Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Rob Terry on his WWE & TNA career, natural bodybuilding, Generation Iron film

Episode Date: August 4, 2020

Former WWE & TNA superstar Rob Terry chats with Chris Van Vliet from his home in Clearwater, FL. He talks about growing up as a fan of both bodybuilding and pro wrestling, how he got discovered by WWE, the rumor that there were plans to make him Chris Jericho's protege, signing with TNA Wrestling, being part of the British Invasion with Doug Williams and Nick Aldis, his decision to leave TNA, becoming the two-time natural Mr. Olympia, his support of natural bodybuilding, why he decided never to do steroids, his role in the film "Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life" and much more!Support the show by supporting our sponsors!DEAL DASH- Get an extra 100 Free Bids upon signup by using the code CVVSHOW at https://dealdash.fm/CVVSHOWBETONLINE- Head to http://betonline.ag and use the promo code BLUEWIRE for your free welcome bonus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This is the Chris Van Vleet Show. Chris Van Vleet Show. Ladies and gentlemen. Chris. It's that time again. Welcome back to another audio adventure on the Chris Van Fleet Show. This episode is brought to you by Deal Dash and Bet Online. And Rob Terry is a guy we haven't heard a lot from in the wrestling world in the last

bunch of years. and that's because he's been too busy absolutely dominating the world of natural bodybuilding. He's a big part of the new film Generation Iron Natty for Life, which is available now on video on demand. So we're talking Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, wherever you get your movies, it is there. And speaking of iTunes, these reviews on Apple Podcasts just keep coming in and keep getting better and better. and thank you so much for the support. I'm so grateful that you're helping to spread the word about the show. In fact, last week, this show was way up there on the podcast charts.

Above shows from ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, above the AEW podcast, above Corey Graves podcast. Oh, let's just, let's keep this thing going. And it's epic reviews like this one from Rambo A7X that really help out. It's titled True Story. I was walking home from the store last night when some dudes jumped out to rob me. But at that same moment, someone jumped in to protect me and took down all four men. To my surprise, it was Chris Van Fleet. I asked how I could ever repay him.

And he said, just leave me a five-star review. So here I am. Also, I love the podcast. Gets me through a lot of boring work days and they're genuinely interesting to listen to. Thank you, Rambo A7X. And that is totally a true story. I jumped all four men. You just got to repay me with a five-star podcast review.

All right. So maybe the story's not true, but let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story. Or in this case, a good review. And if you think you can top that ridiculously amazing review, I want to hear it. Bring it. I'll be reading a review in every single episode. And as of right now, that's two episodes. a week because we have so many interesting people to talk to and there just aren't enough weeks

in the year to do just one a week. So right now it's every Tuesday and Thursday. So let's keep this going. And Rob Terry is such an interesting guy and also such a large, large guy, so large in fact that he's a two-time natural Mr. Olympia. We talk about that and how he got into bodybuilding as well as his time in WWE. why it didn't work out. There were rumors that he was going to be Chris Jericho's protege. Why that didn't happen. Then he, of course, went into TNA from there.

But you'd think he'd be a perfect fit in WWE. I mean, from all the stories we hear about Vince, Rob Terry's exactly what Vince looks for in a superstar. So we get into a lot of that. We talk about the British invasion, him deciding to leave TNA when his contract was up. So much stuff here. So let's get right into it.

Ladies and gentlemen, give it up. for Rob Terry. All right. Look at the size of this man. Rob Terry joining us. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Listen, thank you so much for having me,

my friend. I appreciate it. I can't imagine that too many of your clothes have sleeves when you're this large. Yeah, well, it's easier to have them cut off or just have no sleeves at all. But yeah,

shopping's always being a problem. I tell that to everyone. You do not want to go shopping with me. It's a misery. Well, I mean, not only are you, large and you know very uh you have a giant frame you're also tall like that yeah yeah you know a lot of the clothes they they don't tailor to you know like pants for

example that's the worst for me you know you uh a lot of them are like slender on the thigh and then i got to order like i don't know like three sizes up on the waist and that i got the waist taper down so it's just an ongoing nightmare that i've just always had that issue with so i'm kind I'm used to it now. Well, it's a good problem to have. I guess you could say that. Hey, I'm not going to complain at all. So I just finished watching the new film, Generation Iron, Natty for Life.

I was blown away by it. And as a wrestling fan, it's an impact wrestling fan, I certainly learned a lot more about you than I might have seen just watching you in the ring. And that's, you know, like I tell everyone, that's a huge thing for me. It's like, and you nail it, you know what I mean? It's like not too many of the people who, who watch professional and they don't know

that much about me at all in terms of my bodybuilding career. So it was such a cool concept for me to really go on record and just tell my story and how it is. And, you know, just some of the struggles

that I grew up with, you know what I mean? It's really relevant to who I am and it's really such a relief for me to put that out there and just let people know who I really am, you know? How did this project come together?

How did you get invited? This is the fourth generation iron film. I've watched all of them. They're fantastic. How did you get invited to be part of this one? You know, same with me. I mean, you know, I'm a huge admirer of all the films.

You know what I mean? Obviously, you know, pumping iron, you know, the original original, should we say, was a huge part of my growing up. And then, you know, as I was in the bodybuilding world and just doing my thing, competing in the natural, for the natural Olympia, I think it was around about that time. They had Generation Iron come out. And I thought, wow, this is cool.

This is like the new modern version of the pumping iron. that was back in the day. So I needed to check this out. You know, I knew who all the characters were even before watching it because I was a huge fan of the bodybuilder scene full stop. So, yeah, you know, it was just a cool thing to see those guys on TV. A lot of them I was friends with, you know, anyway, so that was kind of a cool deal. And yeah, you know, I loved it.

