Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Roderick Strong is UNDISPUTED! MJF & The Devil, Adam Cole, Neck Strong

Episode Date: February 29, 2024

Roderick Strong (@roderickstrong) is a professional wrestler with AEW and is known previously for his time in WWE NXT, Ring Of Honor and TNA. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his match against Orange Cassidy for the International Championship at AEW Revolution, being on the same card as Sting's last match, reflecting on his first year in AEW, why he decided to leave WWE for AEW, his neck strong gimmick, getting cheering for yelling "ADAM!", the first time he met Adam Cole in Ring of Honor, his role in The Devil storyline with MJF, how his workouts have changed since getting injured and much more. Quote I'm thinking about: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer Sponsors: BABBEL: Learn a new language and get 50% off your lifetime Babbel subscription at http://babbel.com/cvv RHONE: Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use CVV to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/CVV ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv BETTERHELP: Get 10% off your first month with the code INSIGHT at http://betterhelp.com/insight MUDWTR: Get 15% off with the code CVV15 at http://mudwtr.com/cvv MAGIC SPOON: Get $5 off with the code CVV at http://magicspoon.com/cvv MYBOOKIE: Bet on WWE! Get up to $200 cash bonus when you use the code CVV and sign up at http://mybookie.ag BLUECHEW: Use the code CVV to get your first month of BlueChew for FREE at http://bluechew.com PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at http://plunge.com BONCHARGE: Go to http://boncharge.com/CVV and use coupon code CVV to save 15% on your BONCHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket! For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris And welcome back to another one here on Insight. It's your friendly neighborhood, CBV, Chris Van Fleet, and I know there's a lot of wrestling podcasts out there. And it seems like there's more and more every single day. So I genuinely appreciate you being here. And thank you, as always, for making Insight, one of the top wrestling podcasts on planet Earth.

And if you enjoy this interview or you've ever enjoyed any interview that we've done on the show, could I please just ask you to hit that follow button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you're listening to this right now. We've got a great one today with Roderick Strong just a few days before his match against Orange Cassidy at AEW Revolution on Sunday, March 3rd for the international championship. And while that pay-per-view is going to be known for having Sting's last match, I really feel like Roddy and Orange Cassidy had the opportunity to steal the show here. And my goodness, when you look at Roderick Strong's career that has spanned almost 25 years, he's been everywhere. Ring of Honor for 13 years, some time in TNA, of course,

what he did in NXT with Undisputed Era. Then last year, he made his AEW debut, saving his good buddy, Adam Cole, Bebe, who was being attacked. There's a ton to get into with him here. And after I recorded this, I just couldn't stop. thinking about how much I appreciate the way that Roderick Strong looks at life. Like when I asked him the final question, what are three things you're grateful for right now? He started tearing up, talking about his son. What a guy. What a great guy. What a great conversation. Snap a screenshot. Let us know you're listening. Tag us online so we can share it as well. He's at Roderick Strong. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Here we go. Please enjoy this conversation with

Roderick Strong. Oh my goodness. I can't believe we're finally making this happen. So Roddy, it's good to officially meet you. It's very nice to officially meet you. Can't the handshake. I have heard on many occasions that you and I look like we could be related in some sort of way. And I think maybe I see it. No, for sure. See, I got the mustache now. I need to grow the mustache. What is life like with a mustache? It's very interesting. I'll tell you that. I did it as a joke. You know, just to get a reaction from my wife and son. And my wife was like, I love it. You've got to keep it.

I said to my wife recently, you know, mustaches are cool again. What if I grew when she's like, I don't think that that's a very good idea at all. And I do not recommend that. I'm like, I guess no mustache for me then. No, exactly. And it was funny. My son didn't even say anything for like two days. He was like, oh, no, you look normal to me.

He was messing with me back. I was like, damn. What does your shirt say? When Roddy met Marina. This is great. And what a setup here? Is this just where you do all your interviews? Is this your office space, if you will?

