Rich Swann, who recently signed with WWE as a developmental talent, spoke with WWE.com about training at the WWE Performance Center and his wrestling career. Here are the highlights.
On how things go at the WWE Performance center:
“It’s going really well. There are some tough days, but every day I learn something new. It’s the best facility ever. Anybody who wants to be a wrestler, this is the place to be. You’ve got the best coaches. You can’t go wrong.”
On the differences between training at the Performances Center and training in Japanese Dojo’s:
“It’s very similar [as far as] the training regimen and the schedule, but WWE’s facility is just a bit nicer. [Laughs.] The dojo’s grimy; in the winter it’s cold and in the summer it’s hot. No air conditioning. It’s crazy. Plus, you’re in a country where you barely speak the language in the beginning, it definitely takes a toll. In Japan, you gotta get it, you’ve gotta go after it. You have to prove yourself and wrestle what they call the “young boys.” They don’t teach them the art of wrestling until they feel they deserve it, so when you’re in there with them, you’re getting beat up and bruised and smacked and thrown around and you’re having to prove yourself.”
Other differences between working in Japan and working for the WWE:
“In Japan, everybody was more my size. But here, it’s the land of the giants. There are guys in my class now who are like 7-feet tall, 300 pounds, and the only comparison is you just have to work hard. And that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”
On who influenced him wrestling-wise:
“Wrestlers like Psicosis, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, RVD, Jerry Lynnn, Super Crazy, like that. Once I found out what ECW was when I was in middle school — boom — that turned me. WCW, too. I love these bigger guys, but I knew I was never going to be that big. The cruiserweights, however, look at these guys move, flipping around, doing crazy things and being daredevils. Guys like The Hardys. I was drawn to them because that’s what I wanted to do.”
You can read the entire interview here.