And then as I set of progressing and I turned pro as the two-time natural Mr. Olympia and I was going in for my third show, the organization, the IMBA, PNBA, which is who I compete with, they said, hey, you know, Generation Iron is looking for people, and we'd really like to just put your name for it. I think it would be, you know, really good for you and really good for them. I was like, I'm absolutely, you know, this is, you know,

if it works out, it works out. It would be a great opportunity for me, like I said, to tell my story and everything else and promote natural bodybuilding, the way that I always do. So yeah, they hit me up and I talked to them a little bit. I gave them a little bit of my story and it was almost as if they'd already decided even before speaking to me pretty much that they wanted me to be part of this, which was a cool thing as well. And then I started just going back and for them. My family were coming into town, you know, they visit like twice a year. So I really felt like it was a good thing for them to speak on my behalf as well.

well because they had such a massive impact on my upbringing, my morals and everything else. You know what I mean? And they also knew the concerns that I had obviously now watching Generation I and, you know, I have one kidney. So when you're talking about the enhanced realm of bodybuilding, whatever people want to think and, you know, I'm not here to, you know, change people's opinions or whatever not. I don't care. I used to. I don't anymore. But the point is, that they were a really big driving force for me because they knew of the enhanced side and they knew I wouldn't be able to go that route. So, you know, it was just really cool to have them on that and tell my story and everything

else and reflect on it. It was just the, and even the people that I work with on a day to day, you know what I mean? It was really, really cool. So you mentioned a big detail in there, which I didn't know. I think a lot of people don't know that you only have one kidney. So can you explain, you know, what happened there when you were growing up? Yeah, so, I mean, first of all, I'm no physician, don't get me wrong, but when I lived back in the UK, I was about, maybe it was about seven and a half. It was a good like six months before I actually had my kidney out.

But this wasn't even talked about in the documentary as well, so this is breaking ground right now. But I was that kid, you know, I was adventurous and mischievous, if you like. And we were moving or we had a removal truck. I can't remember exactly what it was for, what we were. moving and whatnot. I just know I was with my dad. I was stuck to his hip. He went in the house and I was like, oh man, you know, I'll go in the driver's seat and pretend to drive this thing and whatever not. And I flipped the handbrake and the next thing, they started rolling back. We lived on a sort of, it wasn't a hill, but it was on a gradient and it just started rolling back.

I freaked out and I opened the door and I jumped out. The door hit me as I jumped out. It sort of came back and hit me. And then the front wheel went over my pelvis. And that was one of my major first injuries, I guess. I fractured my pelvis, okay? And that was pretty much that. I was in hospital for like three days. And he was like, okay, great, bye and, you know, took it easy. And then six months after that, I was getting ready to go for school.

And I had excruciating pains on my left side. And my mother, again, like I said, I was a mischievous kid. I was trying to get out of school any day I could. And basically, you know, she thought that's what I was trying to do. and turns out that we went to the hospital and they said, look, you're going to need to have your kidney out. You know, and I was, I was eight years old. So that was a pretty big thing for me to try and comprehend. And maybe I didn't understand it like I should.

But yeah, that was a big deal for me. You know, I had a kidney out. I did not have a transplant. You know, I got the scar and everything else. But, yeah, so I had the kidney out. And that was kind of a definitive moment. in my life when my family knew, you know, I could still live, you know, a normal life, you know, and everything else, but I just needed to take care of myself. And, and that's

something as I grew older that I really sort of appreciated and knew that I had to do that. Is there anything now 32 years later that you can't do or you have to, you know, you can't do as well because you only have one kidney? Um, no, not really. I mean, I don't, I mean, I'm, I'm really, and I don't, I say anti-medicate. I don't know, I take it. medications for anything. So, you know, there's, I remember when I was growing up as a kid, you know, people would say, yeah, they're going to hook him up to this thing and he's got to do like, I don't know, all the stuff. But I, I live like a drug-free life to, with my, with my kidney. So, you know, I just, I just try and take care of it. I don't drink. I'm not saying

that I've never drunk, but like, obviously I went to, you know, when I was around 18, you know, I'd experiment with drink like most kids do and stuff. But now, again, as I get older, I realize, you know, that first of all, I want this fitness lifestyle. And number two, I've kind of got to protect myself. So people say to me, hey, you know, do you drink and everything else? I don't, you know what I mean? It's just something that helps to protect me. And even though the bodybuilding lifestyle isn't ideal as well, you know what I'm saying?

That's something that I talk about a lot as well, you know, I'm a big dude. So being close to 280 is kind of my regular on the office. season. So, you know, I, my, my diet usually looks at about 300 grams of protein a day, which is, it's not, it's not, that is a big amount, but it's not massive. Do you know what I'm saying? So I'll never really, I'll never really need to go over that. So I'm very cognizant not to do so. And plus it's not like just 300 grams of protein solid. It's obviously mixed up of, you know, the, how do I say, the, the proteins that are in carbohydrates that aren't, you know, like, a complete chain. So whatever I can do to kind of make that up and, you know, not just have

slabs and slabs and slabs of meat to, uh, to attain that. So I just very, very cautious and, you know, um, conditioned to, to understand what goes in my body and, and, and everything else. I mean, you're, you're very proud to be a natural bodybuilder. And extremely. Yeah, you talk about in the film how you, you, you probably couldn't do steroids because you only have one kid. Sure. Is that, was that a big fact? early on. You get into bodybuilding. I mean, I think a lot of people just go, I think that's a thing you have to do. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I can drive multiple points off that. But if I, if I really focus on myself, it's, it's really, it's a hard thing to explain. But and you,

you, you know, you really drive it all my points before I even get them. But like you said, being proud of it. You're 1,000% right because I remember at 14 or 15 years old, I had these weights that I bugged the hell out of my parents, you know, to get me. And I was working out. My mom was watching TV and she was just watching TV. And I was just working out to the side of her, just watching TV as well, just, you know, just doing my thing. And she looked over and she double-tucked me as well. And I was like, what? What? What are you looking at? And she was like, you're bigger than most guys. You know what I mean? I'd like that age. And I didn't, you know, it was like, oh yeah, that's cool, that's cool. Let's keep going, you know, and it's just

kind of that thing. And it's, it's like, I don't know, you know, what to relate it to, like, dominoes or anything that you kind of build up something in your life, you know, and it's like, it's just so important to you to keep going, to keep building. And then you, to the point where you're like, how much can I build of this? Do you know what I mean? And then, then you look behind you when you're like, man, I built that. And it's like, you know, and then all of a and everyone outside of that, it's like, you didn't build that. You didn't build it naturally. And it's you just want to protect.

