Bobby Lashley has spoken out on whether or not he was vocal about WWE’s decision to split The Hurt Business.
Lashley aligned himself with MVP and soon, the two linked with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to form The Hurt Business. While the team had success, capturing gold and gaining some steam, the group abruptly broke up when Lashley attacked Benjamin and Alexander. Lashley remains with MVP on television, while Benjamin and Alexander have mainly been reduced to WWE Main Event.
During an interview with Metro, Lashley said he chose to stay in his lane once the decision was made.
“I’m comfortable with staying in my lane. In the wrestling business, I think too many people start worrying about so many other things and then they don’t focus on their career. Ultimately, we have to make sure our career is great before trying to do anybody else’s stuff.
“There’s lots of guys on the roster that I look and I’m like, man, he looks good – he’s tough, he’s that and he’s that. Once we have that opportunity, we might open up the Hurt Business and bring some people in and help fuel their career. But it’s one of those things where I have to focus on me for a little while, and I gotta make sure I’m defending the world title.”
Bobby Lashley went on to praise Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander for their in-ring talent. He said he felt The Hurt Business gave fans an opportunity to see just how good Cedric is and gave others a refresher on the ability that Benjamin possesses.
WWE Superstar MVP recently took to Twitter to discuss people ‘attacking’ his criminal past on social media.
“I’m amused by people who come at me on social media from the anonymity of a keyboard” MVP began. “My favorite is when they attack me about my criminal past and prison time.”
“It really doesn’t hurt my feelings because I’ve overcome all of that” MVP continued. “And now I’m an example and inspiration to others.”
MVP Talks Criminal Past
“I think there are a number of people out there that resent very deeply that a convicted felon who came from poverty is a globally known professional wrestler that has accomplished more than they have despite my baggage. Says more about them than me” MVP added.
MVP is referring to a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence that he served as a teenager. Montel Vontavious Porter was part of a cruise ship robbery and the prison term was for armed robbery and kidnapping.
It was apparently a corrections officer, who was also an independent wrestler, who gave MVP the idea to try his hand at pro wrestling. The ‘manager’ of Bobby Lashley joined WWE back in 2005 and he was assigned to their developmental territory Deep South.
Posted March 31st, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
MVP suffered a leg injury on WWE RAW last night. MVP teamed with his Hurt Business stablemates Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in a losing effort against Matt Riddle and the Lucha House Party. After the show, MVP appeared on RAW talk on crutches.
According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, MVP needed help getting to the back after the match. PW Insider then reported this morning that MVP had traveled to Birmingham, Alabama for further evaluation. Birmingham is home to the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), where WWE talent injuries are often treated.
As of this writing, it is not clear how severe the injury is or if MVP is expected to miss significant time.
Back in October, MVP spoke about how his return to WWE materialized.
“When I contacted WWE and asked about coming back as a surprise entry, I was blown away by how happy they were to have me. They got floor seats for my little boy so he could have a great experience, and he got to meet Rey Mysterio.”
MVP has wrestled in 28 matches during his return to WWE. He made his return in the 2020 Royal Rumble. Since that time, he has amassed a 0-9-1 record in singles matches. His only non-loss was a no contest in a match against Mustafa Ali. He has done a little better in tag-matches with a 9-7 record. His other 2 matches were the 2020 Royal Rumble and a gauntlet match in January. He didn’t win either.
Posted February 16th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
WWE RAW Superstar MVP has opened up about the show’s newest segment, RAW Underground. Speaking with Newsweek, MVP addressed the creative process behind the concept and how his stable, The Hurt Business, has taken over.
MVP confessed that the idea of RAW Underground “shocked” him at first. He detailed how Shane McMahon pitched the idea and how he felt it was a good idea to try. He explained that, because the WWE locker room is full of competitive athletes, no one shied away from the idea of RAW Underground.
From a creative input perspective, MVP revealed how “it was just go in there and beat people up and that’s what we do.”
He reflected on how they had received “a lot of positive feedback” following RAW Underground’s debut. MVP added that the general reaction to the segment has been “favorable” before promising that The Hurt Business will continue “going in there and wrecking shop.”
