The first interview we ever conducted was with one of my favourite wrestlers of the last 15 years, MVP, back in June 2014. At the time of interview, he had not long debuted for TNA and at the time, I was freelancing for other wrestling publications. So here you go. The interview with MVP:
Firstly thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Considering your status as one of the top names in TNA at the moment, what brings you to the UK?
MVP: I’m here for PCW – Preston City Wrestling. They’d reached out to me a number of times to come out but I don’t take many indie bookings. Chris Masters, as a matter of fact, said “Man, it’s a great promotion” and I’ve never heard anything but good things about Preston City Wrestling from all the guys so I said “Alright, any time I have an excuse to come over to the UK as it’s one of favourite places in the world and of course, I’ve been a lifelong Manchester United supporter so it’s good being in the republic of Manchunia. I came here for 3 things: PCW, Pints and Clunge!
With regards to your TNA debut which was a few months back on the Maximum Impact tour, you were revealed as the mystery investor and instantly put in the position to fill the void that had been left by Hulk Hogan, Sting and AJ Styles who prior to you coming along were the top 3 faces in the company and since then you’ve been consistently the highlight of Impact Wrestling. Your WWE debut saw you feud with the Undertaker then enjoy a lengthy run as United States Champion. Which debut do you think was better for you and which were you happier with?
MVP: They were two very different chapters of my career. The words that you used “To fill the void left by Hulk Hogan, Sting and AJ” – there is no way, I’m not that guy. I certainly don’t fill their positions and hope I bring something new and fresh that viewers can enjoy and as far as the debut in Glasgow, it was a triumphant return – any time you get that sort of response is humbling. I’d been off TV in over 2 years and to get that kind of reception is spectacular. Regarding my debut in WWE, that was the beginning of mainstream professional career so it’s kind of like comparing apples and oranges as they’re both very special in their own way. At this stage in my career, this point I just want to have fun. Before it was about you know, trying to cement myself and make my way in and I’m very happy that so far my professional wrestling career has been on my terms. I left WWE on my terms, I left New Japan on my terms, I signed with TNA on my terms and I’ll probably leave them on my terms too
You’ve held the United States Championship twice, the Tag Team Championship once, in WWE and were the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Which of your title reigns were your favourite and which one meant the most to you?
MVP: Again, it’s all different chapters of my career. I remember walking into catering once in Charlotte North Carolina and that evening it was myself in a tag team match with Edge against Ric Flair and Batista in the main event and at the time I was United States Champion. So I walk into catering and I see sat at a table Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, JBL and Barry Windham. It took me a few moments before it hit me but as I looked over and saw Magnum TA it triggered; Wait a minute, I’m the United States Champion all of those men are former United States champions, Legends of the industry. I remember when Nikita Koloff beat Magnum TA in a cage for the United States Championship and the despair [I felt] as the Russians had the United States Championship and fast forward and I can take my place at that table as I’m the current United States Champion, so for a while there was a bit of a disconnect then I realised that in the same way that some youngsters were watching Magnum TA and Nikita Koloff some youngsters were watching me, so it was very special to be added to that list of names. And then the fact that WWE let me have such a long run although I think that recently Dean Ambrose broke my record but until he did I was the longest reigned US Champion in WWE history and third longest of all time, so that in of itself was extremely gratifying.
Because my passion lies in Japan, and I’ve said this several times, wrestling for the WWE was a goal, wrestling for New Japan was a dream. My dream wasn’t WrestleMania – not to take anything away from WrestleMania as it’s the most spectacular extravaganza on the planet – but for me my passion was Japanese wrestling so to have the opportunity to be the first ever IWGP Intercontinental Champion as in Japan putting titles on “foreigners” isn’t quite so common. So to know that the legacy of that title begins with me is a very special treat and I am beyond honoured to have my name attached to that.
Changing the subject somewhat – I’d read online that you were trained by Norman Smiley is that true and if so what was he like as a trainer?
MVP: Norman Smiley is one of the most amazing human beings. In my life I’ve only met a few people where no one has anything bad to say about them. Rey Mysterio’s one of them and Norman Smiley’s one of those guys. If I meet someone who tells me something bad about Norman Smiley I’m gonna punch them in their face because their lying – that’s how good a guy Norman is. Norman didn’t actually train me. I was trained by a guy named Soul man Alex Gene but Norman – he refined me once I got to a certain point. It was Norman who introduced me to Japanese wrestling, it was Norman who introduced me to English wrestling, it was Norman who said let me show you this, let me show you that. So he’s the one who kind of refined my skills and slowly started to elevate my execution and whatnot but I hold him in the highest regard.
