting point is 01:05:21 Okay. All right. you're going to remember me now. So while I'm waiting off to the side to go out to get this award that he's presenting, he starts telling stories. My good friend Paul, we were in Jingle all the way together and so big and such a tremendous athlete. And he goes into his whole spiel where he puts you over. And I go out there to get through where he looks at me and winks.
Starting point is 01:05:46 He rid me for 12 years. 12 years that man made me feel like, Because what is, and that's how brilliant Arnold is, what's the one thing that I know I bring to the table? Not the most handsome, not the most athletic, not the strongest, none of that. But you're going to remember meeting me. I know that. I have that gift. You don't forget meeting me.
Starting point is 01:06:11 That's my ticket to the dance. Sure. He knew that would be my card, and he took that from me for 12 years. For 12 years. In 12 years, he lived Brent free in my head. And I was like, thank you very much. And then I went out. The rest of the thing, I was just like, I told Mark, I said, dude, it was a work
Starting point is 01:06:29 the whole time. He went, Mark liked to peed himself, laughing so hard. He fell over, slapping. He says, oh, that's great. I'm like, no, man, that's not cool, man. He was in my head for 12 years, man. 12 years. What a story.
Starting point is 01:06:44 That's a great story. Yeah. What do you think is your most impressive feet of strength? Um, hmm, hmm, I don't know. I don't, I don't think of myself as like, uh, I think it canes being strong. I think of Mark Henry being strong. I think it brought myself. I used to take Coors light bottle caps off in my thumb. I was like, I take it off. But isn't there a story about like a door being locked and you're like, oh, yeah, stuff like that? Yeah, I don't think that's strong. That's just physics. I put 500 of pounds of ass behind a kick. We were, Vince and I were doing something and his office door in the building we were in, had one of those steel doors with a double bolt lock thing, and it kept locking on him. And he had to get to his office to get something, and we were doing something together.
Starting point is 01:07:41 But he needed to get out of his office in the door's lot, and he's getting pissed, and they didn't have the door open. And we didn't have time. And he goes, door's locked. He's pressing, I can get it open. he goes, and you know, Vince is a lunatic. He's like, how, I said, kick it open. He goes, you can't? I said, you pay for it. He goes, you kick it open, I'll pay for it. He stepped out of the side.
Starting point is 01:08:06 Boom, I kicked the door, blew it open. First shot. Yeah, wouldn't have to do it. You don't think that's a feat of strength? I think it's just physics. Five hundred pounds. Stop selling yourself short. No, it's just fine.
Starting point is 01:08:17 It's just 500 pounds of ass with a boot, so. You know what happened if I tried to do that? Well, you don't have 500 pounds ass, Chris. I do not. I think my right leg weighs more than you. That's probably, hey, here's the thing. You can get Ray Mysterio sneakers.
Starting point is 01:08:30 I can't, Ray. Why don't I have Ray Mysterio Jordan's Ray? What size do they need to be? 17 wide. Okay. They're basketball shoes. They're Jordans. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 01:08:42 You don't think they come in a size 17 wide? I don't know. I'm just breaking your balls. I think they're cool, though. They are great shoes. They have a little message on the inside here. What does it say? What's the message say?
Starting point is 01:08:51 Spanish? Me? I'm the largest white man in America. No. Right of that? Nope. And I'm not going to try to mess that up. Right now I have tons of Latin friends in Miami that just all slapped their forehead that I didn't know what that was. So, oh, man, why do we even hang out with you? You just know the dirty words? I know the dirty words. Yes. I know the words that get in trouble. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. What do you think is your greatest feud?
Starting point is 01:09:19 Oh, my goodness. I've had some good ones. Yes. Actually, a feud that I really enjoyed was Seamus. I really enjoyed that feud. I enjoyed the physicality of it. I enjoyed the fight we had in the pub, the way we went at each other. It just seemed like for a brawler-type match, it just seemed like it worked. I really enjoyed that.
Starting point is 01:09:51 Although at one point I thought I had something wrong with my liver. because I was sitting on my bus one day and I'm looking down and I have all these yellow, green, blue bruises all over me. I'm like, geez, maybe I need to get some blood work. Is there something going on with me? Like, what? I am, I, I don't, then I'm watching back. I watched the house show tapes back. And every time I went to punch Seamus in the stomach, he would elbow me in the forearm.