MVP, who recently signed a new multi-year deal with WWE, admitted he’s excited to see what happens with the segment going forward. He highlighted how it provides a “different flavor, different vibe” to Monday Night RAW before acknowledging how new ideas sometimes take a little while for people to get used to. For MVP, however, he liked everything about the concept straight off the bat.
Posted August 11th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
MVP is an internationally known pro wrestler due to his stints with WWE. However, he wasn’t always on a clear path to success and there is a troubled past behind the current achievements of the former US Champion.
The wrestling star joined a gang when he was 12 years old and spent over nine years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping when he was only 16.
Though WWE still gave him an opportunity for redemption and during his recent appearance on Chasing Glory podcast, MVP revealed what Vince McMahon said to him upon his hiring:
“When I got to the WWE, I was given an opportunity that society wouldn’t give me. Society wouldn’t give me an opportunity to make minimum wage, Vince McMahon said, ‘Yeah, you did some bad things, but everybody here gets an opportunity. You’ve earned an opportunity.’
He gave me an opportunity to become an internationally known professional wrestling superstar.” said MVP “With that came social redemption.”
The WWE star continued by mentioning how he still gets negative comments regarding his past actions but he has served his time in prison and he is a changed man.
MVP originally joined WWE in 2005 and stayed with the promotion till 2010. He returned to the company during Royal Rumble earlier this year and he has been working as a backstage producer and on-screen talent for the promotion since then.
It appears that one star on the RAW brand could end up getting a potential run as the WWE Champion now that WWE has put a former producer as his manager.
It was reported earlier this week that MVP recently transitioned from the role of a Producer to a full-time wrestler. It was noted that he is not currently working behind-the-scenes as a Producer.
Of course, MVP was brought back earlier this year for the Royal Rumble Match and later received a job as a producer.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman wanted MVP to work as Bobby Lashley’s mouthpiece for a WWE Title run.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether Lashley’s current feud with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will end with a title change. The belief since McIntyre won the title was that he would have a long title reign.
Lashley will get his first title shot from McIntyre at the WWE Backlash pay-per-view event on June 14.
It turns out that MVP was furloughed as a Producer in mid-April alongside other Producers in the company due to budget cuts related to the coronavirus. When this happened, MVP was already in the storyline with Lashley. Thus, WWE kept him on as just a talent.
When things start to go back to normal, it’s possible that he returns to the Producer role.
MVP has shared some praise for recently released WWE Superstar Heath Slater. Taking to Twitter, MVP replied to a fan who shared footage of a Slater promo from SmackDown back in 2016. In his tweet, MVP recalled how the two developed a friendship. He also spoke about the respect he had for Slater’s work ethic and commitment to pro wrestling.
Recalling a story during their time in WWE developmental together, MVP shared how Slater had come to work for Deep South TV for free. He highlighted how Slater “WORKED his way into a developmental contract.”
At the time, Slater believed he couldn’t cut promos that engaged or entertained. After talking about his promo insecurities, MVP was taken by how charismatic Slater was. He shared how he had a “HUGE personality” before stressing that Slater needed to bring that attitude and personality to the mic.
MVP implored Slater to keep practicing his promos skills, something MVP stressed he did, pointing to the shared promo as sufficient evidence.
I was in WWE developmental with Heath. He came in for Deep South TV for FREE. He literally WORKED his way into a developemental contract. He told me he couldn't cut promos. We talked about it. I told him he had a HUGE personality! Bring that to the mic. PRACTICE! He did! OH BABY! https://t.co/WRUfZxLlvJ
He spoke about feeling the fire inside him once again. Slater then confessed that he’s looking forward to getting into “legit” shape as he prepares for a comeback post-WWE. He added how his approach is “No bullshi*, get ready for the encore.”
MVP took to social media recently to thank WWE for what he is referring to as his final match with the company. The 46-year-old was a surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble match on Sunday and then dropped a single’s match to Rey Mysterio on RAW the following night.
Here is what MVP posted to social media:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B77c2ayn0ab/
“Salute to you boss! You’ve had one hell of a run. Next stop, Hall of Fame!” wrote AEW’s Scorpio Sky.
