Former WWE Superstar Rhino spoke with Inside The Ropes. Here are some highlights:
His start in WWE in 2001: “Edge, Christian and I were all buddies and I think they’d (the office) said something like they wanted me to be their brother. Edge was like, “No, you know, people know him as Rhino, they know we’re buddies, so just tag him along with us, use him as our muscle.”
“I remember the first live promo I did and I just shit the bed. I was just so nervous. I didn’t know what they wanted me to say but y’know, I then went on and wrestled on the road for a little bit in dark matches and stuff.
“I wrestled Steve Lombardi and he was actually the one that gave me The Gore as a finish. I used to use it in ECW as a cut off and use the piledriver for the finish. But I used to be really creative, goring people through tables and shit like that. So then I’m working with Lombardi, Brooklyn Brawler, on the house show loop and I hit him with the gore and then I’d pick him up and do a TKO. So the second night he said, “Just hit me with the gore and pin me on that. You pick me up for the TKO and it doesn’t get a reaction.” I remember thinking maybe he just didn’t wanna take it, but he was right. The gore would get a bigger reaction when I’d set up for it in the corner and ya know, the rest is history.”
Vince McMahon coming out and interrupting his August 2003 house show match with Tajiri: “Before the show, he was on the house show loop. So before the match he said something like, “You can’t do anything wrong in the match, just call it out there,” blah blah blah.
“Nassau Coliseum is a tough building. We’re out there and Tajiri won’t call shit and you heard what the boss said. We went out there and before [the match], one of the agents told us if they chant “boring,” don’t do anything, just sit on the hold. So you’re getting mixed instructions, but I’ve worked with Tajiri like 1000 times.
“So we’re in the hold, they chant “boring” and Vince comes out telling us to go home and I’m thinking, “He’s trying to kick us out the ring thinking lets see what they do if I throw a monkey wrench into their match.” I thought he was just working so I’m like, “What are you gonna do? Fire me?” So he tells Brian (Hebner) to tell Tajiri to dropkick me and go to the back and I’m like, “Oh shit, he’s serious.”
“So we go to the back, I go take a shower, then I go talk to him. I think he actually felt bad. He said, “The fans were chanting “boring” and you had him in a hold.” I said to him, “I was told by one of your agents, if they chant “boring,” then sit in the hold.” So yeah, that was it. I actually got a very good payoff for that match. That’s why I think he felt bad about it.”