It is. It is. I'm trying to, my wife's been doing a good job of cleaning it up and making it look presentable. But I'm trying to get better of using the room to kind of just let it be. It looks great. I think it looks fantastic. I appreciate it. We're coming up on one year.

of you being in AEW. If we look back on this last year, Roddy, what are some of the big highlights for you? Wembley Stadium, my debut, my match with Chris Jericho, and just a whole story leading up to where we are now.

It was just interesting because it gave me an opportunity to pest myself with, you know, like becoming more of a character and doing more of that stuff. And for me, that was my favorite part, honestly. It was just from how it started to how it ended. I don't know.

I really, really enjoyed that time. I feel like you did a really good job. Everybody did a really good job of keeping your debut a secret. So like what was, what did the inner workings of that look like? It was just a situation of like when my contract had came up with WWE. I was injured, so I wasn't even sure if I could wrestle again. So then it was one of those things that once I got cleared, it was kind of, you know, what is best for me at this time?

And through the injury and stuff, I went through a huge self-reflective period and just of who I was at the time and where I needed to go, just for life. And then, you know, that's kind of when the decision to go to AEW was a little bit easier for me because it was one of like, I want to use all the knowledge I've acquired over these years. Not like I can't do that in WWU, but it was just a different opportunity to have a little bit more freedom in that sense and really, you know, put myself in a situation that happened where I'm doing something outside of the box and it's by choice. and, you know, really being able to grow and lean into it. I don't know.

It was just amazing. What do you think started this like introspection? Like what made you go, I want to look ahead to what the rest of my wrestling career looks like and maybe what the rest of my life looks like. Well, first it was what the rest of my life looks like. Okay. You know, because my wife was on the road. So I was home with my son like the whole time.

And there was just periods in there where, you know, I struggle because I'm like, oh my God, all I've known as wrestling. Like, what is going on? Like, if I can't do this, what can I do? What can I be? Who am I? Like, and yeah, just, you know, I met a guy who's my buddy now, like really good for any, someone that had similar upbringing.

And, you know, he was kind of like a constant source. therapy in a sense. It was like thoughts that I would think and stuff I was processed in that day. I'd kind of put it out to him and then get a little fee. He was just, you know, and just really thinking like, okay, if I can wrestle, like, how do I want to do it? Because I never thought it would be taken from me in any way, shape, or form. I mean, the longest time I've ever missed was of wrestling is between being finished with

the Indies and debuting in WWE. I've just never been off. So then it was like nine months, like nine and a half months or something like that. So I was going stir crazy. You know what I'm saying? Like coming out of the pandemic and all that, it's like I had just been home for so long. Then it's like, oh my God, can I do this? And then when I do it, how am I going to do it?

And just, you know, looking at every opportunity as, you know, and just being grateful and trying to maximize it no matter what it is. if it's 20 seconds, if it's 20 minutes, and just approaching it like that, kind of took the edge off a little bit. Because I, you know, I've taken wrestling, like wrestling and this job so serious my whole life. Not like I don't now.

Yeah. But just a different, you know, I have a lot of gratitude about it. Like, it just, no matter what it is, I'm just approaching it like that. So it makes me, you know, I go in with a little bit softer mindset and not so like protective and guarded. And yeah, it's just opened Pandora's box of like just, you know, thought and willingness to, you know, be more open-minded. Okay, so if you've ever watched any of these interviews on my YouTube channel, you know that I'm not always wearing a t-shirt.

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They've also got insanely comfortable pants, quarter zips, polos, and blazers. and I'll let you in a little CVV secret here. I'm not a huge fan of dry cleaning just because it's such a hassle. They've got their gold fusion anti-odor technology, which means you get more wares between washes. You're fresh and clean all day long, and best of all, no lingering odors. Go check out the commuter collection at roan.com slash CVV,

and when you use the promo code, CVV, you'll get 20% off your entire order. That's a very generous 20% off your order when you use the code CVV at roan.com slash CVV. That's R-H-O-N-E dot com slash CVV. Part of this self-reflection happened to coincide with the fact that you turned 40 last year, because I also turned 40 last year. Not only do we have in common that we kind of maybe look like we could be related, that we also have the same first name.