Mad respect…… &…… if it was the last one in WWE, it was a pleasure and an honor to be part of that chapter! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://t.co/5n5KoVKlw0
People keep asking me about the "deal I signed" with WWE. I never signed a deal. I came back so that my son could see me wrestle in person and for him to see me wrestle his favorite wrestler. As usual the industry leeches are reporting misinformation as fact.😂😂😂 Idiots.
Speaking to Vice, MVP opened up about how going to prison led to the start of his wrestling career.
“My life is an open book,” MVP said. “As a teenager I was into gangs and guns and nonsense. I was all about robberies, I used to say the world was my ATM, I ended up doing six-and-a-half months in the juvenile facility for robbery, armed robbery, aggravated assault, grand theft auto, resisting arrest. It was a nice little crime spree I was on.”
“When I was in work release that’s where I met my buddy, Prime Time Daryl D, aka Daryl Davis, who is a correctional officer and was also an independent pro wrestler.”
MVP is now part of the Ring of Honor family as he recently made his promotional debut with the Baltimore-based company.
During Friday’s Road to G1 Supercard event in Houston, TX at the NRG Arena, he made a surprise appearance once being revealed as the tag team partner of Kenny King. This led to them beating Willie Mack & Colt Cabana as part of the Tag Wars Tournament.
If you recall, the two stars were part of the Beat Down Clan, which is something that they created during their time with TNA.
– Brian Milonas & Beer City Bruiser def. ‘The Boys’ – Tag Wars Tournament
– Sumie Sakai def. Thunder Rosa via DQ
– ‘Twisted Sisters’ (Thunder Rosa & Holidead) def. Madison Rayne & Sumie Sakai
– ‘Coast 2 Coast’ (Shaheem Ali & L.S.G.) def. Cheeseburger & Eli Isom – Tag Wars Tournament
– Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO & Brody King) def. Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks & Alex Coughlin
– TK O’Ryan def. Jonathan Gresham
– ROH World Champion Jay Lethal def. Vinny Marseglia to retain the title.
– Women Of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein def. Britt Baker to retain the title.
– Kenny King & MVP def. Willie Mack & Colt Cabana – Tag Wars Tournament
– Three-Way Match: Rocky Romero def. Dalton Castle and Jeff Cobb
– ‘Lifeblood’ (Bandido, Mark Haskins, “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams, Juice Robinson & David Finlay) def. Bully Ray, Shane Taylor, The Briscoes & Silas Young
Posted January 26th, 2019 in ROH, News. Tagged: MVP.
Former WWE Superstar MVP was recently interviewed by The Mirror to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Initially, MVP believed he would retire from wrestling at the age of 45.
Just a few weeks away from his 45th birthday, however, MVP’s tune has changed. He still feels great at his age and has decided to hang around for a few more years:
“I’m at a point in my career where I am ready to transition. I always said that I was going to retire at 45, and I’ll be 45 in October. I decided that I still look and feel pretty good, so I’m going to hang around for a couple more years, but I know that my actual in-ring career is coming to a close.
“I’m ready to move into the next phase of my career, which would be motivational speaking. I know that my life story is an inspirational one and one that can, hopefully, help others achieve goals in their own lives.”
MVP worked with WWE from 2005 to 2010. During his time with the company, he won two United States titles and a Tag Team Title reign with Matt Hardy. MVP says he looks back on his time with WWE with pride:
“Sure, absolutely. I think about that young kid who grew up in Florida with a single mom and in poverty, essentially. I made some bad decisions and was able to overcome that because Vince McMahon gave me an opportunity.
“Society said ‘You’re an ex-convict, we’ll give you a minimum wage job,’ but Vince said ‘Hey, you’re talented, let’s give you an opportunity.’ I was able to travel the world as one of WWE’s top talents.
“I was able to take people that I watched on television with awe and make them my peers and my colleagues, and I was a two-time United States Champion and a Tag Team Champion. So I look back and go ‘Wow – I’m in the history books!'”
Discussion: What do you think about MVP’s comments regarding how long he wants to wrestle? Let us know in the comments!
As we’ve previously noted, former WWE United States Champion MVP was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet and talked about several professional wrestling topics.