You just want to protect, protect, protect, protect what you built. And it was just one of those things, you know, like I just had people in the gyms, you know. And they were cool people, you know what I mean? It's just they, everyone has their opinion, just like I have my own choice. And, you know, they would be, you know, listen, you're doing really good, man. You're really good. But you're not going to be able to get any bigger than that. You're not going to get any, you're not going to be able to get any, you're not

could be able to get any bigger than that unless you go to this other side. And my mind would, it wouldn't get infuriated, but it would just be like, you watch, I'm going to do it. And that's, that was just kind of my attitude the entire time. And I just felt like I had so much energy to try and convince people. And that was my entire thing. It was like all these people who come up to you, there's no way you're natural, dude. It's not possible. And I would just, I would spend whatever I was doing if I was on a night out, if I was going somewhere, I would just stop everything. I would spend one solid hour. And I remember being so drained and depleted physically and mentally because I'm constantly exhausting everything that I've done to try and achieve what I do on the

level that I do it on. And, you know, they would walk away and they would be like, okay. But then, you know, I'm like, did I really, did I do it? It would drive me nuts. You know what I mean? But I have a totally different mindset today. Like I said, there's not, there's really no words. that I can kind of tell you how important it is for me to get my story out there. It's kind of like a legacy that I have. But, you know, it's one that I'll defend as well. You know what I mean? It's like, it's not like, okay, I will undergo any kind of test

and that possibly is to defend that because it is true. And it's just a great feeling, you know what I mean? So, yeah, you know, but you're absolutely right. People do generally think that, yeah, if you want to do that, then you have to kind of do this. And I respect that. And like I said, it's a choice. And people want to do things different ways.

But just being an ambassador for natural bodybuilding. And if I can convince, not convince us the wrong way, but if I can just show people that there is a chance or an option for you, that that's different to that. Because not everyone can do that. You know what I mean? Or maybe certain people wouldn't want to do that. But by people watching this movie on Generation I and Natty for Life,

if I can inspire people to think, okay, well, I want to do this, well. If he can do it, I can do it. Because there's nothing really to separate. Yeah, I've got great genetics. I'm not going to lie. But I mean, you know what I mean? Anyone can do this. You know what I'm saying? And if I can just show people that, then that's a huge, huge victory for me. To clarify this for people who are watching or listening, what exactly does natural mean when you feel like to? I love, thank you. Dude, you're telling all the questions today, man. I really loving this because no one's really asked me that, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, so because everyone, especially

on generation, everyone's asking the questions on steroids, right? That's what it is. But to me, it's so much more than that. It's any agent that you could possibly put into your body to make it enhanced in any type of way. So, you know, you're talking growth hormones. insulins, steroids, and diuretics, anything like that. If there's anything, like, that's probably the span of range that I'm thinking, but if there's anything else as well, that would fall into it. Now, if we're talking a cup of coffee from Starbucks, then I totally fail because I am a caffeine addict.

So, do you know what I'm saying? So that's, that's, I mean, caffeine is a drug. Do you know what I'm saying? But, you know what I mean? I'm a big, I'm a big pre-workout guy. I get this. Yeah, you know, caffeine, I'm a really big caffeine guy. You know, I love my coffee.

But anything outside the realm of car, this is pretty much as hardcore as I would go. You know what I mean? It's a cup of coffee. It sounds ridiculous and retarded, but that's just what it is. That's just, that's just my, it's a standard that I set for myself. And it's the standard that's, that remains the same and the constant since I was ever existed. So where does TRT fall in? to the regulations?

I don't know. I don't know about that. I'm not sure. I'm just asking out of curiosity, because I think there's a lot. That's a really valid question as well. And we've seen this at a lot of other sports. UFC is a great example where guys will do TRT

because it's doctor prescribed. Right. Yeah. No, I honestly, that is a great question. Maybe that would be a great question for either someone in the test in row. or the organization itself.

Again, that's something to this day I've not ever needed to do. So it's not something that I've ever looked into. So how are you able to balance the lifestyle of being a bodybuilder while also being a wrestler? Because we know that you're on the road all the time. Tough to get meals. Tough to get a good night's sleep. It is.

Yeah, you know, if you don't mind, I'll backtrack. But work ethic-wise, I mean, even before any of this started, you know, when I was like 20, 22, 23, 24, that was when I was living back home in the UK. And, you know, I used to work in a bank in the day from like 9 to 5. Then I'd go train some people in the gym. Then I'd train myself and then I jumped to a club and do security. And I was doing that five to six nights a week, right? So just to sort of, you know, you're talking about balance.

For me, that was probably like one of the most demanding. in times, you know what I'm saying, to do all that, just because a regiment of the job that I was working and just had to be in certain places. So that was tough. So I was kind of used to that from a very early age. But with professional wrestling, when I moved into that, it is, it is tough. And I think the hardest thing about that was the travel, because what I found is if you, if you don't prepare your own stuff and take it with you, then when you're stuck in an airport, I dare you. I even challenge you to eat healthy in an airport. It ain't going to happen, right? No. It ain't going to happen. And you can try, you can do whatever. You know, you can have a salad and a thing, but that ain't going to sustain what I would need. So the key for me was really the preparation. And even though, you know, yeah, we were traveling a lot. We were doing a lot of shows. We did have a, you know, I did have a lot of downtime where I was at home. And I had that time to prepare the stuff to take with me. You know, there's, there's really no excuse.

for that. And I think that's something that bodybuilding taught me straight off the bat is that, you know, and I say this a lot as well. And it's something that I really like to reinforce is that, you know, bodybuilding to me is the ultimate discipline, right? Because when you're training, you, as a pro mindset, you are in total command of what you do physically and mentally. Okay. And then like a lot of sports or disciplines like martial arts, you do get downtime where you, train your ass off. And, you know, I'm not saying that a bodybuilder trains harder than anyone else. But when you were training like three, four, five hours on a football field and stuff like that, you get time to relax to chill. As a pro bodybuilder, that time never clicks off. Because

even though you step outside the gym, now you put on a different hat and now it's like nutrition. What can I do to fuel everything? So it's that mindset of bodybuilding that really transcended and taught me how to apply myself into different fields. So when I knew I had that downtime, I had to be productive doing a lot of other stuff, but mainly it was like, okay, well, now is my time to prepare my food so I don't get screwed when I go to the airport. You know what I'm saying? So that's kind of how it regulated and how I use that to my advantage. When you're going through security with like, oh my God, oh my God, dude. I wish I would look at the person behind me and say, hey, how much you want to bet they're going to stop me here, you know what I mean? And on