I've never met a Chris that I don't like. Yeah, we also turned 40 last year. year. And did that, did that factor into this at all? Yeah. I mean, to a, to a point, but it was more of like, I guess the realization of like, oh, I am 40 now, you know, because I've never really felt that way. But, you know, fortunately for me, I feel the best I ever had in my career. Like, honestly, I found a trainer that was going to address all of my weaknesses and kind of start me from the ground up and like kind of rebuild me so I move it's just interesting because I went from being injured and being so locked up and like to now I feel you know so free when I move I don't know just

you know making better life choices you know creating a you know like a protocol for myself and getting the right team around me you know to to let me do this the way I want to do this for as long as I can. I feel like you're making history this weekend. This is Sting's last match. And you're going to forever be able to say, yep, I wrestle on the same card as Sting. I wrestle at AEW Revolution.

Oh, yeah. I mean, one, it's a big honor. You know, and to be going against somebody like Orange Cassidy, like, you know, whatever we have going on aside, he's been a tremendous champion. I mean, he's just an amazing wrestler. and a great human. So it's just one of those things that the right opponent at the right time.

And, you know, I haven't wrestled as much as I thought I was going to my first year. And like, I'm okay with it because this gives me an opportunity to kind of like blow the door open because people don't really know exactly what to expect of me in these kinds of matches. I haven't been in a big match like this in quite some stuff. time. So I'm very excited to show the world. And I get to do it on the same show as Sting in his last match. And it's been a while since you've had gold around your waist. Oh, exactly. And it's been feeling weird. So I was like, you know what? This will solve the problem. Has having Sting backstage, has that like, have you been able to call on him for some advice?

Or has there just been some things you've learned just by watching him? Mostly just by watching him. I love to. observe unless I know you really well there I doubt I will come approach you and bombard you with any kind of like conversation but just the way he carries himself how cool he is like when he goes out there he works so hard and it's you know it's very inspiring I've said it to like anybody that's asked like the way he's going about this is very impressive and you know what he's done for Darby or any of the people that he's worked with, you know, across the ring. Like, he just seems like a very giving person and somebody that, you know,

is grateful for the amount of time he had in the business. And then, you know, I don't know. It's just awesome. When you say that you haven't wrestled that much in this first year in AEW, it's because you've had this, like, there's awesome gimmick going on. This whole next drunk thing is, it's just magic. It's lightning in a bottle. Yeah, it's so funny.

Like I said, it was just an, and it's an opportunity. And like because, I think because I was all in on it, you know, everyone, you know, I would wear that neck brace freaking everywhere. It didn't matter where I was going. Like, are you talking like you'd wear it to the airport? You'd wear it to the restaurant. I'd wear it, yeah, yep, all the time. It didn't matter. It was one of those things that, like, honestly, our medical.

thing was like, hey, you can't wear this as much because it's like weakening your neck muscles slightly. So they were like, okay, you know, so then I would give it a little bit of a break. But yeah, it was something. And I could, you know, it was a real life thing for me. It's not, I came back from a bad neck injury. So it was just, it wasn't something that was too far-fetched to my mind. And my son loved it. So when did you realize that yelling, Adam was going to catch on? it was after like some of the production people started coming that work behind the scenes

and they're like yeah the fans are screaming it before the show it's like woo add up then it was just like oh my god because a lot of stuff was pre-taped and or filmed off site so then like first time I got to like after a stretch go out in front of the people and I was like oh my god this is ridiculous

and it's kind of funny because whatever, like the yelling happened, you know, but then it was like, I can't just yell everything. And my, it's funny because my son does a thing when he's fired up and he's so mad, he just will yell one of the words he's saying. Sometimes it's the right word, sometimes it's not. And then he just talks really calm afterwards. And I thought like, oh, man, that's hilarious.