One topic of discussion was MVP’s involvement in the RAW 25 special episode earlier this year. He talked about getting the call from Mark Carrano and not being able to be told what his role would be because WWE didn’t even know yet:
“I think I got a call from Mark Carrano,” MVP said. “He said, ‘are you interested?’ I said, ‘how much you paying, what am I doing?’ It was funny because I kept saying what am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing? And in typical WWE fashion a lot of the time they have no idea.”
As far as the script goes, many already know that had to be changed dramatically due to Enzo Amore being suspended earlier that day because of the sexual assault allegations against him. MVP noted that the backstage environment was hectic that day, with doors flying open everywhere and his part of the show being rewritten from the original plans:
“When I was there I remember plenty of times literally doors are opening and they’re rewriting the script for TV. So it happens all the time. When I got there I found out what they initially had in mind they scrapped and I ended up doing something else completely and I ended up playing poker with the APA.
“I don’t even remember,” MVP replied when asked about the original plan for Raw 25. “Man I get a free trip to New York, a free payday to drink beer, sit in the back and play cards. Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Former WWE United States Champion MVP recently did an interview with Chris Van Vliet to talk about several professional wrestling topics. MVP first discussed intergender wrestling and explained why he’s not a fan of it:
“Intergender wrestling has become real popular and I’m not a fan of it because I come from a different school of thought in pro wrestling. There are two schools of thought it seems. If you are a fan of intergender wrestling then you look at pro wrestling as scripted entertainment, comic book stuff.
“And if you played Mortal Kombat or one of those video games, Chun Li could whoop your ass. But if we’re doing suspension of disbelief, there’s not very many women on the planet that can beat me in combat if we’re grappling. There are some female grapplers that can catch that joint or they’ll catch that choke and you’ll tap.
“But not if I can punch them and not if I can kick them and that kind of changes things. If you approach pro wrestling the way I do which is this is simulated combat and we’re trying to make the fans forget that it’s predetermined, you can’t do that when you’re watching a grown ass man and a woman do really cool stuff.”
Speaking of female grapplers, WWE Superstar and UFC Hall Of Famer Ronda Rousey was brought up. When asked if he thinks Rousey could beat him up in a real fight, MVP’s response was a simple one –
“No. God no. Of course not.”
In regards to his time with WWE, MVP revealed that he hated his entrance theme when he was with the company. This may come as a surprise to some fans, as many actually enjoyed the theme during MVP’s heyday:
“I always hated that theme. I never liked that theme. As a matter of fact, I remember the first time they gave it to me I took it home and I listened to it and I was like it’s alright. They then called me and told me Vince wanted to talk to me in the arena.
“So I went out by the ring and he was like ‘Yeah, come over here MVP let’s listen to your music.’ They played it in the arena and Vince was very ‘unrhythmically’ bopping to it and he goes ‘What do you think?’ so I said ‘If you like it, I love it boss.'”
MVP then shared a funny story about a fan who actually had sex to his WWE theme. The fan’s wife shared the story with him at a past signing:
“It’s weird when fans come up and they share things with you. At a signing I had a couple come up and this is one of the weirdest but funniest things I’ve ever had. The guy had a United States Championship belt and he wanted me to sign it. His wife was like ‘You are his absolute favorite.’
“He would do my whole entrance in the house and whatnot. And she, the wife told me, because he was kind of standing there sheepishly, the wife told me for his birthday she allowed him to have sex with her with the US Championship belt on and to say ‘I’m coming’ and do the whole thing during it.”
When asked if he’d be open to a WWE return, MVP said that he’d be willing to return to the company when CM Punk does the same:
“Put it this way, I’ll return when CM Punk returns. No. I’m as busy as I want to be. I don’t want a full time schedule in WWE. I always said I’d be out when I’m 45. I’ll be 45 in October, but I still feel good so I think I think I got a couple of years left in me. So I think I’ll just take it year to year.
“If you’re a fan of professional wrestling especially on the indie scene you see guys that were heroes once upon a time and they stay in the game too long and then they become caricatures of themselves. When it gets to a point where I can’t perform at a level that I feel is adequate then I’m done at that point. I’ve always said that I want to walk away I don’t want to limp away. I’m starting to limp now so the time is near.”
Former WWE US Champion Announces Departure From MLW
Former WWE United States Championship and former Impact Wrestling Star MVP announced through a video on Instagram that he has parted ways with the Major League Wrestling or MLW promotion.