top of that, I had, you know, when I was doing wrestling shows, I had all this, like, fake, I'm Welsh, right? So a tan for me is not really going to happen. This light, I don't know what I look with on your camera, but it's just probably good light. And if I look tan, I'm white as hell. So, yeah, you know, I'd wear fake tan going through the security. And I don't know what it was, but like, you know, when they have those swabs and

they, they, they don't know, whatever they, like, they're like, yeah, they were agents in the explosive. there were agents in that tan that would come up with the explosives part so that they were just taking into the next room and then the next room I was like I'm going to miss my flight I am not going to get to my destination so I learned pretty fast to apply the tan when I get there versus before I go so yeah no they they would go through all my powders you know the protein powders you know my my creatine and glutamine powders which obviously looked like a recreational drug you know what I mean so it was uh it was crazy yeah I'd always have a fun time

going through the airport. But they'd look at me and, you know, they'd see that I was a big guy in a bodybuilder, and they just, you know, they, for the most part, they knew when they understood. How did you get discovered? How did you get that break in wrestling? Yeah. So, again, you know, going back, my physical transformation started at 13. I was a young kid.

I wouldn't recommend that to too many people. But I was lucky and I got away with it. But my mental transformation started so much earlier. You know what I'm saying? I was I was like 10, maybe 8 to 10. And around that time, at 10 years old, you know what I mean? Me and my friends and I, we'd watch all these movies, movies that were like for way old,

are people like 18, 18 plus and all that kind of stuff. And obviously they're all Arnold movies. They're all Sylvester Stallone movies and they're, you know, everything like that. And then I'm watching like the WWF and get. and introduced into that, like British gladiators was on. You know, when I was younger than that, I could, you know, playing with like, he man toys.

All these things in my life, right? The everything, single thing about it had one thing in common. Everyone was jacked. Okay. In the 80s when I was born, it was just there was so many influences, you know. And everyone was in shape and it was just really molded. my mind from a young age and it captivated me that that's how I want to look. So how did you get discovered? How did the wrestling thing happen for you?

So that, you know, obviously everything kept going forward. I started working out of 13. I started training. I did my first competition when I was 18, bodybuilding show. And then I, like I said, being a huge wrestling fan. I watched it and I would just I would like man I'd love to do that you know what I'm saying about I just have no idea how to get into it and short story we got for the first time when I was 22 got to see a wrestling show and it was a live

event in London and I had tickets and I had the seats right next to the ring and I thought man these seats are bad I can't not able to see the match I want to be right next to the ring they ended up being the best seats in the house right because all the wrestlers were right next to me walking down the ramp. So I was just sizing these guys up. I was like, triple H, I'm bigger than this, dude. You know, all these guys, I was like, man, I'm way, I'm way bigger than these guys.

This is, I can do this. This is, this is for me. This is what I'm going to do. And a few of these guys would come up to me. I think it was the big show. Razor Ramon, Scott Hall. He came up to me. These guys were getting in my face because they were like, look at this kid over here, the Jack guy. I lost my mind, right? I had my top off. I was flexing at these guys. And the show ended. And, you know, I remember driving back home. It was like a three and a half, four hour drive. And it was the most depressing time of my life. Because I realized at that point that this was something that I wanted to do so bad.

And I just had no idea how to get into it. And it was, you know, it was like a fire got lit under my butt. And I would send these tapes off to America. I dressed up as a gladator. I got these. I didn't even hire them. I talked these guys into filming. me and doing a movie and all this kind of stuff to sort of apply to try and get hired and all that kind of

stuff. But, you know, all these attempts that I was actively making just, it was almost like nothing was working, okay? So I, again, you know, I was still into natural, my natural bodybuilding and trying to turn pro as a natural pro. So in 2006, my wife and I, we, we went out to Hollywood, California and I did my show and I was in before the show I was in a way in segment and this lady came and sat down to me sat down next to me and she was like hey I'm from the WWE we're looking scouting talent we think you you got a great luck and we'd love to discuss and explore the opportunity of signing you as a WWE wrestler my jaw hit the floor and did not come back up it was just it was the craziest moment in my life and

you know again i i attribute everything to that for natural bodybuilding you know it was just the right place right time yeah and um that was in 2006 and then the the end of 2007 i was living in florida and uh you know i was actually meeting and training with these guys that i was just a huge fan and admirer of you know all most of my life so it was a pretty cool and surreal experience for me So you're going down this path trying to make this thing happen for yourself and really not getting anywhere. Right. Just like that, the right person changes everything for you. Yeah.

Yeah. It was insane. It really was. So you're in Florida and you start training at FCW, which is WWE's developmental at the time. This is before NXT, right? Yes. Yeah. This was their original.

So, yeah, it was the FCW before the one down. Vince must be looking at you going, this guy's a future champion you're exactly what Vince McMahon wants yeah well you know it was it was really he was actually the first guy I met when I was doing my tryouts and I just I just remember I was sweating profusely

and my wife looked over and she's like what's wrong with you and I'm like that's Vince McMahon so yeah it was a pretty cool thing you know I got to meet him and you know he's a very intense individual great guy and it was super cool I mean I think people know you from your time in TN of course. But you know, you did spend some time in WWE and Chris Jericho wrote in his biography that he wanted to make you his protege. What ended up happening with that? I don't know. I don't know about that. Multiple times people will tell me that. That would have been the coolest thing for me. That would have been freaking awesome. But, you know, it's the wrestling world. People have ideas. They go so far. And then sometimes they don't materialize. It's just the nature of the industry. But that would have been a cool concept. I would have loved that. It would have been a great opportunity. And, you know. Yeah. So how did the transition go from WWE then to TNA? So, yeah, so I was with WWE.

I think there's like a year and a half, you know, and it was just one of those things. I don't know, man, I thought I was doing so good. I remember there was one instance when my wife and I, my wife and I, I was on a visa with them. And my wife was staying here on a visa. and we just thought, okay, let's go back home. We'll get married because we planned that all along. And then we, you know, I cleared it with the office and everything else like that. And I came back and it was just a weird thing.

I was there for two weeks. And then, you know, they called me and they're like, hey, sorry, man, we, you know, we got to cut you. And I'm like, man, just kidding me. You know what I mean? So that was, that was like, that was a really, really hard time for me. Because you went away? Is that why? You know, that's the thing with the WWE and especially when you're in the development.

