Former WWE Superstar Konnan (also known as Max Moon) recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Konnan discussed being outspoken throughout his career and his thoughts on promotions being loyal to their talent:

“Companies are loyal to you as long as it is convenient to their interests. Why wouldn’t I think the same? Don’t ask for my opinion if you don’t want to hear what I have to say. I’m not a stockholder. Companies play those mind games and a lot of people are afraid to leave promotions. You saw it in Mexico with CMLL and AAA, and you saw a little of it with WWE and WCW in the ‘90s with who was loyal and who wasn’t loyal to a company.”

He also offered his thoughts on his run in WWE under the “Max Moon” character:

“Max Moon was a robot that had a lot of pieces to it. I would have to fly from Mexico to LA, then pick up the robot in LA, and I had to carry it everywhere. At this point, I was blowing up in Mexico and I just started on a Mexican soap opera. Why did I need to go to WWE? I was making good money and doing what I wanted, so I just stopped showing up for TV.”

“They called me one day and said, ‘You’re fired.’ I said, ‘OK, bye.’ It wasn’t a big deal to me. I didn’t grow up watching WWE or wanting to be there. Plus, I was already a star in Mexico. Much like what happened after I left CMLL, the WWE has held a grudge for a long time against me.”

Konnan then dove into his passion for finding young talent, cultivating it, and watching it mature over time:

“I remember sitting down with Eric Bischoff when I was in WCW, and listened to him bury Mick. I disagreed. It’s not like what the Kliq had you believe, where guys had to want to be like you and girls needed to want to f— you. That had changed. It’s just like when I heard guys say, ‘Oh, my son can beat up Rey Mysterio.’ That’s not what your son is thinking when he watches Rey. Your son is thinking, ‘This little guy is dope.’

“Rey has drawn a lot of money. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for guys who have drawn because I know how hard it is. There is something I love about recognizing raw talent, cultivating it, then watching it mature and become what it could be. Some people don’t know how great they can be unless you tell them and show them how to be great. So many young talent just need someone to believe in them and show them the right way to do things.”