In the video, MVP praised the young wrestlers working for the company and regarding the reason behind his departure, the former WWE Star said that he does not want to get into it because he does not completely understand them.
He also revealed that he will be appearing on several upcoming MLW Fusion episodes that were taped beforehand. You can check out the video he posted below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bks3xOfjV5f/
Kevin Owens Recovers After Raw
The main event of this week’s episode of Raw saw Kevin Owens facing Braun Strowman in a one on one match and Braun won the bout when Owens got himself counted out.
Strowman then chased Kevin and launched a portable toilet with Owens trapped inside it, off the stage. After the show, WWE posted the following video where the former Universal Champion is seen recovering after the attack from the Monster Among Men:
It’s worth mentioning here that a steel cage match between these two stars is being advertised locally for the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV and after tonight’s show, it appears that the company is building towards it as well.
Former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley is back in the WWE fold but it doesn’t seem like his return has garnered as much attention as the company would’ve liked. Lashley seems to have formed an alliance of sorts with Braun Strowman as they recently took out Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn together at Backlash.
One fan on Twitter suggested that WWE turn Lashley heel as it would benefit his better in regards to a crowd reaction. The fan also noted that he’d like to see former United States Champion MVP return to be Lashley’s mouthpiece. MVP took to Twitter to respond to this possibility – simply replying with “intriguing”
Intriguing. RT @FredRichani: I'm a big Bobby Lashley fan, but he was never a strong babyface. The TNA Lashley shined as an arrogant monster who knew he could beat you up and there would be nothing you could do about it. Turn him heel and hire @The305MVP to be his mouthpiece. #Raw
Last night on SmackDown Live The Miz took on Jeff Hardy for a spot in the upcoming Money In The Bank Ladder Match. The Miz wound up winning the contest and qualifying for the bout.
WWE Stats & Info posted a very interesting fact about the pair on Twitter, revealing their match last night was only the second time ever they’d shared the ring together in one-on-one competition:
WWE and WCW Legend Vader revealed on Twitter that he recently underwent another heart surgery to repair an irregular heartbeat that put him at higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Vader noted the operation was a success:
Yesterday I had a surgery on my heart .My heart had shifted to an A-Fib irregular heart beat A person in a fib has substanily increased chance of Heart Attack &Stroke.The surgery was to put the HEART in normal sinus https://t.co/MQvHiGe0Rg was a success
Former WWE star MVP had fans talking over a recent tweet that seemed to tease that he would entertain an offer by the WWE for a potential return if the sports entertainment company is interested in bringing him back.
MVP signed with WWE in 2005 and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling, which led to him being promoted to the SmackDown brand the following year. During his time with the sports entertainment company, he won the United States Championship twice and the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Matt Hardy.
MVP then found success in Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was last seen on WWE television when he made an appearance on the 25th anniversary of RAW in January.
After Bobby Lashley made his return to WWE on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, MVP sent out the following tweet:
– SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was asked by a fan on Twitter if she’d face-off against Ronda Rousey ‘if she had to.’ Here’s how she responded:
– A lot of former WWE Superstars and personalities returned to the company for RAW 25. One was former United States Champion MVP. He recently was a guest on Big League Wrestling’s podcast to talk about his return to WWE and indicated that it was a one-time deal and there are no plans as of this writing to have him back:
“By and far and away I was the sharpest dressed poker player in the building. At the end of the day I made a very nice pay day to show up in a suit, play cards, say hi to my friends, no bumps I win. It makes me laugh because people were like congratulations on going to RAW. Congratulations for what? It’s a date. I’m going to work, it’s a one off. Thanks I guess. not that big a deal. For me. With all due respect.”
