Black Widow
08-02-2008, 01:09 PM
August 1, 2008 - Rhino's been everywhere, man. The Manbeast (coincidentally, our nickname for Bozon) went straight from the tents of Germany to the main events of ECW in a matter of several months; as the final ECW Heavyweight and Television champion, he still holds those legendary belts in his possession.
Of course, when ECW died, Rhino moved on to WWE, winning the Hardcore Championship and the United States title, but his biggest title win came in 2005, when he won the legendary NWA World Heavyweight Title from Jeff Jarrett. We asked Rhino about his trials and tribulations, and surprisingly, found out which member of the TNA roster he considers his boo.
IGN: You've been in videogames before. This is your first game for TNA, though. How is it different?
Rhino: I actually played in Germany when I was on the tour for the game, and the gameplay is really cool. This is the first wrestling video game I've played since the ECW games, so it's cool. The gameplay's really sweet. I was picking it up pretty quick -- I'm not a big gamer, but if I can pick it up, so can a lot of people.
I'm really excited to see the company grow and with the video game coming, that's a big step in the growth of the company. I'm proud to be a part of it, you know?
IGN:You spent a long time working in wrestling for CWA, right? Did you ever wrestle AWA champion Otto Wanz?
Rhino: Nah. He retired in the 80s and I didn't get there till 97. Really, I'm kinda glad I didn't wrestle him since he didn't do much.
[Kevin Nash jumps into the interview and starts yelling sweet nothings at Rhino]
IGN: What was that?
Rhino: That's just my boo Kevin Nash. We're getting married; he's wearing the dress though! He looks better in white.
IGN: Would you describe Kevin Nash as your BFF?
Rhino: What's that?
IGN: BFF! You know, best friends forever?
Rhino: [thinks for a second] Nah. We're good friends, he's great to joke around with. It's part of the locker room. It helps the younger talent out and in the growth of the company as far as the younger guys going out there and getting over and stuff like that.
IGN: Do you feel like your role is to help out the younger guys?
Rhino: Oh yeah. When I first came to TNA three years ago, I think I became a leader and a lot of guys looked up to me. I help out as much as I can. I'll watch matches and try and point out whatever I can. A lot of guys in the company listen -- if you don't like my advice, I won't be offended, but there are certain things I picked up over the years that help the growth of the company.
IGN: You're wearing a Tigers shirt right now. What are your thoughts on their dismal season?
Rhino: Well, on paper, they were supposed to walk to the World Series, but I think they're now just figuring out how to play together as a team. I know a couple of players and they're friends of mine, like Curtis Granderson and [Joel] Zumaya -- a lot of them are fans, so they'll come watch the shows during spring training. I think they're getting used to their positions now...I think we should've kept Inge at third base since he's such a sweet player, and I don't like the fact that they didn't resign [Sean] Casey. He's actually a friend of mine.
[B]IGN: Casey's kind of the Kevin Nash of wrestling -- everywhere he goes, everyone loves him.
Rhino: Yeah.
IGN: You've talked about how the video game marked a big growth point for the company. Where do you see the company going in the next couple years? What are the next steps TNA needs to take?
Rhino: I think going overseas more. This is the first video game they came out with and it took a while to make the whole gameplay work...if we could get 1-2 video games...the network loves us, so I'd like to see us go to Mondays from 8 to 10 to start the Monday Night war over again...that'd really benefit us. We're scheduling more live events, and if we could get that past 100 with 30 overseas, that'd be a good mixture.
IGN: So, when you open up the game for the first time, you're gonna play as yourself. What character are you going to go up against?
Rhino: Hmm...I think James Storm.
IGN: Interesting. He won't have the beer bottle in the game, so that'll put him at a disadvantage.
Rhino: Oh! They took away his one move.
Of course, when ECW died, Rhino moved on to WWE, winning the Hardcore Championship and the United States title, but his biggest title win came in 2005, when he won the legendary NWA World Heavyweight Title from Jeff Jarrett. We asked Rhino about his trials and tribulations, and surprisingly, found out which member of the TNA roster he considers his boo.
IGN: You've been in videogames before. This is your first game for TNA, though. How is it different?
Rhino: I actually played in Germany when I was on the tour for the game, and the gameplay is really cool. This is the first wrestling video game I've played since the ECW games, so it's cool. The gameplay's really sweet. I was picking it up pretty quick -- I'm not a big gamer, but if I can pick it up, so can a lot of people.
I'm really excited to see the company grow and with the video game coming, that's a big step in the growth of the company. I'm proud to be a part of it, you know?
IGN:You spent a long time working in wrestling for CWA, right? Did you ever wrestle AWA champion Otto Wanz?
Rhino: Nah. He retired in the 80s and I didn't get there till 97. Really, I'm kinda glad I didn't wrestle him since he didn't do much.
[Kevin Nash jumps into the interview and starts yelling sweet nothings at Rhino]
IGN: What was that?
Rhino: That's just my boo Kevin Nash. We're getting married; he's wearing the dress though! He looks better in white.
IGN: Would you describe Kevin Nash as your BFF?
Rhino: What's that?
IGN: BFF! You know, best friends forever?
Rhino: [thinks for a second] Nah. We're good friends, he's great to joke around with. It's part of the locker room. It helps the younger talent out and in the growth of the company as far as the younger guys going out there and getting over and stuff like that.
IGN: Do you feel like your role is to help out the younger guys?
Rhino: Oh yeah. When I first came to TNA three years ago, I think I became a leader and a lot of guys looked up to me. I help out as much as I can. I'll watch matches and try and point out whatever I can. A lot of guys in the company listen -- if you don't like my advice, I won't be offended, but there are certain things I picked up over the years that help the growth of the company.
IGN: You're wearing a Tigers shirt right now. What are your thoughts on their dismal season?
Rhino: Well, on paper, they were supposed to walk to the World Series, but I think they're now just figuring out how to play together as a team. I know a couple of players and they're friends of mine, like Curtis Granderson and [Joel] Zumaya -- a lot of them are fans, so they'll come watch the shows during spring training. I think they're getting used to their positions now...I think we should've kept Inge at third base since he's such a sweet player, and I don't like the fact that they didn't resign [Sean] Casey. He's actually a friend of mine.
[B]IGN: Casey's kind of the Kevin Nash of wrestling -- everywhere he goes, everyone loves him.
Rhino: Yeah.
IGN: You've talked about how the video game marked a big growth point for the company. Where do you see the company going in the next couple years? What are the next steps TNA needs to take?
Rhino: I think going overseas more. This is the first video game they came out with and it took a while to make the whole gameplay work...if we could get 1-2 video games...the network loves us, so I'd like to see us go to Mondays from 8 to 10 to start the Monday Night war over again...that'd really benefit us. We're scheduling more live events, and if we could get that past 100 with 30 overseas, that'd be a good mixture.
IGN: So, when you open up the game for the first time, you're gonna play as yourself. What character are you going to go up against?
Rhino: Hmm...I think James Storm.
IGN: Interesting. He won't have the beer bottle in the game, so that'll put him at a disadvantage.
Rhino: Oh! They took away his one move.