You'll never really know the actual reason. There are, I mean, I personally have a few of the, you know, conspiracies of what happened. But, I mean, you're never really going to know the true real reason. They're never going to say it to you, do you know what I mean? But yeah, that was a really hard time for me, man, because I really, you know, I really loved what I was doing. I was super new, you know what I mean? I had so much more to learn and everything else. But yeah, that was that was a bum time for me.

You know what I mean? Because I really didn't see it coming. No one really did. Yeah. But, you know, then again, my wife, Sarah, she said, hey, you want to do this, right? And I was like, yeah, absolutely. She's like, okay, let's go up to Orlando. So we went up to Orlando.

And we went to see Devon, Bubba Ray and DeVon Dudley. And they have the Team 3D Academy and Kissimmee, Florida. and yeah, I started training there. And, you know, I bust my ass. I had to do that. I bust my ass every single day because the type of people they are, they want you to prove it to them that you want it. You know what I mean?

And that's pretty much what I did. I drove up that like three to four times a week. And I trained. And a cool thing with that is that, you know, Baba Ray Dudley, I mean, I don't know if you know who he is. He's a very, you know, a very, very straight. He's a very, very straight up guy. You know what I mean?

He's like, hey, you know, we talked and, you know, I told him my story about being natural and everything else. And, you know, he's like, okay, you said, you won't let me down, right? And I was like, sir, I would never ever let you down. He's like, I didn't think so. So it was almost like, I mean, he didn't have to go to bat, go to bat for me because at that time, they had wellness policy in the WWE. And so was impact wrestling. Professional wrestling as a whole was under a microscope for situations that happened. prior in 2006 where, you know, we had Eddie Guerrero and then the Chris Benoit incident where basically,

I mean, you know, whatever happened happened, but everything media-wise was pinpointed on steroids and performance enhanced drugs. So it was really important for Barbara Ray to really, you know, have his trust in me. And then he went to TNA and said, hey, look, I got this guy. you're probably not going to believe it, but he's a freak. And that's pretty much where that came in. Little did I know until after that. But, you know, he really, you know, went to bat for me. And he told him, you know, everything about me.

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BetOnline, your online wagering experts. So while you're doing wrestling, that now becomes the dream. You know, the dream went from bodybuilding to now being pro wrestling. Yeah. Did you ever think that you'd be getting back into the pro side of bodybuilding when you're, you know, in the meat of this, when you're in the heart of your wrestling career? Um, yes, I always, I have such a passion for bodybuilding. I mean, I'm always going to be a bodybuilder, like forever, you know what I mean, a lifestyle and everything else. Even though I say it's not a lifestyle.

It's just a way of, uh, it's just a way of, uh, I'm always going to be a bodybuilding. of living, if you like, but maybe not the competitive aspect of it, but I just love the challenge, you know, so as soon as I came out of the contracts, even with Tina, when we mutually decided, okay, you know, let's both go our separate ways with that. And I had a lot of downtime. It was like, you know, I need my next challenge. You know what I mean? And just being aware of the natural Olympia and the title and everything about the organization, about them being the best tested natural organization out there just appealed to me so much. It was just a natural progression at some point for me to want to do it. So I'm extremely glad I did. And I'm extremely part of the,

I'm extremely happy to be part of the family. I think one of the big takeaways for me from Generation Iron, Natty for life, bodybuilding in general is in most other sports, you're done when you start to hit your 30s. Right. And bodybuilding, you hit your prime in your late 30s. Why is that? Well, I think that natural bodybuilding, like I was talking about this the other day, it just gives you such a longevity, you know what I mean?

You're able to do it for such a long time. And it's not like I want to, I will say, you know, there are quite a few and maybe enhanced the athletes that I've been a fan of back in the days, you know, where you'll see them in the media and doing the thing. It's like, wow, this is awesome. It's like, where do they go? What do they do? You know what I mean? And then maybe you'll see a picture and it's like, oh, man, you know, natural bodybuilding, you know, you go to the natural Olympia this year and you'll see guys there competing in, in my division in their 50s, okay? Because that's what I'm saying, it's that longevity that natural bodybuilding has. It's a consistency. And I love everything about

that, you know what I mean? I have such a passion for this thing. I have such a passion for fitness and everything else. I just want to do this for as long as I can. Will I be able to do it to the capacity I'm doing it now? I don't know. I would like to. But ultimately, it just has that, you know, where you can just do it way longer than anything else.

Is there like a science behind, you know, does a 39-year-old have different maturity to their muscles than a 29-year-old would? Yeah, and I did a post on Instagram, and, you know, that was another thing, you know, I had all these. There's another natural guy who was in the professional wrestling world his name's jesse goddors right he's very much a good friend of mine uh big brother and

everything else he was on that show um he said hey man why don't you post these pictures because i didn't even think of doing it i did that and um i'm really glad i did you know because i was reminiscent over the photo of my me and my youth when i was like 20 24 and all that kind of stuff and it was i looked you know i was big back then but the muscle bellies and everything else are different Now that I'm 40 now, okay? So it's almost like the muscle is maturing. So, you know, it's almost like you've got more lines. It looks more grainy tissue.

So the body's changing as you get older. And that's kind of cool to look at, you know what I mean, and see that. So it's just you still have that shape, but it does change. So it's kind of cool, you know what I mean? I know that retirements in wrestling are never like a real thing. but are you are you would you

would you call yourself retired from wrestling um not really I mean I

for me to go back to one of these major organizations I would definitely do it because I have such a huge passion for

for wrestling nothing's really changed with that the only thing that has changed for me now is that I have a family though

um it would need to be worth it if you understand. So I'm really, I love what I'm doing. I'm really enjoying everything that's going on. But it would just need to be worth it. But I would definitely do it because I love the industry.

I really do. Well, it's not like you need the job. I mean, you work as a firefighter, which was cool to see in the film. And in your locker at the firehouse is a John Cena belt. Yes.

Yes. So that was a, That was a crazy, funny day for me. So with the department that I work at, you get assigned to a station. Okay. And, you know, I love my station. I love my crew and everything else about that. But my first day that I got assigned to that station, they had this guy and he's like

six foot eight. He's a big dude. And he had like a Punisher mask on and he had a belt with that belt. And they played entrance music. And it was kind of like, hey, Rob, welcome to the station. It was kind of like a big introduction. I'll never forget it. I was just laughing.