So that's kind of like the yelling and then like this, monotone speaking was kind of just mimicking him. I love that your son is the one who helped to create this gimmick. Yeah, yeah. It's, you know, just trying to pull from everywhere in my life. So is every cameo request that you get now, someone being like, hey, my name is Chris, can you start it off by yelling for you? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Which is cool. But it became, like, and for anyone that has gotten a cameo recently, I'm sorry. but it just became a little bit too much, you know, because it's not like I can just go, hey, guys, how are you doing? It's like, I have to scream. So it's, you know,

finding the time for that was a little hard, but I'll get back on it, I promise. I feel like this thing's going to, this is going to be your thing, like for the next 10 years, I feel like, even if you're not doing it on TV, this is going to be the thing. People are going to be like,

right. Yeah. I saw, I met some fans, and it was like a father and a daughter, and he's like, yeah, this is the guy that screams Adam. Like, that's my name. I was like, okay.

That's, I mean, that's, look, if you're going to be known for something, I guess that's a thing to be known for, sure. Yeah, right, right, exactly. Take me back to the first time that you met, Adam Cole. Oh, man. It was in Philly, in the locker room. He was just an extra. But I just know a lot of people were mentioning, like,

oh, this guy has a lot of potential. So it was one of those like where I came up to, you know, because at that time was, you know, trying to be as helpful as I can. I still, you know, didn't know much. But I, um... And is this Ring of Honor we're going back to? Yeah.

It's Ring of Honor. I think, oh, nine, maybe. Okay. Wow. Yeah. And it was just one of those things. I approached him and, you know, obviously so many people had said like good things about him.

And then so just talking, you know, gave him some feedback or whatever and he was very responsive to it and it was like okay this is one of the guys that you know i will give my time to not you know at the moment and you know from that because we started conversating so much from that it was kind of like hey you want to come hang out like we're all doing this and then you know and then it grew from there it's just amazing that you can talk about something that happened 15 years ago like it's no it's casual yeah like like you've been in this industry a long time. And next year's going to be 25 years.

Do you even, do you think about that? Technically a little bit longer, because I started when I was 12. What? Yeah. Yeah. Crazy, right? How does that even

like possible or legal? Well, I probably wasn't legal, but I went because my parents at the time were separated and my dad's friend had asked him like, hey, do you want to be a wrestler. There's this guy that comes into my wife's, like, doctor's office, and she was like the front desk lady. And it was Jim Knightheart. Wow. And he was like, it was when he wasn't with

WWF, I think this was 95. And they were like, hey, if we get one more person, it will be X amount of dollars cheaper. And my dad, it's funny, my dad was 39 at the time. And he's like, oh, yeah, sure, I'll do it. So I had to go with him. And then, I was. obviously realizing, like, oh my God, this is someone that, you know, to me is super famous and was on TV. But just, I got to just be there every day. It was like three days a week, and I were just sit and watch. And I was like, and then one day he's like, hey, you want to go in there? I was like, yeah. And just watching and watching. And I could mimic some stuff a little bit, but I got, I stood on the top road because every kid wants to do that. And my dad

said, you know, when you did that, he said, if, you know, your kid sticks to this, he'll be good. And then my dad told me that on the drive home, which is probably just trying to be nice. But that was like the first time in my life. Someone was like, oh, you can be good at something, like really good at something. And I was like, oh, all right. And it gave me, you know, at that time it was very, it was tough because my mom had shot my dad. There was a lot, like a lot of that history. And everyone knew it where I lived.

So it was like my escape. I could be anybody. and no one could judge me because they didn't know me. And then I was in the mindset of taking this on as a skill. So if you get good at it, no matter what, you will be accepted. It's interesting when I talk with my buddies because I try to get their perspective of their younger years when they watch wrestling and what made them get into it.

Because I just got into it for a different reason. Like, I had watched it when I was younger, but I wasn't watching it at the time. So, like, it became, like, my mission to learn how to do this and be accepted in that world. So it was, I don't know, it was just a much, much different, like, reason behind it, but the love for it, obviously, is still the same. So you looked at it as an escape. Like, that was the reason that you love wrestling. Yeah. It was this fantasy world that, but it was fantasy, but it was really.

to be, you know, like because you have to be good. Like, you actually have to have skill. It's kind of like football, you know. Like, I just looked at the same thing as like a sport, but it was like one of those things. No one else around me was doing. So I could work on it as much as I possibly could. Like after, you know, my dad trained with gym, like we trained over there.