Starting point is 01:10:16 I was like, oh, okay. I see what you're doing. So then I would fake it. And then when he moves elbow, then I'd crack him anyway. But, because, you know, like, Seamus is not a. afraid to knock the piss out of it. So I just need to know where we're at in the game. Are we working light or are we working snug? Because I'm, I'm happy to go either way. How do you like to work? I like snug. I like snug. I like snug. I like snug is easy. When people are coming
Starting point is 01:10:39 at me, safe, like don't punch me in the teeth or the nose and be a dip shit. But if you're going to bring a clothesline, bring a clothesline. If you're going to bring a boot, bring a boot. Like, let's, let's keep it snug because there's nothing worse than having a big guy sell something that looks feigned. You can bring, you're not even doing nothing but hurt my feelings. It'll be all right. What's the story behind working with Floyd Mayweather?
Starting point is 01:11:06 Great. That was a happy accident too. Originally, that was supposed to be a tag. It was supposed to be Floyd and I against Ray and Dave. And I'm forced to do injuries. Dave poor a lat or a bicep and Ray messed something up, all before we got to the TV part of it to start the angle. And they were like, will you work with Mayweather?
Starting point is 01:11:29 I'm like, yeah, hell yeah. Split payoff between two guys. Well, really, Mayweather got most of the payoff and I got a thanks for showing up. But anyway, I thought, yeah, that's great. And when we're doing that, we're trying to talk to Floyd. There was such a size difference. I remember telling them, they're like, how do we make this believable? I said, it's easy.
Starting point is 01:11:50 I'll get on one knee. Because I'm so big and arrogant, I will get on one knee in front of them. I said, yeah, just have to break my nose. And they were like, what? I said, dude, I just spent the last year box and getting punched in the face. It's not that big a deal. And I told Floyd, because Floyd's a pro. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:12:05 I said, don't break the bone. Just give me a little tap. It'll bleed. Because you get tapped in the nose. It'll bleed. It's not broken. It's just a cartilage. So he was like, you want me to punch you?
Starting point is 01:12:17 Yeah, man. I said, don't shove it through the back of my head, but you got to. I said, if we don't make it look like something's happening, nobody's going to buy it. We need to get this off the ground and run and where people go, oh, damn, that's what we need. I said, but when you bust me in the nose and it bleeds, run. Because there's going to be five, ten seconds that I'm not going to be in the right frame of mind. If I get my hands on you, I might hurt you and you're worth half a billion dollars. So just make sure you're not around.
Starting point is 01:12:47 And he got that point. And we went out there and did it. And just as soon as that hot blood hit the back of my neck, I was pissed. Even though I know it's work, there's still, I was pissed. I can't believe you asked for it. It's for the business. It's for the industry. It's within the realm of what we're doing.
Starting point is 01:13:06 It's a punch in the nose. Like, shit, I've been punched the nose for free. You know what? We're trying to do what? We're trying to suspend belief. We're trying to pull you in. We're trying to, you know, make you think, oh, wow. We weren't expecting that.
Starting point is 01:13:23 That's crazy. what's going to happen next. And it's a party doing business. And I remember tearing ass after him. I remember I grabbed one of his guys that I thought was him. And that guy started, not me, it's not me.
Starting point is 01:13:36 He started screaming because I had him by the upper hip, the lower love handle in the ribs with one, I had him like this. And he wasn't going anywhere. And he's like, he's not me, it's not me. It's almost like a big dog grabbing a little dog and a little dog yelping.
Starting point is 01:13:53 That's what was going on. So then he tore ass out of there and nobody came around. Not cameraman, not Stewie. Like, they gave me like, it was like I smelled bad. There was nobody within 20. I remember Shane coming over and I love Shane to death. And Shane and I have been through some great battles together too. And Shane looks at me and goes, you're all right?
Starting point is 01:14:15 And by the day, I was calm. I was like, I remember going, because I lick the butt off my lip. I'm like, yeah. And Shane looks at me and goes, That was fucking awesome. So then I was like, okay, good. We did good. We did good.
Starting point is 01:14:30 And then we get to the back. I'm excited to see Floyd. He left. He got in his car and left. Like, nope, not hanging around. This is not for me. I don't want any part of this. And then we had to call him and his marriage to come back.
Starting point is 01:14:43 He stuck his head and Vince's office. He says, we cool, man. I said, dude, you did awesome. Come here, man. I gave him a big hug. And then we were off and running. He was so great to work with just. we had to talk him out of doing stuff and thank God they pulled in you know hunter who I think is
Starting point is 01:15:00 brilliant on ideas and putting stuff like this together like Hunter gets the story of it and um hunter was like he was like wow this guy wants to do everything I was like I know what are we going to do he's like well he's worth a lot of money let's not let's be careful with what we do and I went yeah I got it but he wanted me to chop and a body slam him through a table like he wanted all this crazy stuff. When I threw the guy out of the ring, we had to do a double because he wanted that to be him. I'm like, nah, dude, like,
Starting point is 01:15:31 they're not going to let us do that, you know. And then I remember after that WrestleMania, getting assaulted by his grandma, she slapped the bejointed me for beating up her grandbaby. Like, Floyd had to come over in Congress. She was mad. Like, she was legit because I stood on him. That's what she was mad about that I stood on him.