I almost fell off the chair. So they don't do that for everyone, but they kind of wanted to make it a sort of wrestling spectacle when I first started my first day at the station. So that belt proudly stands, you know, on that locker at the station. So, yeah, that's kind of the story behind that. Rob, this is quite the jury.

Bodybuilding to pro wrestling. Now to being a firefighter. Yeah. And you know, the firefighting thing, that kind of, I touched on that when I was in my sort of mid-20s. There were guys in the gym back home in Wales and they were firefighters, you know, and the system there is a lot different than what it is here. But I was like, man, this is a pretty cool thing. I'd like to get into this. But again, at that age, I had so many unrealistic things in my mind that that I just wanted.

wanted and I didn't know how to achieve them, but I kind of did eventually. So I didn't kind of put my awe into getting into that. But again, like I said, when we came out of contracts with T&A and I had this time to just reflect on where I was going, what I wanted to do, obviously the bodybuilding came to mind. And I wanted to get, you know, that I wanted to achieve that title of natural Mr. Olympia. But also I saw this guy in the gym, right? And it was a gym not too far from here.

And there was this guy. He was on a treadmill and he was going for it. This guy was dressed out in his bunker gear. He had a face mask on. He had the air cylinder on his back. And he was breathing off it. And a lot of these people were looking at this guy like he was a two-headed dragon. They were like, what is this guy doing?

And I looked at him. I thought, this is the coolest thing in the world. So I went over to this guy and I bugged the hell. of them. I was like, hey man, my name's Rob. Tell me everything, you know, about getting into the fire service and everything else, because I figured, hey, this is my time to do it. So I put myself through the school in and everything else, which, you know, it's demanding just that. And I was fortunate enough to, to land a job with the city of St. Pete. So that's where I am now. And, you know, it's another cool concept is the fact that, you know, I got to play or get to play

a character on TV and everything else where I'm this badass. And, you know, I, you know, inspire people and all that kind of stuff. But now not so much going to talk about myself, but really the people that I work with. Because what they're willing to do to make someone else's day, which is already the worst day in their life. But a better day is amazing. You know what I mean? And for me to be part of that is just so uplifting in my life that, you know, I love it. I love the job and everything else and everything that goes.

with it. And it's also one of the things that it's really close to professional wrestling as well in the sense that when we're in the day room all chilling out, hanging out, it's like being in a locker room. But then when a bell goes off, it's like walking through the curtain. So for me, it's really such a natural habitat. And I love it. I absolutely love it. I'm an adrenaline junkie. And you get quite a bit of an adrenaline doing that job. So it's pretty cool. How often do you go to a call? And we're like, hey, Bradbury from TNA. So, yeah, no,

that it, you know, my colleagues will probably be better at telling the stories and I will, but we've been to a few calls, you know, and I'll walk into a room and I'll be like, man, there's a lot of, there's a lot of John Cena posters around here, you know what I mean? And I'm like, oh, God.

And then the next thing, they go, hey, you look like someone. I'm like, I do. And then they say, hey, you're that guy about Terry. Yeah, man. And, you know, It just goes from that. So it does happen, you know, but it always makes me smile and just makes me happy.

And, you know, just, you know, if you could elevate someone at that point that, you know, you got called to the house and they need you help them, that's a good thing. So what exactly happened in your time in TNA? Yeah, I think seemed, I mean, from the outside looking in, seemed to be going fairly well. I wouldn't have expected you to want to leave. Yeah. Man, you know, it was, it was a crazy ride for me. it was amazing you know i i absolutely i i love my my time with a lot of the things you know the british

invasion was was awesome you know um uh that was a really cool time then um then we did the robbie e thing and uh you know he's he's a very good brother of mine um when we when they first told me that we were going to do all that i was like i'm not too sure where i fit into this because i'm not like this guy, you know, not like Robbie because he had a, he had his character down. But it turned out to be one of the coolest things, man, because we had such a chemistry. I knew my role and obviously he knew his role. And we would just bounce a lot of ideas off each other. And it just worked so well.

And, you know, people give me a lot of flack these days. I like, man, you've lost your accent. You've done this. Well, I accredit that a lot of that to him because he would say bro in every other sentence. and then I go home and I call my wife bro. I was like, dude, you've got to stop saying, bro, because I'm calling everyone, bro, even my wife. But no, no, he's a really funny guy, man,

and we had such a great run. Out of a lot of the things that I did there, I really, really feel like we could have got a lot more mileage out of that. You know what I mean? We could have done more. But, you know, again, it's the nature of what it is, and it's a professional wrestling. And, you know, you don't always have that call.

so it is what it is you know got to got to do a lot of cool stuff with with team immortal which is you know Hulk Hogan and I even with Rick Flair you know guys that you know again come in full circle I used to idolize back in the day and you know then I get the chance to work with these guys so it's it was a really cool cool thing for me and to be part of that got to do a bunch of stuff in between that and then it came to the menager So that in a nutshell, really, it was very different for me because, you know, when we were kind of going into that, I was in Japan at that time. You know, I was doing a lot of work in Japan. And I was doing really well.

I was well receptive over there working with a lot of their major stars. So for me, I was ready at that point to come back and just do a lot of that. damage. Okay. I was I was I was I was gearing up for that and you know then again like like I said you really have no control over a lot of things you came back and then they were like hey we're going to start this new thing and it's the menagerie and that was you know that was a bit of a letdown for me. It was a bit of a disappointment because I was expecting something else and you know I was still ready to run with everything that they were given but I felt that what I had was so limited.

Okay. And even when they presented, okay, this is the idea that they had, number one, I'm a huge, like, horror movie fan. Okay. I love horror movies and everything else. So when they said, oh, gave me the idea about this guy with a mask and, you know, was menacing and all this kind of stuff, I love that. Okay. So I have a few friends in the movie business and everything else. And the first thing I did, I hit this guy up who's an awesome guy and he made me this mask, well, who designed this mask.

And this thing, I would have been like the next boogeyman or whatever, not on TV. I don't know, man. But it was so menacing. And I presented this to them. And they were like, ah, this is too scary. And I'm like, ah, come on. You know, this is what I want, you know? And they wanted something that was a little watered down.