It was like four months. And then he went back to the WWF as who. And then so my dad. dad and his friends, they built a ring and then we were training at one of their houses. And then eventually I got my own ring. And then I just would go in there hours and hours and hours and just work on, you know, the basic stuff. Because I was a kid, so I thought that broomstick test was real. I thought one day they're going to make me wrestle a broomstick and I got to have a solid match.

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

Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer podcast, presented by Henco. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. What would you say to someone who's maybe 12 or 15 or 16 now that wants to follow in your footsteps? They want to be a pro wrestler for a living. Well, one thing I would say is don't bump until you're older. You can learn like the basics, the technical aspects, the footwork and all that kind of stuff without bumping. That's one thing I wish I wouldn't have done as much of because, you know, you feel invincible when you're young.

And then so my style and what I like doing that. I like taking bumps. I like the physical aspect of it. So that is just one thing I wish I would have been a little bit smarter about because it's not necessary, you know. Are you saying like with that said in the career that you've had, I mean, you've taken a lot of bumps. As you sit here right now, does there anything that like is as a nagging injury or anything

that really hurts? No, I feel great. I love that. Like I said, the best I've ever felt. And it's one of those things that surprised me because I thought my mid-30s was going to be the best I felt. Because I went through, obviously for the next thing, I went through a period of just not feeling right.

So to now feel better than I was feeling before that, it's kind of wild. Pleas with my mind a little bit. You had a moment recently where you landed on your head, I got worried again for your neck. With action, and ready, you guys did the Spanish fly, but you laying it on your head. So, I mean, was it a scary moment for you? Oh, very much so.

But because I'd been, I, like, immediately, like, checked everything. Like, okay, I felt it at its worst. Oh, this just feels normal. I'm fine. You know what I'm saying? And then it just made me super grateful for the training that I was doing, you know, because a lot of it is creating the space and your joints and like my vertebrae and like working on my flexibility. You know, like it's, you know, I was just thankful for that.

I wish someone had told me about flexibility or like counted it into my head when I was younger because now I'm doing all kinds of yoga and DDPY and I'm like, I wish I had done this, started doing this like 20 years ago. Oh, right? Like that's something we're trying to get my son more into that because he's a big kid for his age and you know he gets super sore when he's doing a ton of running and jumping because he loves the jump off stuff like dude you're 90-something pounds chill out like because that was some like someone said to me because they were talking about kids and lifting it's like jumping from high things and landing is more impact and more harmful to their body than if they're lifting a lightweight correct.

Oh, wow. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, like that's something. So it's like, okay, because he wants to, he just started baseball. He's played basketball, a few seasons, soccer. He wants to do flag football. He does jiu-jitsu. He's been doing that for about three years now.

And it's like, if you want to do all this stuff, you got to create your body in a way to be able to do it. You know, so that's a fun little, you know, we got to create little games for him to do it. But hopefully eventually he really get into. to it. So how different does your weight training and recovery look like now versus when you just started out in wrestling? Oh, sheesh. Well, one, I would get on the elliptical for 15 minutes, and then I would just go work out. You know what I'm saying? It'd be chest day, back day. And then now, like, I have it. My trainer has this put up in like heavy, you know, like Mondays are my heavy days. Tuesdays are my mobility days. But it's not just doing mobility.

it's building strength within those situations. So it's preparing my body for everything. So a lot of jumping and a lot of landing and land, you know, single foot, you know, stuff off, kill, working on rotation a lot. And then there's just a purely conditioning day. Like all the mobility stuff is something that, you know, and building strength in those positions because, you know, at a certain point, my hip flexibility was garbage.

It's still not the best, but it's substantially better. And I'm strong in awkward positions, which is what you got to kind of do for what we do. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I feel like we can notice it in the rig, too. Like, I mean, you can go. I mean, you've always been able to go, but I feel like you can really go now.