Starting point is 01:15:53 she was that she was not having it. I mean, her and I became friends a little bit later on, but when we first got back there, she was, she was ready to rip my ass apart. That's great. Yeah,
Starting point is 01:16:04 it was good. I was like, oh, yeah, we did good business, good. Seems you had a really special relationship with John Cena. Yeah,
Starting point is 01:16:11 love him. You were his first ever WrestleMania match. Yeah, yeah, I guess I was. Yeah. It was just something about,
Starting point is 01:16:22 it's funny to me, John's one of the only guy, he'll say different, I know, but John's one of the only guys I've ever met in this business, from Hogan to any star I've ever met, who always seems to navigate things in situations the best way possible. I've seen him hit with things, confrontational things, whether they're interviews or different things, and he always finds a way to navigate them in their most professional way. possible, even dealing with Vince. Like he, he was one of the only guys I knew. And it wasn't because he sold a lot of T-shirts and merch and all that other horse shit. Just the way he carried himself, composed himself. And he worked hard.
Starting point is 01:17:05 We'd fly 15 hours to Australia. And we have literally four hours when we land in Australia to eat, sleep, whatever you're going to do. And then we have to be on the bus to go to the venue. John would have a band waiting for him to take him to the gym because he needed to get his work out. He always held himself accountable with that. And that kind of, I mean, don't get me wrong. You know, he was a
Starting point is 01:17:29 whiskey drinking clown, too. But at the same time, from the business end of it, he always understood the business end of it and worked it accordingly very well. I was always impressed with him and his work ethic and just the way he handled
Starting point is 01:17:45 things. Composure. I don't know how to explain it. Yeah, composure. You wouldn't rattle him. You know, where I'm, hell, I'm a freaking baby rattle. You shake me. Arnold was in my head for 12 years, you know? You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:18:02 So I think that's why I've always gravitated to him. Because I remember when Vince and I, I had that, I think it was a U.S. title. Somehow I ended up with it, had no business having it. But for some reason, I ended up with it. And he comes and says, well, who do you want to work with a mania? Which was nice. He just gave me the opportunity to parents. I said, I'll put it on CNN.
Starting point is 01:18:23 He goes, well, how's he, how's it going to beat you? So they'll pick me up with his finish. He goes, he can't pick you up. I said, oh, yeah, you can. That makes kids strong. So we went in the afternoon, got out of crash pad, and I had John give me the, I think it was the FU then. Yeah. He gave me the FU on the crash pad.
Starting point is 01:18:41 And I remember Vince was just amazed that, and John's one of the strongest individuals. John and Mark Henry are probably the two of the strongest I've ever been in the ring. And there's different strengths. Kane? Kane, I would not want to be on the wrong end of an ass whipping from Kane if he got hot. You know, because he's just a different level of proficiency and strength. Lesnar's the most explosive. Like what, you remember the scene in, oh, with DiCaprio with a bear.
Starting point is 01:19:16 What was that movie? Revenant. Revenant. Remember how aggressive that bear was when it was slinging them all? around. Okay, that's Brock. Like, you can tell, like, Brock will sling your guts all over the place quickly, you know? Mark Henry is just like, okay, you're the suitcase and he's going to throw you around. You know what I mean? Like, he's just, I remember him double clutching me to put me through an ounce table one time. He didn't like the angle, so he just picked me up a little higher and put
Starting point is 01:19:42 me through it. And we got in the back and said, don't ever double clutch me again. Like, I felt like like a little kid flopping around. Like, oh, my hair's, oh, look at me, going for a ride. not cool bro not cool but john he would pick me john used to do stuff like he would fall on his first a a attempt face forward and i would land on top of him to tell the story it's an effort to do this i might not be able to get it this one didn't work which is smart because when he did get at the end it meant more but i'm like john i'm going to kill you says no he says just you'll be fine he would control that bump all the way now. Like, I mean, core strength,
Starting point is 01:20:22 leg strength, like everything, he would control the speed of that. Like, when you're up there and you know you're heavy and I'm bracing and I'm doing everything I can to be as light and as stable. I'm not up there like a soggy bag of shit. Like, I'm stiff and holding on and locked in.