After the announcement and the reveal that Kevin Nash won’t be appearing at the show, here is an updated list of stars confirmed for the special Raw episode:
* MVP
* William Regal
* Harvey Wippleman
* WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel
* Lilian Garcia
* Jonathan Coachman
* Mark Henry
* Christian
* The Hardys
* WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus
* Chris Jericho
* The Brooklyn Brawler
* WWE Hall of Famer Jackie Moore
* Terri Runnels
* Torrie Wilson
* Maria Kanellis
* Michelle McCool
* Kelly Kelly
* WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund
* Eric Bischoff
* WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long
* WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather
* Brother Love
* The Boogeyman
* WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter
* John Laurinaitis
* Sean “X-Pac” Waltman
* WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase
* Free agent John Cena
* WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
* The Undertaker
* WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
* WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall
* WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair
* The Bella Twins
* JBL and WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons
* The Dudley Boyz
* WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin
* DX: WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The New Age Outlaws
Posted January 19th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
– It was rumored for a while that WWE is looking to sign Indie Wrestler and Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard, though it appears that these speculations are false.
Tessa noted on Twitter recently that she is now taking bookings for 2018, meaning that not only the Indie Star has not reached an agreement with WWE but she is also not expecting to be signed anytime soon:
Blanchard had wrestled several matches for NXT last year. She also took part in the Mae Young Classic earlier this year where she was defeated by Kairi Sane in the first round of the tournament.
– As noted before, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss made history during the recent WWE Live Event in UAE by becoming the first female WWE Superstars to compete in the Middle East.
After the match, MVP commented on Banks’ outfit for the event, which was similar to the ring gear of the former WWE Star via the following Instagram post:
Causal Wrestling fans only know MVP for his stint with WWE but the former United States Champion has worked for many famous wrestling companies in his career so far including TNA, Lucha Underground and more.
The former WWE Star who is currently working for NJPW recently had an interview with The Roman Show where he talked about a variety of wrestling related topics. Below are some of the highlights from his interview:
Pitching New Japan World to The NJPW President in 2011:
“I remember having a meeting with President Naoki Sugabayashi in 2011 and I pitched New Japan World back then because there is a huge English speaking audience that wanted access to the product,” MVP recalled. “I guess it was just matter of timing.”
Mismanagement of TNA:
“I don’t know what to say about them it’s constant mismanagement. Some of the greatest talent came from there, guys like Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Bobby Roode. You have all these guys that aren’t there anymore. TNA was must successful under Jeff Jarrett’s leadership. Under Dixie Carter, it spiraled under. I was hoping Jeff Jarrett would raise it, but I don’t know, it remains to be seen.”
If TNA should shut down:
“Our industry needs TNA. I never understood fans that hoped TNA goes out of business. We need a strong solid company for guys to continue to work that can make money and do well. That’s just stupid to me. I don’t like orange soda, but I don’t wish Sunkist goes out of business. I just don’t drink it.”
His favorite wrestling company:
“New Japan is my personal favorite wrestling company. Working there was my dream. It was my dream to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome. I am happy the WWE Universe is being exposed, in my opinion, to the best wrestling on the planet.”
MVP appeared on the latest The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast to discuss next week’s big MLW: One-Shot event and his match against Sami Callihan. He also talked about his time in WWE, why he left the company and working in Japan.
Here are some highlights they sent in:
Excitement over making his MLW debut and expectations on the revival of the promotion:
“It is funny that you say that because I don’t think there is any expectations to look to simply because every individual that you’ve named so far on the roster, it doesn’t matter what promotion it is because when they lace the boots up and climb into the ring they have the highest expectations of themselves and I think that everybody on the roster would have no problem with me speaking for them in that regard. As far as MLW goes they do have the history of providing very eclectic shows. The first time I ever saw Kojima LIVE was in Ft. Lauderdale for MLW. I remember I saw a match with Sabu and LA Parka that to that point without question was one of the greatest matches I’d ever seen and add to it LA Parka and Sabu were a little edgy towards each other and it turned out to be a phenomenal match. MLW going back to its origins and to the shows that I saw always put out the best talent from all over the world even before it was cool. They were ground breaking in that regard. Once again in Orlando they put together what I always think wrestling should be and that is a buffet with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”
The roster in place thus far and his match with Sami Callihan:
“You’ve got Jeff Cobb and Tom Lawlor who will take care of the technical grappling aspect and not to mention that phenomenal athleticism of Jeff Cobb, I think he is going to suprise a lot of people who have never seen him before. You’ve got me and Sally.. (I mean Sami) Callihan, tell him I called him “Sally”. “Sally Callihan” we are just going to beat the f*ck out of each other and that is not going to be pleasant and it is not going to be pretty and it is not going to technical or high flying it will be painful. You’ve got phenomenal Ariel acrobatic style of Ricochet and Stickland. I think overall the card in general is stacked from top to bottom and nobody is going to come away dissatisfied.”