Yeah, and I still, you know, I still feel like I'm not where I can be. And that's, you know, so Sunday I feel, is my time to show that a little bit more. Your debut, I thought, was so fascinating because you took everybody out. It's like you had like a list of moves

and you're like, you were going to hand them off to each individual person. Like when you debuted, you hit, you tell me actually, you hit like suplexes and everything. It was so amazing to see it. Oh, yeah. It was nerve-wracking.

I'll tell you that. Did everybody, did everybody know? I just felt like it was... Nobody knew. Then this, then this, then this. I just said, I'm going to just be all over the place. If I see you, I'm going to do something to you. You know, and that's kind of...

It was that chaotic. That's how chaotic it was in my head, too. Like, I was really out there to do something. There's a photo you posted recently. You're in the ring with Rocky Romero. You're giving him like a high knee. and it's taken at the exact perfect time. It looks like his nose is over here

and his face is very disfigured. But in real life, it looks like you just barely touched him. Right. No, that photo freaks me out. I was like, oh, my God. I killed him. It was amazing. I mean, that's one of my favorite photos.

I don't even know how, like, it just feels like it was just so perfectly timed. Right? No, 100%. I'm grateful for that picture. I love how much gratitude you have. That's a huge thing in my life, too. Yeah, that's something I've noticed when I've watched your interviews, which is good. I appreciate that. And we'll get to talking about gratitude, you know, when we wrap this up. But gratitude's just been like a guiding light in my life because, you know, there's always things you can be grateful for. Even if it's the worst day possible, there's always things you can go, man, I'm grateful for my family or my

my health or a roof over my head or whatever it happens to be. Yeah, no, 100%. And just, I don't know, when I was younger, I thought people that spoke about that, I don't know. It just felt weird to me. And I didn't quite understand it. It's like, felt like they were just saying it to say it. I don't know.

I had a lot of trust issues when I was younger. But understanding, you know, it's something me and my wife do. Some days are great with our son. Some days are not. like and just realizing like so much good came out of it based off of what happened and being able to approach the situation's different and just so on and so forth. And instead of looking at stuff like, damn, I can't believe that happened. It's like, well, at least we understand this now.

Yeah. Wembley Stadium, take me to that day and take me to what it felt like just like feeling the energy of all of those people. Oh my God. It was surreal. I couldn't sleep after that at all. It was so, so intense.

And it was, it was overwhelming. It really was. Like, in a good way, though, of like, I was, you know,

I had been in the company four months and just was like, wow, look what these guys did before I got here. Like, they're,

the ones that laid the foundation to kind of set this situation up. And for Tony to take the risk. I don't know. It was just awesome to be a part of it and, you know, just see good people get an opportunity to show themselves to the world in such a big way. It was awesome. I've heard that when you're in a stadium with that many people that, like, it takes a second to feel the reaction because it's so big.

like it takes a second to like feel it i don't know that's what i've heard before is this true oh 100 it's like a wave it's a you know it's like it's very very weird wow yeah and that's by far the largest crowd you've ever been in front of right yes yes yes yes i did uh the greatest royal rumble which i think was like 70 oh hold on i got let my dog out of the office oh let's say how to your dog He's going. He's going. Okay. What's your dog's name? That's Mello. We have two dogs. So Mello and Gwen. Mello was going to hang out and then went, no, I got to get out of here.

Well, my son and my wife came home. They were next door. Our next door neighbor is a retired engineer. And we were trying to do the science project for the science fair, which is like this battery that goes through copper. It's like a train. Yes, yes. And we couldn't get it to work. So we had to pivot on that, but we still wanted to get the solution. So they brought it over there to kind of figure out what went wrong. You got to love great neighbors.

Oh, my God. This is my first time really even wanting to have neighbors, and they're great. So, you know, we live in a cool area where everyone's got a little space and some land. So it's nice, but they're amazing. with how you're feeling now, do you even see an end in sight for your career or do you think you could just keep doing this like Jericho's in his 50s and he's still doing it?