Starting point is 01:20:40 Dude, I could be there all day. And someone like you isn't used to being in those positions. No, no, no. Goldberg was a freak in W. WCW, like that jackhammer, and I was a little bit younger then, but Goldberg would always had a good job of stacking me for that jackhammer. Did you know he could get you out for that jackhammer?
Starting point is 01:20:58 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like with ease. With ease. Well, we just talked about it because I could take, here's the thing, I could take suplexes, I could take hip tosses. I could take all that stuff. I think one of the first big bumps I took that freaked everybody was I took Kurt's angle slam one time.
Starting point is 01:21:14 You know, just fed in and took it and they were like, oh my God. And Kurt was like, you took that so easy. my God. I'm like, yeah, it's kind of why I have a job because I'm big and I'm also good. I mean, you know, that's how I took Henning's Perfectplex. Like, unfortunately, I'm a giant that's good at taking finishes, so there you go. But you, and that's the reason why you're still doing this. Yeah, I have fun with it, man. Chris, at this stage of the game, for me, it's having fun. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:21:38 You know, I mean, I'm grateful every day that I have the opportunity to still be a part of this business to still have some influence on some younger minds and help them. And also, you know, try to help them navigate some of the pitfalls that I went through. Well, you are an absolute legend. That's a nice way saying I'm old. Thanks, Chris. You were an absolute legend. Oh, you're an absolute legend. You ain't dead yet. When, whenever. I'm like Snake Pliskin. I have to show up on TV every three months, so everybody, proof of life. Whenever you decide to end your career, I hope that's many, many years from now. Yeah, I think you're a Hall of Famer.
Starting point is 01:22:19 There's always something. I mean, listen, you know, unless there's a bunch of giants around that need coaching, you know, listen, there are great talents that are great at coaching. You know, I don't see myself as a trainer. Like, you know, to me, like, you know, Billy Gunn, you know, is a great trainer. He understands the mechanics and is really good at teaching. He's amazing at teaching. You know, I don't.
Starting point is 01:22:45 I'm more for like grandpa. I tell some good stories to make you laugh and the hazards of don't do this and don't do that. You tell great stories. I do. I do. Thank you. You've mentioned the word gratitude a few times during this conversation.
Starting point is 01:22:59 It's a central focus of my life. I love being able to focus on the things that you have rather than being angry about the things you don't have. Sure. You know what my number one thing is when I get pissed off about shit? Because obviously you can get irritated about things. you know, I'll go to my pantry. I'll look at my pantry.
Starting point is 01:23:19 It's full. I open the fridge. It's full. I turn the light switch on and off. It's full. It turns on and off. I'm good. I'm really good because in a necessity's life,
Starting point is 01:23:33 I got a few people that really like me that like being in my life. I'm grateful for that. I got nothing to bitch about. I got nothing to complain about. I'm not mad at the world. I'm not mad at people. I'm really not. You know, I'm making my way like everybody else.
Starting point is 01:23:47 I'm not any better than anyone else by any means. I think that's a tough thing to navigate as a young talent that gets a lot of fame quickly. It's tough to differentiate between the character, what you think you're supposed to be, and who you really are. And that takes a little bit of maturity to come along to say, yeah, it's what I do. It's not who I am. So I end every interview with gratitude. So what are three things?
Starting point is 01:24:14 your life right now, Paul, that you're grateful for? My family, my health, and my cats. What are your cats' names? Oh, my God, dude, I got 10. Do you have 10 cats? I have a horrible joke that is really not PG, but it's extremely funny. But I don't know if I should tell it because I'm afraid it would be... Tell it off camera.
Starting point is 01:24:35 Oh, yeah, I'll tell it off camera. Okay. Tell it off camera. It's a great joke. Anyway, I think I can clean it up. Yeah? I can clean it up. I have 10 cats.
Starting point is 01:24:43 Okay. When I was in my 20s, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was going to be successful, I was going to be famous, you know, I was going to be surrounded in girls. Yeah. And God looked at me and winked and, you know, I've been married 27 years and I have 10 cats. I think we all get the joke. Yeah. It's like, got you. It's like, yeah, I had a different, but this is cool.
Starting point is 01:25:11 All of my cats. Let's see. I have Athena, who's my black cat. I have Fat Maui. I have Prince Harry. I have Naya Naya Pants on Fire. I have Naysa. I have Kukla, my little Russian doll.
Starting point is 01:25:28 We have Paul, P-A-W-L. We have Leonidas, Leo. We have Aloha. Oh, we have S. Sylvia. Oh my God. I forget Sylvia. We have Sylvia and, oh shit. I'm a bad dad. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I'm down there. I know I'm forgetting one. I'm going to get you. Is it Sylvia, right? I got Sylvia. Why don't I feel like I'm missing one? I'm trying, because they're, I got seven at once. Sounds like you don't have 10 cats. No, I think it did at one time I had 12, but, you know, as, well, I've lost, I've lost pepper.