How INDY wrestling promotions have influenced WWE:
“I think you have to recognize that there has been a philosophy shift at the top of WWE. Once upon a time they refused to acknowledge that wrestling existed outside of their universe and now they are actually embracing the fact that wrestling exists outside of the “WWE Universe” and with the popularity of NXT and allowing guys to keep their identity and not hijacking a guy’s identities like they were so known to do.”
“The popularity of social media and YouTube it is an amazing time for the business like we’ve never seen before because and I’ve said this before on my own podcast “The VIP Lounge” it is phenomenal that now a guy from England can show up at PWG Guerilla in Los Angeles and wrestle in “The Battle of Los Angeles” and everybody there already knows who he is. As far as WWE recognizing that fan base, I think they realized that they had to change their business model in some way because you can’t just continue to deny that there is a boom of wrestling going on in England and that New Japan is blowing up and all of these independent wrestling companies popping up (some are awful) and some are very good.”
“I don’t know who was responsible for taking this new course of action at WWE but it behooves them to recognize that there is a lot going on and there is talent outside of their main roster and as far as the fans are concerned I am happy for the fans.”
His time wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling:
“For me it was easy and I never missed a step because my dream was to wrestle in Japan. WWE for me was the goal and is the top company in the world and that is where you want to go when you lace up your boots but for me it was my dream to wrestle at Korakuen Hall and in the Tokyo Dome.”
“People ask me do I still get nervous or what match did I get nervous for and it wasn’t WrestleMania, it wasn’t WrestleKingdon, it wasn’t Bound For Glory it was my very first match in Korakuen Hall. To me that place is ECW Arena and Madison Square Garden rolled into one and the fans that go there know wrestling extremely well and they won’t hesitate to let you know you are sh*t and the fact that I was able to get an “MVP” chant going in Korakuen Hall from Japanese fans meant more to me than I can really express. Leaving the sports entertainment style of WWE to go to the hard hitting and strong style of New Japan was a very easy transition for me because it was what I always wanted to do.
How the MVP character was created:
“I had numerous tryouts and I roped Johnny (Ace) off one day and asked him if I could get five minutes and he said he was busy. I asked can I get two minutes? Can I get thirty seconds? He finally stopped and said you’ve got thirty seconds and I said for him to tell me what the f*ck I’ve got to do for you to hire me? I think Johnny was pleasantly taken aback by that because who the f*ck talks to Johnny Ace like that? He said we like you but don’t have anything for you and to come up with a more character based personality and something we don’t already have. I was pissed off because I felt he had written me off again but at that time I was working down on South Beach doing nightclub work and bodyguard work and I’d see these self-absorbed and pompous overpaid pro athletes show up feeling like the world owed them something. I remember guys like Shaq or Barry Sanders or Dr. J all established legends would come through and stop, shake hands and talk and were very humble and I’d see guys who were first round draft picks busts who would show up with entourages like the world owed them something and being rude and disrespectful and I thought that hadn’t been done in wrestling yet. This was a relatively new phenomenon because every time you turned on Sports Center there is another pro athlete getting into trouble saying or doing something stupid so I put together a package that to this day if you ask Court (Bauer) he will tell you it is one of the most impressive things he has seen because they had never received anything quite like it.
For this and every other episode of The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, subscribe on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Tune In Radio and The IRW Network.
Posted September 27th, 2017 in News, MLW. Tagged: MVP.
MVP was Sean Waltman’s guest this week on his 12360 podcast. The 43-year old Hassan Hamin Assad shared many stories of his career, including training with the Miz and working as Kimbo Slice’s bodyguard.
Sean speaks about a conversation he had with Kevin Sullivan at a PCW event this passed weekend about John Morrison being involved in the main event of RVD VS MVP: “Well, Kevin came up to me, Joey, and forget who else, but they were telling me ‘Should John Morrison come out before the match starts or after’ you know, after the match finishes to challenge the winner…and you know, my intial react, like “they were asking me,” cause Kevin thinks they should do it before hand.”