Yeah, it all depends on how I feel. And if I keep doing the things I need to do and obviously my goal is to improve the stuff that I'm doing, especially as science continues to improve and more stuff comes out and what's going to help. Like, yeah, I mean, I'd love to. I will always be a part of wrestling no matter what, like some aspect of me will be involved

for the rest of my life. I just... You mean like as a producer maybe? Oh, yeah, for sure. And I'm gonna, you know, I'd like to open a little school. I know there's a lot of them, but, you know, like a small,

more personalized dojo style school and, you know, I don't take, you know, take a crack at that because I feel like that's something that I really love to do. And, you know, giving people the best opportunity that I can

with what I know and people I know, you know. Do you think your son might follow in your footsteps? Oh, gosh, he says it. And he's going to be a lot bigger than me, so we'll see you. You're one of the few wrestlers that has had the same wrestling name from start to finish. Was there ever any talk at any point of your career of being anyone but Roderick Strong?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, when a lot of those changes were happening in NXT, there was a conversation about that. And I was like, no. I said it would just be weird for me to change my name for six months. You know, and they were respectful. They were cool. And it was all good. So, but yeah, there was a small time.

And then when I was younger, I had a different name too. Oh, like what was your name when, before you were Roderick? Oh, it was the jester. The jester. Yeah. That's it? Like what? That wasn't a moniker?

That was your whole name? That was my name. Yeah. Because my dad's an Elvis impersonator. So he wrestled as an Elvis impersonator. That's incredible. How did I not know this? And then so I was like every king has a court jester.

And that was like my, you know, reasoning behind it. I don't know. Some of the stuff you've been doing in AEW recently, you kind of were in Jester. Yeah, right. I don't know. I mean, I feel like you wearing the neck brace could have been great for a few weeks, and you just, it kept working and it kept being great,

that I feel like it was like there was no reason to stop this. Right. And just, you know, time came to pivot, but it's something, you know, that's there kind of always with me. So you, you standing up in the wheelchair was a great moment. I don't know, it was just like you're talking about like, you know, how you weren't going to be restrained by it anymore. Like, and then you just stood up and it was like the entire crowd cheered like they,

I don't know, like they thought you maybe couldn't ever stand again. It was fantastic. Yeah, it was amazing. Hey, in the moment, I felt like I was doing it. I'll tell you that. Like, I hadn't stood up in quite some time. Talk to me about the storyline at the end of, last year.

Like there were so many whispers about who the devil would be and everything that was going on with that. You were a part of that. And that was a really big thing. And that was also the last time that we saw MJF. What was it like being part of that storyline? I mean, I loved it. Like, obviously that whole situation was so big for my career.

It was an opportunity to not have to wrestle my way. you know, to get people's attention the whole time. So that was fantastic. And just to be able to work with Adam was, I mean, that's my dude. My favorite parts of my career are with him. And so, you know, for out of it to create an opportunity for Matt and Mike and Wardlow, like that's super cool because, you know,

Matt and Mike really haven't had an opportunity to do anything like that or get that kind of attention on that kind of level. So it was, you know, there was just so much good that came from that. And it's one of those things that I feel very necessary for my career and all the guys involved. And I think this next year is going to shape up to be honestly the best one. If and when MJF comes back, I feel like you could be a target here now. That's okay. I'm ready. I feel like you're ready for anything, really.

Yeah, exactly. exactly. It's just picking my spots. No, it's been so great to see it. What other goals do you have in AEW? Like we said, it hasn't even been a year yet, and you've done so much already.

Revolution right around the corner here. What are some of the big goals you have in AEW? One Day World Champion is on that list, but currently the most important one for me is to win that international title. and do with it how I think I can.