Starting point is 01:26:21 And I lost my old lady, my Russian gray. She was almost 20, stormy, Stramoya. You know, and it's funny because Fat Maui is like Stramoya. She was older and I kept her away from the other cat. So she's in the bedroom. And she has her had her own water fountain, her own heated bed, her own two window purchased, her own treats. Like she's set up.
Starting point is 01:26:47 And I have a very comfortable, you wouldn't think it's comfortable, but it's an old wooden, like a Victorian-type padded chair. It's like straight like this. But the armrests are, it's my favorite reading chair. Because I literally can hold a book like this, and it's just, I can read for hours in the chair. I love that chair. So Stramoya, Stormy, would always sit in my lap, my little gray mouser, I call it,
Starting point is 01:27:09 because she was little, she was only like almost five pounds. She was just a little bit of thing. And, but every time I would come in the bedroom, she'd like, where have you been? you know and she was always like at night when I'd sleep she'd sleep on me like we were two peas in a pod and you know she's old and it happens so I couldn't go in the bedroom with the bedroom doors closed so I said okay we got to leave the bedroom doors open because I can't go in there for a while just grief you know so I had the doors open and I remember sitting in my chair and fat Maui brings her ass in there and she reminds me to that Instagram video with the lady goes
Starting point is 01:27:45 this is nice. Fat Maui comes in, looks at the heated bed, looks at all the mountain, and then Fat Maui moved into the lap, like, I'm going to park up right here, but it was just funny, like Maui moved into the penthouse apartment when the stormy moved out. So, yeah. I have Max,
Starting point is 01:28:03 who's an Amazon green bird, who will live to be like 80 or something. He's an asshole. How old is Max now? Max is 20. Max is going to outlive you. Oh, no, you won't. I got it in my will. When I go, he goes. Yeah. It's a joke in the house, but he has this unique timing of always being loud when I'm trying to do something. And I know he's smart and he does it on purpose because you know it winds me up. And yes, I know it's a bird. I got it. But there's heat there. And then I have Big Slow.
Starting point is 01:28:36 Who's Big Slow? Big Slow is a Russian tortoise. early in when Shane and I were doing that angle he kept calling me Big Slow Yeah And you know My family and my wife thought it was funny To call me Big Slow
Starting point is 01:28:50 And I got hot when I said Call me Big Slow one more time I dare you I dare you Call me Big Slow one more time And I When I had town worked I came back
Starting point is 01:29:01 And it was a giant glass case On the table With a turtle in it I go Why do we get a turtle? She goes, oh, that's Big Slow. So when Big Slow is being an asshole, she points to the turtle. So there you go.
Starting point is 01:29:16 Yeah, and Big Slow's great. She's got a lot bigger. She's so cool to just interact with because she's so prehistoric. Like, I have her set up pretty good, too. Like, she's inside the house, but in Florida, when the days are nice, I have a nice covered area, and she goes outside. I always like watching her crawl around and dig. And, you know, you can, I pick her up and I can rub her head and she's cool.
Starting point is 01:29:42 Man, who knew? Yeah, I love animals, dude. I love animals. Ten cats. A bird that's going to outlive you in the big slow. Yeah, what's she? Fried chicken. Fried chicken.
Starting point is 01:29:53 I'll do that in the case sometimes. I'll look at him. Because he squares up on me. He'll square up on me, bro. I'm telling you, like, because I, you know, I'll feed him. I water him. I take care of him. Sometimes he'll bowl up and puff up like, what?
Starting point is 01:30:06 You want some punk? I'm like, dude. fried chicken, man. I'm telling me. Fried chicken. You know, he started this new thing where if I'm eating, he goes crazy. Until I lean around the corner and look at him. And as soon as I do it, he goes, good boy.
Starting point is 01:30:23 True story. True story. But he won't stop squawking until I look at him and he tells me, good boy. Fried chicken. Tell him, good boy. This was such a blast. Thanks, man. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:30:37 I'm sure everybody out there is like, like Big Show needs help. Like, what's wrong with? Paul needs help. I'm not Big Show anymore. Yeah. See, you've got me so nostalgic. I'm calling myself like Lord Baltimore. He who should not be named. So, anyway.
Starting point is 01:30:49 Thanks, man. Thanks, Chris. Appreciate it. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock. But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley?
Starting point is 01:31:05 How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this.
Starting point is 01:31:18 Hammer Alley. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.

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