So anyway, we formed the menagerie. And, you know, it was a really good stable full of people, you know, a lot of talent and everything else. But again, it's just one of those things we didn't have the opportunity. And that was around the time when, you know, it came up for the contract, contract negotiations. And I really just wasn't loving what I was doing with the character. And I didn't have the ability to excel. And it was just that point where, you know, it just really wasn't worth stay in there and just hanging around, I'd rather just try and do my own thing, you know, and that's kind of where we parted ways on a mutual grounds, you know what I mean?

And not to say that I'll never go back either, you know, because again, I absolutely love my time. It's just with that character, just, you know, I just got a little burnt out because there was just no, no room to excel. Did you look into maybe talking to WWE again going back there? Yeah, you know, I got hit up again There was there was rumor and a buzz that I was going to go back back with them And you know they were they were going to they were going to contact me but but they they didn't at that time But I mean again I'm totally open you know what I mean I feel I feel more ready today than I ever was

You know what I mean so it would always be an option for me so yeah we'll like I said we'll see Why do you think it is that natural bodybuilding doesn't get the spotlight that something like IFBB gets? I think the reason for that is, number one, there's just so much money, sponsorships, you know, even like pay-per-view deals and everything else that goes into that, really. On top of that, you know, other than the money that's really pumped into that through all these sort of sponsorships and everything else, I think it's that, you know, you know, people generally really, really want to see freaks. You know what I mean? And I think, you know, in the enhanced side of bodybuilding, there are, I mean, pretty much all of them are freaks.

You know, when you look at natural bodybuilding, you know, these guys are in crazy and insane condition, but obviously they don't have the sheer mass that may be the enhanced side. So I think it's just, you know, that's really, to me, is the one of the main reasons, should I say at least. But I think ultimately, you know, it's just the money, the marketing and everything else that gets put into to the other side, you know. I think it would be really cool to really, with everything that's going on in this natural,

the movement of natural bodybuilding for some, you know, recognition and all that assets is going into the enhanced side to go into the natural bodybuilding side and really sort of elevate that. That would be so awesome to do. But, you know, again, we'll see what happens. happens after that and what what moves are made and everything else. You seem to have such a positive attitude. I appreciate this.

You got to, man. You know, to say, you've got to be positive. I mean, we just had the corona and everything's being shut down and everything else. So, I mean, it's just a cool, you know, anything could happen. And any time, my man, you've got to be positive all the time. So you've got to at least try. So what does the bodybuilder do when gyms are closed for three months? Stresses, panics, goes out of his mind.

No, I'm, you know, I was really lucky. You know what I'm saying? So again, you know, one of the perks of working as a firefighter is that in the fire service fitness is a big deal. So I think it was about most of the stations, you know,

I want to say as long as I've been there, they've all had like dumbbells and stuff, whatever not. But it's really been in the last two years that they all got refitted for these kind of multi-gims. So, you know, that was a really cool thing when,

when this whole COVID thing hit. And, you know, I was able to work out at the station. And then on my off going day as well. So that was kind of my saving grace with the whole COVID situation and just trying to do the best that I could because I got to be honest, you know, I did look at a lot of these videos with like pushups and doing pullups with these towels and sheets and all this kind of stuff. But, you know, it was just a little hard for me to get motivated to do that. So, yeah, I was thankful that I still had access to the iron that was running through my veins.

So that was kind of cool. So what's your workout split look like right now? My workout split, it changes, but for the most part, it would be, I don't have a specific, like on a Monday I do this. I'm also cycle chest. I would do my first day with core. Then I would do back. I'm really big on doing the, so if I do chest one day, I have to do the opposite, which is all, you know, going to be a back. then I will do legs to give that a break my upper body and then I would go into a shoulder routine

maybe I'd hit something else with that either calves or core and then I would do next day would be an arm day then after that I would usually do another leg and another back day on top of that and what I would do with those days is on my first back day let's say I started off with doing a lot of pull-ups or pull-downs. My second back day, I would start off doing rows. So it would kind of be a reverse back day, if you know what I mean. And then the same as legs. My first leg day would probably be quad-dominant. So there'd be a lot of squats, a lot of leg extensions and leg presses, and then I do hamstrings towards the end. Even though I'm giving the second part of like hamstrings a lot of attention, it's really hard for you to give that kind of focus that you would on the

first muscle, like the quadriceps. So on my second back day and second leg day, I'll flip-flop that and I'll put all the attention on the hamstrings or the whatever move that I didn't do first with the back day. So I'm really big on that. So that's kind of what I do. And I just keep cycling that. People ask me, you know, how many times a day do I train, how many days a week? And it's, I train every day.

Is it something I'd recommend for everyone? Absolutely not. I've been training for 27 years now. So it's just something that I've built up that resistance to. And I think at an early age, I remember reading and people telling me, hey, you know, I'll trains for like six hours a day. And that was kind of instilled in my, I don't know whether he did or not, but in a reality. But, you know, that was something that I thought as a kid, you know, I just have to be in here.

I have to put the time in, you know what I mean? I have to train and do all this every day. And I didn't train seven days a week when I first started. But it's something that I've gradually built up to. and my body is sort of climatized to that. But for me, the most important thing is that I back that up with nutrition as well, you know what I'm saying? So when you're doing that kind of training, it does tax your body.

And you do need to back that up with nutrition to definitely get that recovery process going on as well. Not everyone wants to look like you. I'd like to look like you, but not everybody wants to look like this. But I think everyone wants to improve and look better and be healthy. Yeah. So what would you say to someone who needs to take those first few steps? So that if I can talk about you, another, you're crushing all these points. But when, when, you know, mindset, okay, if we talk about mindset and I could, I could talk to you for a good 12 hours on mindset because it's such a big thing.