Because that's the thing like I was saying earlier about Orange. I have so much respect for the kind of champion he was, his work ethic. And I've said, you know, I can do it better. And that's kind of my thing. I want to wrestle all the random people. I want those opportunities. I need to test myself against everybody.

from every part of the world and against our roster. I mean, there's so many people there for me to work with. And I think I can make memorable moments with all of them. So that is something that's like on the front of my mind and my main focus currently. There's something going on in wrestling now across the board where I feel like it's more popular than it's ever been

or certainly more popular than it's been in a long, long time. Are you feeling this? When you go out there, when your music hits, do you feel that it's just so much more popular than it's been in a long time? Oh, for sure. And just watching, you know, because I, you know, I watch the show that I'm not on and just seeing stuff, you know, get the reactions that it's getting.

It's, you know, in the talk afterwards and just seeing, you know, stuff. Like when I debuted, there was some coverage from like some metal magazines, which was cool for me because I was like, oh my gosh, like anything outside of the wrestling bubble is awesome. And I think,

I don't know, like you said, it is hotter and it's getting bigger. And, you know, we have a great opportunity on March 3rd to help grow AEW. And just,

because this is a fantastic pay-per-view. So, you know, it's just taking those, moments and us capitalizing on how hot wrestling is right now. And there's something, I'm going to bring it back to Sting, because there's something about Sting retiring where we believe it. And there's been, you know, we know a lot of wrestling retirements that aren't like

real wrestling retirements. They're back in the ring six months later or a year later or whatever it happens to be. I feel like if we're not watching Sting's match, like that's his last match. If we're not watching it, like that's it. We don't see it. Yeah, that's how it feels as well, just from all the way people are talking. And, you know, I think this is obviously one that he's like, okay, now is the time.

And he gets to do it the way he wanted to, which is awesome, because everybody wants that. You know, and a lot of people don't get that. When you look at this card. It's going to be so special. When you look at this card, though, you and Orange Cassidy have the, like, a really good chance of stealing the show. Hey, I'm going there to win. What happens during that, you know, we'll find out. but me winning is important to me.

So you've mentioned gratitude so many times throughout this conversation, and I love that. That's how I start every day. That's how I end every day. And that's how I end every conversation. I say out loud the three things I'm grateful for when I start my day and I am my day. And that's what I ask my guest at the end of every interview. So first of all, Roddy, thank you for this. Congrats on the incredible career that you've had.

I can't wait to see you versus Orange Cassidy at Revelma. But I want to ask you, what are three things in your life that you're grateful for right now? My family. And like to make it more, my son, my wife, my mom, you know, just every time, every time. I just get, they're just the best, my friends and just my health. Yeah. Those are three great ones. And look, I'm a new dad myself.

Our daughter's eight and a half, almost nine months old. I feel it, man. There's something so special about having that little person running around the house. Right. Yeah. Well, and that responsibility. Yeah. It's good.

It's very good. It's good. It's pretty great. This was great. So thank you to my brother from another mother. I can't wait to actually meet you and shake your hand and give you a hug in person. Yeah, looking forward to it. All right, my friend.

Thank you so much. Thanks for us. Looking forward to you versus Orange Cassidy Revolution. Thank you. All right. Great conversation there with Roderick Strong. Big thank you to him for making the time to have this conversation before his big match at AEW Revolution this Sunday against Orange Cassidy.

Of course, the show is. headlined by Sting and Darby Allen versus the Young Bucks. It is Sting's last match. And I just feel like Sting's going to do something big here. Like we've already seen him do these high spots that we're like, what? Look, I didn't even think Sting would wrestle again. Now he's doing stuff like that.

So I feel like he is going to go out with a bang. So this is going to be one that we can't miss. Snap a screenshot. Let us know that you're listening to this and tag us so we can share it on social media. He's at Roderick Strong. I'm at Chris Van Fleet and go watch this interview on YouTube because I've been told many times that I could be related to Roderick Strong in some sort of way.

So when you watch the interview with our faces side by side, you let me know what you think. I'll leave you with this quote from Wayne Dyer. I've shared this before, but it's too good to not share. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Be great. Be grateful. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. It's our biggest episode ever. An hour plus with John Sina.

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. Take advantage of it, but get up in here. The Jim Rome Show podcast. What's your beef? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.