You touched upon being a fan of Manchester United, outside of wrestling what other sports do you enjoy?
MVP: Yeah it’s funny because I’m not the rabid sports fan that I once was – when I was younger I could quote stats and was really off the chain with betting and I’d get in fist fights about my teams but I’m a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan in American football, basketball I like the Nicks. Hockey I like the New York Rangers and college football – I’m a Miami Hurricanes fan, that’s my team. I’ve been bitten by the bug and am a huge premier league fan and just to make sure everybody understands this because I get this question always comes up and you call it ‘glory hunting’ on twitter all the time. I was introduced to Manchester United when I was fourteen years old by a guy working with me called Victor who was a big United supporter and it was the first team that I had heard of. So a few years later when I started paying attention, I was like “oh yeah I know that team – that’s the team I like”. I didn’t know anything about them, I didn’t know anything about the premier league or the history. Nothing about it was just the team I recognised and then years later when I actually started following in the newspapers and became a huge fan of Eric Cantona, I was like yeah, that’s my team. When I started as a United fan there wasn’t that much glory to be had.
And as far as being a glory hunter, as I said I’m a Nicks fan, I’m a raiders fan and we haven’t had any glory in decades!
Another sport I was hoping to talk about was boxing because you had a very memorable segment with Evander Holyfield on Saturday Night’s Main Event. What was it like being in the ring with one of the greatest World Heavyweight Champions of all time and did he pull his punches?
MVP: He’s an amazing guy, an amazing athlete. It’s funny for me because for years I was saying that I thought Evander Holyfield could beat Mike Tyson and people told me I was crazy, that I didn’t know what I was talking about, I said “no, no, man I’m telling you” and I remember specifically when Mike Tyson faced Tony Tucker and Tucker took him 12 rounds and thought he won the fight, and I thought if Evander Holyfield, who’s natural style was similar, fought that kind of fight then he could fight Mike Tyson. Granted when they fought it wasn’t the same Mike Tyson but being in the ring with him, a guy who was one of my favourite fighters, it was pretty special. And as far as his punches go, Boxers are the best punchers in the business so when it comes to controlling their body – yeah, they’re special so I could say that I was absolutely fine afterwards.
Touching back on your time in Japan – and I know that you’ve mentioned quite a lot of this anyway – the final for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship is one of my favourite matches that I’ve seen from your Japanese career, against Toru Yanu. Who was your favourite opponent over in New Japan?
MVP: Of the top of my head I’d probably have to say Shinsuke Nakamura. Shinsuke is just an amazing talent man he’s phenomenal, he’s on another level. He’s the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion and has been for some time but there are so many guys over there and I say all the time that Fergal Devitt, Prince Devitt, is one of the greatest wrestlers that you’ve never heard of and hopefully that’ll change now for him.
There were so many guys that I enjoyed working with over there like Machinegun Anderson – he’s a great talent and of course Tanahashi if they ever make a Mount Fuji, if you will, of greats he’d be on. I had a chance to wrestle Okada in the IWGP Intercontinental Title tournament and then about a year later he went on to be the franchise for the company as he’s just another tremendously gifted talent.
But for me the special highlights were being in with the legends that I looked up to when I was an indie guy watching tapes. Guys like Tenzon, Kojima. Having matches with them at the G1 Climax was mind-blowing to me.
Next question is kind of similar, what would you say is the biggest moment of your career so far. I know you touched upon New Japan as your dream which I’d assume probably answers that question.
MVP: Ah, it’s tough because my career has been filled with so many highlights. Of course wrestling in the Tokyo dome was a dream that when I first started wrestling I decided that that was what I wanted to do and my goal, my dream was wrestling Chono at the Tokyo dome and again not a slight to WrestleMania my attention is on Japanese wrestling.
But yeah, wrestling Ric Flair at Madison Square Garden – his last match at the Garden, my first was tremendous. Beating Chris Benoit in two straight falls for the United States Championship. Wrestling Chris Benoit at WrestleMania, wrestling a guy that I looked up to, being across the ring from him at WrestleMania I had to pinch myself “is it real, is this happening”
So there have been so many highlights as I said wrestling at the G1 Climax tournament and having ten thousand Japanese fans chant MVP, just I’ve been so fortunate that it’s hard to just pick one single moment.
In two weeks’ time you’re facing Eric Young for the TNA Championship at Slammiversary, what are your thoughts going into that match are you hoping that that becomes one of your big moments?