MVP Talks about being in WWE developmental with the Miz: “I think it’s weird…umm. I’ll give you an example of the Miz. Very successful, very talented has reached of the highest highs, and I have the upmost respect for him. Cause when we were in developmental down in deep south, you had guys that been around, been a few places who were moaning and complaining about the training. I never heard Mike Mizanin complain not once. Ever. He ran the miles, the squats, the bumps never complained about anything.”
MVP on where he was during the earthquake that happened in Toyko, Japan: “I was in Sinbad but it was in Tokyo and uh 200 hundred miles away but even in Tokyo, Dude that shit was fucking insane, watching building rock and cracks open up in the side of the wall. I was in the shrine. My friend Acvio took me there to give me a tour and what not and we went to this under corner, went to this little kya and I had a big tank of beer. We’re eating and talking and like this is my dream come true, like “ I’m in japan, this is amazing”, and quake starts and at first I started smiling like oh shit my first Japanese earthquake this is cool. And then like shit just started falling off the wall, shit was crashing and Japan is like the third most scientifically active country.”
MVP Talks about how he became a bouncer with Kimbo Slice: “Yeah, that was my first job on South Beach(Miami-Florida)… Kimbo was the first guy that walked up and I saw him and he looked a lot different then too though but… I was like, ‘Hey man you guys hiring?’ and he said, ‘hold on let me check.’ I heard him say, ‘he’s a big dude we could probably use him.’ Then the head guy came out and said, ‘yeah come back tomorrow night in a black suit.'”
Waltman does a good job with these shows. You can also subscribe and download the shows on iTunes here.
WWE is looking to bring back notable stars who were released in recent years to beef up the RAW & SmackDown rosters, but it’s reportedly not going as quickly as expected.
According to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a lot of the talent who’ve been contacted by WWE about returning declined the offer. Numerous former WWE superstars reportedly felt the money wasn’t good enough to return to go back on the road with the company.
One name speculated to be among that group is MVP. According to the Observer, the two sides are still open to talks, but it doesn’t sound like MVP will be taking WWE up on their offer for him to return to their programming. MVP hasn’t worked with WWE since 2010.
A former star who did take WWE up on their offer is Shelton Benjamin, who was also released by the company in 2010. It was announced last month that Benjamin will be returning to the SmackDown brand shortly.
Posted August 5th, 2016 in WWE, News. Tagged: MVP.
– John Cena appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week to discuss SummerSlam and share some of his workout tips.
– The final rating for this week’s SmackDown Live was a 1.86, down from last week’s 1.92 rating. Viewership is still way up since going live on Tuesday nights.
– Nikki Bella is expected to join the SmackDown roster when she gets cleared to return, which is not surprising considering her relationship with John Cena.
– Regarding WWE reaching out to former stars for returns, the Wrestling Observer Newsletterreports that a lot of lowball offers are going out. In addition to the recent returns of Rhyno and Jinder Mahal, several more familiar faces are expected back in the coming months.
Speaking of former WWE stars who would be prime candidates to return, MVP was backstage at this past weekend’s NXT live event from Houston:
– In addition to the Booty O’s cereal that was announced at this week’s San Diego Comic Con event, Kofi Kingston revealed on Twitter that The New Day will also be getting their very own Funko Pop vinyl pop toys. They’ll be released for the holidays and will be available exclusively at Toys R Us.
– Former SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long appeared on Steve Gerweck’s podcast this week and revealed that Shelton Benjamin and MVP have both signed with WWE and will be returning soon. Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that former 3MB member Jinder Mahal is also in talks with the company.
– John Cena granted his latest Make-A-Wish prior to Monday’s RAW from Worcester, MA. Here’s is a photo of Juan and his family, who traveled from Texas to meet him:
MVP had announced in Dallas last week that he signed with Lucha Underground, but the relationship appears to already be over. MVP had reportedly signed on as an agent with the door open to wrestle in the future.
MVP posted a video online acknowledging he had signed with the company, but that the deal has already been terminated because he violated a term he didn’t know about. Apparently by announcing his signing he violated the non-disclosure portion of his contract, and Lucha Underground’s parent company feels he gave out a spoiler.
In his video, MVP put over Lucha Underground and owned up to his mistake.
