Chris Harris (WWE's Braden Walker) On WWE, TNA, And More
Chris Harris Interview
www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Monday Night Mayhem radio with Chris Harris
Hosts: Big Mosh, Blade, DFL
The Mayhem Crew welcomed Chris Harris to the show, and asked him what he has been up to since his release from World Wrestling Entertainment this past August. The "Wildcat" thanked the guys for having him on and said that he is "trying to recover," get on track, and back into the wrestling world, "so we'll see what happens."
Mosh then asked Chris where it "went wrong," with regards to the "Braden Walker" WWE character and if he expected to be used as "Wildcat" Chris Harris, not a "different" moniker. Chris said that when he signed, he knew he would have a different name for trademarking purposes since Chris Harris is his real name, "but when I got there they changed everything, my personality, my look, my name." He then mentioned that he had 20 minutes before his first match on WWE television to come up with a name.
Blade and Mosh went on to ask that if Chris were to return to World Wrestling Entertainment, what would he change and why? Chris said that he would not even return to the WWE in the first place, as it was "the most miserable experience of (his) life." On the other hand, however, Chris said that if he did not go, he would always wonder "What if?" Chris added that he would talk people out of going there if he had that chance now.
The Mayhem Crew then talked about Chris' departure from TNA and some of the rumors surrounding it, and asked Chris to clear those up with the truth. Chris said that when he was leaving TNA, he thought he would be doing a good thing by going to the WWE after being in TNA for five or six years. He said that when he left, he never thought of being able to go back to TNA if the WWE stint didn't work out, but "they're not feeling the same way...because they're a little bit more pissed off than I thought." He again said he thought he would be doing a good thing by going to World Wrestling Entertainment, "but when I got there (for a billion dollar company), it was the most ridiculous, miserable company I've ever seen."
Blade asked Chris for a little more insight on the day of his first television appearance when he had to come up with his own name, and asked if there was any direction at all, simply because it did not sound like there was. Chris then started talking about how he arrived to the TV tapings without any idea as to if he was even going to be used that night. From there, he said, sometime in the afternoon is when the whole name discussion and gear ideas came about, "which is where I got that stupid singlet," and said by that theory, it does not look like there was any direction at all.
Then, as an example, he used Ron Killings (R. Truth), as he had six weeks of vignettes before his return to the WWE, "so when he finally came out people knew who he was." He said instead of something like that, he was just thrown out there with a completely different name and look, and expected to make it work. "These guys are supposed to be pros, it's a billion dollar company, and for them to just throw me out there like that, I think it was set up to fail."
Mosh mentioned how it has seemed from past experiences that those who land up signing with the WWE from TNA seem to get buried or not used properly -- as seen with "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown (Marcus Cor Von), Kaz (Frankie Kazarian), among others, and asked Chris if he agreed with those beliefs. Chris said that if he admitted that, "It would be a bullsh*t excuse." But on the same token, he said he thought he would be given a good shot, "but now that I've gone through the whole experience, I really don't know...I don't know." Chris mentioned Killings again, saying that he even came from TNA, he originally was in World Wrestling Entertainment before that, so he already had friends there and had a good shot once he came back.
Blade and Mosh then talked about America's Most Wanted's run in TNA, capped off by several NWA World Tag Team Title reigns, and asked Chris that if they both went up to the WWE as a tag team, if he thinks the outcome would have been better. Chris said that we will never know, but maybe it would have worked out for the better. He said that they were told by various people that the WWE was interested in both of them, "and maybe AMW would've worked there, but once I got an opportunity I decided to jump on it. It could've been a different story if it was me and Storm, but we'll never know...We'll never know."
Blade asked Chris if there was ever any talk of "repackaging" the Braden Walker character to something different after the first week or two, seeing as how it was not working out. Chris said that he had multiple meetings with the WWE Creative Team, "people in Tampa," among others, and gave them countless ideas which they were going to use until he got to the shows. When he asked about his ideas that they liked, he was told they were "going in a different direction," which he said was obviously no direction at all. He added that there were multiple ideas thrown around, but none of them panned out.
The Mayhem Crew then discussed the backstage segment we saw on ECW On Sci-Fi" with the now-current ECW Champion, Matt Hardy and Chris, and asked him if anything was supposed to come out of that, and/or if it was lost in the shuffle. Chris said that from what he was told, they wanted to have Matt and Chris work a little feud with one another, but it was already thrown out the window the week after that first segment. "It was just an overall frustrating experience."
Mosh talked about "The Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm's success in Beer Money since Chris' departure from TNA, and asked Chris if he has been surprised at all by any or all of it. Chris said "not at all," as he has said from day one that if he and James were to ever split America's Most Wanted, "he would be just as fine on his own." He added that they are a great team, and that he is proud of their accomplishments. Chris believes that both James and Robert (Roode) are both great workers, and every time he watches them together, he "gets a chuckle."
Many fans remember Chris' last storyline before leaving TNA, where he was "complaining" to anyone who would listen about his lack of TV time. Chris said that there might have been a little truth to it, but it was never as bad as the promos were making it seem. He went on to say it was just simply him venting his frustrations to the writing team, and them turning it into an angle. He said that it was all blown out of proportion after not getting a good opportunity after AMW's split, and since he was asked to do it, he did.
As a final open statement to anybody in World Wrestling Entertainment, TNA, or the fans, Chris said that he will not say what he wants to say to certain select people in the WWE, and also that he hopes that he and TNA still have some sort of working relationship in the future. He then thanked all of his fans for their continued support through the "rough times," and that wherever he winds up, he hopes to make an impact. Could that be a sign of things to come???
More in this near 40-minute interview with The "Wildcat," including his uncensored thoughts and takes whether or not ECW is seen as an "afterthought" by the WWE, his thoughts on the current status of tag team wrestling going into 2009, the future of WWE and TNA in the new year, and so much more!
The Mayhem strongly encourages you to check out Chris' official website, located @ www.WildCatChrisHarris.com. Bookers, feel free to contact Chris directly via e-mail @ CatBookings@Yahoo.com.