MVP: It’s going to have to be. First of all it’s for the company title and it’s the first time in my career that I’ve main evented a pay per view. A couple of times in WWE I was in the co-main event but this is a statement match for me, for the company that this is Eric Young’s time. I respect the hell out of him. As a matter of fact I told him that I remember my first trip to TNA as an extra working as Antonio Banks trying to get a job that there was a few guys that stood out as very helpful and nice to me. Eric was one of them and a great guy and at the time he was just getting started and glad to have a job. Now all these years later our paths meet again, he’s the Champ and we’re facing each other on opposite sides so yeah it’s a huge moment and I think with his tenacity and his expertise at his craft and both of our desires to put on a match that the fans talk about as a huge moment, both us know that there’s a lot of pressure on us to deliver.
Who else are you looking forward to facing most in TNA?
MVP: It’s funny before I came to TNA I made it known that if I came there then there were 3 people that I absolutely have to work with: Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode. I’ve had a match with Bobby Roode and I enjoyed working with him for our first time and thought we had a good match so yeah, I can only imagine how we’d do if we had a program. Samoa Joe is a big friend of mine and we go back since our indie days and of course if you lace up boots then you can’t NOT want to wrestle Kurt Angle. So those are the three main guys that I’d like to have an opportunity to have a program with.
If you could face anyone from any active promotion at the moment, who would you face and why?
MVP: Again I’m so fortunate with wrestling as I’ve fought just about everybody that I’ve wanted to wrestle. All of the legends in WWE and main guys I’ve been able to wrestle there. Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, there’s a whole list of great guys, legends that I’ve had a chance to work with. In Japan I had a chance to work with all of their top guys and now in TNA it looks like I’m going to have the opportunity to work with all of their top guys so I can’t think of anybody of the top of my head that I would want to work with.
You’ve competed all over the world, what was the difference in crowd reactions as I’ve heard that in Japan they can be silent throughout a match and then applaud at the end. Is that still true of most of them these days?
MVP: That’s a bit of a misconception as at the beginning of a match the crowd would be silent, and I used to say all the time in the WWE, before I hang up my boots, before it’s all said and done I want to hear “oooooooooooooh” (claps hands imitating Japanese crowd noise) and I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to hear that a number of times. So yeah, Japanese fans are initially quiet as they’re watching but as the match builds and the excitement builds so does the crowd and if you hook them, Japanese fans are different to any other fans – they scream and cheer with excitement. So you know, you really have done something when you hear that and again it’s something that I’m proud to have experienced.
Finally, who would you say is your favourite opponent of all time and why?
MVP: It’s tough, it’s like saying who was your favourite supermodel to shag.
Again when I think back over my career I just think of how fortunate I’ve been. I’ve wrestled The Undertaker, I’ve wrestled Chris Benoit, I’ve wrestled Kojima, I’ve wrestled Tenzon. Rey Mysterio, Batista, Shawn Michaels. Going down the list, I’ve wrestled all of them. The ones that are technically great and the ones that are socially great. It’s tough but if I had to narrow it down, possibly Undertaker as that’s like going to grad school, but if I had to. If I HAD to name one, if you twisted my arm enough and made me pick one it would be Chris Benoit because he was my friend, my mentor and he took an active interest in my career personally, before I got signed. He was the guy that went to John Lauranitis and asked permission to have 30-40 minutes matches with me. So we’d come to the building, do five hundred squats, run the stairs for twenty minutes in a weighted vest and THEN have a 30 minute match that night. Benoit couldn’t remember and he’d tell you “I don’t like to talk about stuff let’s just go to work”. This was my crown, my graduation.
We were in Austria and the night before he said “Hey listen I want you to do me a favour tomorrow and call the match. He said I’ll do whatever you tell me to do; you’re the heel so you’re supposed to lead the match. And we’ll fix it afterwards. So we went out, and keep in mind I’ve wrestled Benoit thousands of times in my head at my post in clubs when I wasn’t paying attention, I was in Madison Square Garden in my head facing Benoit, so I knew his matches inside and out and we had a great match and when we came back thought the curtain Dean Malenko came up to Chris to tell him what a great match that was and Chris turned to me and said no, that was him he called the entire match then told me how proud of me he was. He said I trusted you, I respect you before but now I know I can have complete confidence I can just relax and let you handle it. And being that Chris Benoit was my in ring idol, regardless of how his life ended, you can’t dispute that he was technically, arguably the best in ring technician of all time. To have him give me that kind of praise was amazing. I remember stepping into the dressing room and Undertaker was getting taped up with a trainer and he looked over and said Hey little brother it looks like you passed your graduation, congratulations. And if you’re a young guy coming up in the business and you have those two guys give you their stamp of approval then you’re made. So to answer your question I’d probably have to say Chris Benoit.
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