• Rikishi Talks About Training Rusev & Working With Stone Cold Steve Austin
During a recent appearance on X-Pac 12360, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi talked about the time he cracked his ribs in the ring with Mabel, him along with Reno and Gangrel training Rusev, his sons (The Usos) in WWE, thinking his gear was a rib, and working with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Below are the highlights:
On the time he cracked his ribs in the ring with Mabel:
“It was a simple splash, it was all his (Mabel) weight. Normally if you don’t see a guy in the right position, obviously I was selling something that was given to me so you want to let that marinate for a second. I think I was on my side and he came out of nowhere, and his timing was just…I think it was 50 pounds, landed on the side of my ribs and cracked, but the show goes on.”
On him, along with Reno and Gangrel, training Rusev:
“We had myself, my cousin Reno and Gangrel …all had a big part in training Rusev. As a trainer when you see your students graduate to the next level and kinda stay there is because that tells me that he was listening. You see Rusev doing his thing now and to be able to finally live his dream. What he came to seek. The training was given, it’s validated, its verified , it’s confirmed . That the training we teach our kids works. All we have to do is have your ear and do the work. Say less and just listen what we’re trying to teach you.”
On his sons (The Usos) in WWE:
“I feel safe with my boys (Usos) there honestly. Number one, because I know them, I know what type of kids I raised. I’m solid with the choices that they make as far as that. But also, with the industry and the vibe now with the WWE I’m okay with it… They’ve got all the goods. They’ve got a high-performance center, they’ve got doctors that are willing to look after them, they’ve got a drug rehab place for them. These kids are in good hands.”
On thinking his gear was a rib:
“The birth of Rikishi, when I came back I thought it was a rib. I kinda felt like it was a rib. Who goes out there in a thong? And the thing was it was an idea he (Vince McMahon) wanted to do with Yoko (Yokozuna) right. But Yoko came out with the long red tights and I didn’t want to bite off of Rodney (Yoko) and so I was thinking maybe I just want to switch a few things up. Maybe I want to dye my hair blond. I want to do something at the end like entertainment something different that Rodney (Yoko) doesn’t do. And then the most important thing for me was I wanted to get the okay from my family, meaning my kids and my wife at the time. My kids were younger at the time… you know how vicious kids could be. I showed them the drawing. I showed them the first part they see the whole front part but when I flipped it around it was like, “Ahhh Dad.” (Disappointed!) Go for it!” And I never looked back after that.”
On working with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin:
“Steve was the best man. The one thing that I do miss in my career and especially working with Steve that opportunity where I was the guy. Steve was a pro man. Steve was the man, and whenever you got an opportunity to work with Steve I mean it was just one of those opportunities like you are going to enjoy that ride for however long and I wanted it to be long. Trust me. I wanted to have that loop with Steve. One thing that I wanted was to have a chance to be able to become world champion in the WWE. And that never happened. But working with those guys like Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H… it was crazy.”
• Top RAW Star Getting A Filler Match At Money In The Bank 2018 Because Of Brock Lesnar?
As seen on this week’s episode of RAW, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal cost Roman Reigns an opportunity to qualify for the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder match.
YES, IT IS THE MODERN DAY MAHARAJA!!!!! #RAW pic.twitter.com/WoxaK5u1tH
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubItal) May 8, 2018
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer addressed this situation and noted that since Universal Champion Brock Lesnar isn’t working Money In The Bank 2018 PPV (click here to read more about this), Reigns is getting involved in a filler feud with Jinder Mahal for Money In The Bank 2018 PPV (similar to Reigns’ filler feud with Samoa Joe at Backlash 2018).
