The U.K. Sun has another great interview online with a WWE star. This time it’s Chris Benoit. Here are some of the highlights:
On Stu Hart
I definitely wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for Stu. He gave me my first break in the industry and was a huge influence on me.
He was a great role model and I spent a lot of time talking to him. He also educated me in how to carry myself outside of the ring and in the locker room, which is a very important part of the business.
My favourite memory of Stu was watching him in the Dungeon with 6’6, 380lb gym rats who could bench 500lbs.
They’d walk in there pounding their chests and come out wimpering. He would make them suffer.
Stu stretched me, but he wouldn’t lay into me as hard as he would them because he realised they didn’t have any respect for what they were doing.
If someone came in with any type of attitude Stu would straighten them out right away – and I used to love watching him do it!
The night he broke Sabu’s neck
I was concerned. I didn’t want to be responsible for ending someone’s career or putting someone in a wheelchair.
I didn’t know the severity of Sabu’s injuries and when I got back to Canada I immediately got on the phone to ECW boss Paul Heyman.
All he would say was: “It’s great, you’re going to be called The Crippler. This is awesome, we’re going to make so much money.”
And I was saying: “Paul, is Sabu OK? Is he going to walk?”
But that’s what Paul’s like – he loves wrestling even more than I do. I know he’s had his problems with some people, but I’ve always got along with him.
I loved The Crippler name, I wanted to carry that with me into the WWE but they went with The Wolverine instead.
Being announced from Atlanta
I spoke to Vince McMahon about it and he told me that was the direction the company wanted to go in.
And this is what I do for a living, this is how I feed my family and pay my bills.
Some people were up in arms saying I sold out – but are they going to sign my next cheque? Are they going to feed my kids?
I’m Chris Benoit from Edmonton and that’s never going to change, but the company want to say that I now reside in Atlanta. And that’s the truth, I do live there, so I don’t have a problem with it.
Bret Hart
Do you still see much of Bret Hart and his family? Do you think Bret will ever come back to the WWE?
I talk to Bret but I don’t see him. He’s in Calgary and I’m in Atlanta. We get three days off a week, in an ideal week, and I want to spend my free time with my wife and three children.
I hope Bret will come back to the WWE, but I don’t know if he will because I’ve never asked him about it. I don’t want to put that between our friendship.
I know that there are issues between Bret and Vince McMahon, Bret and Ric Flair, Bret and Shawn Michaels, Bret and the company – but that’s between Bret and them and I won’t get involved.
I don’t believe Bret could wrestle a match now, since his stroke, and he says he can’t.
I know he talks about the idea of it like he’d love to – as he grew up and spent his life around wrestling – but physically I don’t think he could.
But I’d still love to him come back and say farewell after everything he’s done and given to this industry, as well as thanking the fans for being there for him.
You can read the entire interview here.
The Honolulu Star Tribune has an interview with Trish Stratus. In it she talks about her tough road schedule, winning the WWE Women’s Championship for the first time and the possibilities during dual brand shows. You can read the article here.
Credit- 1wrestling.com & PWInsider.com