People, people get occupied so much about what movements do I need to do, what do I need to eat and everything else. that there is importance in that. It's valid, but more so than that is a mindset, okay? And it's, it's an iron mindset that you have to adapt and really live. So when people say, and I get that a lot, someone will come up to me and they'll say like, hey man, you look like you're in great shape. You know, I want to put, you know, like 10 or 15 pounds on, but I don't want to look like you. I don't want to get too big. And the second someone says that word, I don't want to get too big, okay? Number one, if you're enhanced, if you're natural, whatever, whatever you are,

there is no way you're probably going to get too big, okay? And it's like me saying to someone, hey, how rich do you want to be? Well, I want to be rich, but I don't want to be too rich. You know what I mean? It's like, number one, you're lying to me, okay? So the point that I'm trying to make is that whatever you do in life, and that's why bodybuilder really transcends to everything we do in life. is that when you're doing something, in this case, you ask me about training or someone

wanted to put on a little bit of weight, their mindset, right? They better look at me and think, okay, I want to put 10 to 15 pounds on, but I'm looking at this guy in front of me and he looks like a monster. So I want to envision myself looking twice as big as he does. You know what I'm saying? It's a mindset. So when I was training or when I do train every single day, when I'm trying to train for the natural and, you know, just being the best.

shape I can be. I don't look in the mirror and say, yeah, I want to look a little bit better than what I look. I look in my mind and I try and find a picture of the most craziest Jack guy that I can think of. And for the most part, I'm looking at a picture of Ronnie Coleman in my mind, right? Because to me, to me personally, and there's a lot of opinions, that guy, right, and I've met him and everything else, but I'm just saying in bodybuilding generally of an evolutionary guy, he is it, right? To have that kind of mass and everything else on his back and all his crazy stuff. So when I'm training, I'm looking at a picture of him.

Okay. Am I ever going to get to his standard? Probably not. I don't even like saying that because that is a negative. But the point is that what my mindset is looking at something way bigger and better than what I am. Right. And I think for you to move three inches forward, you've got to look a mile ahead, right? That's just kind of the way it is.

and the mindset is the most powerful thing that we all possess. So if someone's looking to do that, then it's just a mindset switch on. The person that says I want to be big, but I don't want to get too big, they've already failed. Do you know what I'm saying? So really,

really it's a mindset deal on everything we do, and you can apply that to money, to sports cars, to anything you want. And it's really relevant to bodybuilding. And I think for me, you know, I'm going to be like, okay, I'm doing a contest.

I want to get shredded, okay? My mindset is obsessed with me looking shredded, and I'll see pictures, I'll see, you know, my mind will just be full of this stuff. And it's so crazy because obviously I know what I'm doing, but I subconsciously make the right decisions or small decisions or steps that will get me to that decision, will get me to that goal that I want to do.

And it's the same thing with when I'm gaining weight as well. I had this vision of like, okay, I want to get to 280 pounds, you know what I mean? And I think about it. And I have these visions and everything else. And then subconsciously, you just make those grounds. You know, it just materializes. It just happens, you know what I'm saying? Obviously, you're doing the work to do it, but your mind is manifested by these ideas of

get into where you want to go. So train your mind, you know what I'm saying? Like, don't cut yourself short. Bodybuilding is a science. You know what I mean? I think a lot of people try to make it overly complicated. because of the era that we live in and all this kind of stuff,

but it's really not. It's really, the secret of doing this as well as anything is just intensity of what you do. You know what I mean? It's just what you put into it. You're just going to get out of it. It's as simple as that.

If you go through the motion with a bicycle, chances are nothing's really going to happen to you. But if you have intent and intensity in the movements that you do, you're going to make ground. You know what I'm saying? and you're going to achieve what you want to achieve with the consistency you put into it. It's just how it works.

Just great life advice. And I think that's a great point to wrap this up on. And this has been really, this has been great. I really appreciate talking body building. Other than my phone die and this has been great. So Generation Iron Natty for Life is available now for everyone to stream on video on demand. That's the best place for people to get it? yes, yes. But now, yeah, absolutely, they can say they can check it out there. So yeah, I'd love to

hear feedback. You know what I mean? I love, you know, get comments, get messages, whatever not. You know, people can tell me I'm full of shit. I don't care what they want to say. But it's always cool for me for me to hear, you know, what people say. And I love messaging people back, good, bad, negative, whatever not. So yeah, you know, be cool just to hit me up and let me know what you think? I've just been excited to get to know you a little bit more. Like it was my friend. I've really enjoyed. And I love the questions. You know what I'm saying? It's really cool to get a lot of the questions. You pumped up, man. So thank you for that. Oh, what a guy. Thank you for hanging out with us for this conversation. Take a screenshot. Tag me.

I'm at Chris Van Vleet. Tag Rob. He is at Rob Terry Impact on Twitter. He's official Rob Terry on Instagram. And I'm just so fascinated by people like him who put in the work to become the best of the best, the uncommon men among uncommon men. And you can watch his entire journey in Generation Iron, Natty for Life. It's available now on video on demand. And, you know, after this conversation, I'm just so curious whether we'll end up seeing him back in a wrestling ring. And if so, for which company? I mean, the guy looks great. He looks so. He just turned 40 this year. He looks like an absolute beast. Oh my gosh, with so many more years left in the tank.

So thank you for bearing with some technical difficulties that we had during this interview. Rob's phone was about to die. So he unplugged his headphones so he could plug in his phone to charge it, which is why it sounded a little bit different halfway through. So we had headphones and a microphone for a little bit, then no microphone, no headphones for a bit. And then back to the headphones and microphones. So thank you for for bearing with us here.

By the way, I'm, I'm just fascinated by fascinating people. So I'll be peppering in some interviews with people who may or may not be completely related to wrestling, you know, moving forward. So I think we all have, you know, a lot to learn from these people. They just have incredible life experiences. So you'll be seeing the wrestler interviews. They're not going anywhere. But every once in a while, we'll just pepper them in, pepper in a little interview that might be just, a little bit, you know, an actor, maybe a director, maybe an entrepreneur, maybe a bodybuilder.

So you'll see this as we move forward. Ed Milette says it best. Self-confidence is the result of keeping your promises to yourself. Make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Be great. Be grateful. And we'll see you on Thursday with Mikey Ruckus, the man behind the AEW entrance themes. Jim Rome takes on sports

Why? Because I have a job to do. With rapid fire takes So I don't want to hear from you lava pigs on this notion today. No idea what you're talking about. You're complaining more than you like to breathe air. It's like you get up in the morning only to complain and cry and moan on social media about things that you don't even understand. He's the spitfire of sports smack.

Ticket banjov, but get up in here. The Jim Rome Show podcast. What's your beef? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. warned.