While he's been wrestling professionally for more than a decade, Rhino still remembers his first match, which took place in March 1995.
Asked what he recalls about the bout, he said, "I had short hair and wore workout pants with a singlet underneath." And how did that match work out? "Actually, pretty good," he said. "I was a good guy; it was a classic match."
Rhino, who wrestled in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and previously battled in Asbury Park as a member of the underground hardcore wrestling phenomenon Extreme Championship Wresting (ECW), will return to Asbury for a show at Convention Hall on Friday (Aug. 8) as a member of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. He recently spoke to Jersey Shore Metromix about life in the world of professional wrestling.
Do you remember what match or what wrestler first inspired you to get into wrestling?
Hulk Hogan.
What was it about Hulk that was appealing to you?
Just the hype, you know. I mean, I’m sure you watched wrestling in the '80s, so, just everything about it.
As much as you guys compete and duke it out for the fans, do you feel like there's really this community, this brotherhood of guys who all go from one company to the other?
It is, like you said, a brotherhood. It's good, but it's like anything. You disagree and agree at times. You love each other, but at times you hate each other backstage. I mean, it’s a good organization here at TNA, and it's one of those things where you get along and you don’t get along.
How's everything going with TNA these days?
Good, good, real good. We're growing, it's an up and coming company and it's good to see there’s another company other than WWE.
Over the past few years, did you guys notice any fans of pro wrestling drifting away to ultimate fighting, and do you think TNA is helping bring some fans back?
I really don't watch ultimate fighting. I know they're doing really good as far as business goes, but I think wrestling fans are always going to be wrestling fans. They might tune out once in a while, but they'll always tune back in. So, I don't know if they jump back and forth or whatever, but wrestling fans are wrestling fans.
What do you think it is about TNA that the fans are responding to?
I think it's different, all-around, so I think it's just a different product, you know, a better product. It’s one of those things where it’s like, "OK, I can tune in and watch some wrestling." We’ve got the (high-flying) X division, all that stuff, where it's really entertaining, and you've got your main event matches, you’ve got a little bit of everything. That is, I think, what makes wrestling successful.
You spent some of your early years in what turned out to be the tail end of the original ECW. What do you think the legacy of that company ultimately is?
I think it was just a cult-like thing, you know, and then people want to see the same thing. Not everybody could get it, not everybody could watch it. Well, toward the tail end when it was on Spike TV, people could watch it, but … it was one of those things where, you know, it was something special and the fans, they want that, but it’s not the same (now). Vince (McMahon, chairman of WWE and owner of the ECW brand) is, you know, it’s a big company, and they do things differently. ECW then was just a struggling independent group that had a lot of success, and it was coming up and growing.
As someone who was with ECW back in the day, how does it feel for you to see Vince using the name as part of his company?
Vince just bought it to make money. Vince is a businessman, from what I see.
Do you think that's why some fans are going to TNA, because they see a more genuine product or more quality, more love of the sport?
Yeah, I definitely think so.
You've acknowledged in the past that once your TNA got rolling, you were offered a contract to come back to WWE and you decided to stay with TNA.
Yeah.
What inspired that decision?
Well, I just want to help the growth of TNA and I figured I can and I just want to see them grow. That way, there’s more for the wrestling fans to watch.
You're from the Detroit area originally, right?
Yes.
A lot of great music's come out of there over the years. Who do you listen to before you head out to the ring to get pumped up?
(laughs) Nothing.
Really?
Nothing. I don’t listen to music.
What's your pre-show ritual like, then?
Just wait and just get ready and when my music hits, it’s when I turn on.
There have been other wrestlers who have branched off into acting, music or writing. Do you have any side projects planned?
No, it's just wrestling for now.
You've been wrestling for more than a decade at this point. Do you feel any sort of responsibility for the people who are just starting out?
No, no. I show up to work, I do my deal and that's it.
Out of all the matches you've wrestled over the years, what's been your favorite?
Actually, probably a couple of years ago with Samoa Joe -- it was in Cleveland.
What was it about that match that made it special?
(We) just went out there and wrestled. Didn’t really talk about anything, just went out there and listened to the crowd, felt the crowd and just did what we had to do, and that’s the wrestling. He did his shit, I did mine and actually when he did something to me I did something back to him. It was just magic, really, and that’s what wrestling’s all about.
