Rikishi Shoot Interview

One of wrestling’s most well known and traveled stars sat down with RF VIDEO to conduct an exclusive shoot interview that covered every facet of his long career. Rikishi, well known to WWE and TNA fans, walked us through a life that included growing up in a wrestling family and working several high profile territories such as World Class and the USWA before getting his big break as part of the well remembered Samoan Swat Team in the NWA. The son of Wild Samoan Siki and the cousin of Samu, Rikishi described exactly what it was like to be a second generation wrestler along with the obstacles he had to face when breaking into the business. After spending a good amount of time in the NWA, Rikishi was able to tell us a ton of great road stories that included such people as Paul Heyman and the Steiner Brothers. He also opened up about what it was like being in the locker room with so many legendary wrestlers and specifically described how Ric Flair was obsessively into his Nature Boy character. All the major feuds that the S.S.T. were in get their due here, including the classic brawls with the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express, the Steiners, and Dr.Death Steve Williams. We even got ‘Keesh to talk about the Dynamic Dudes! Once inside the WWE, Rikishi got stuck with one lame gimmick after another and we got him to tell us what is was like working as the Sultan and the ridiculous “inspirational” street member. Eventually he was given the character of Rikishi and we discussed all the major angles and people he worked with along with what was going on in the locker room and on the road. You’ll get stories talking about the Hardy Boyz, the Rock, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Too Cool, Undertaker, Kane, Edge, John Cena, and many more. You’ll find out why Rikishi had heat with Jim Ross and what ‘Keesh really thinks of Johnny Ace. In fact, Rikishi used this opportunity to send a message to Ace! Just a wonderful interview that even covered Rikishi’s brief run in TNA. Fans of WWE will love this DVD as it has so many stories featuring all the top guys, but you’ll also hear about a ton of other notable guys including Bruiser Brody, the Von Erichs, Eric Embry, Jerry Jarrett, Michael Hayes, Jim Herd, Oliver Humperdink, Lex Luger, Sting, Owen Hart, Mil Mascares, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. Are the rumors true that Rikishi would use a smelly pair of tights when delivering the stink face to certain wrestlers? How much did The Cliq affect his career? Who was the person who came up with the leap off the cage against Val Venus? Was it always the plan for Rikishi to be the one who ran down Steve Austin? You’ll get the answers to all of these questions and a whole lot more in this amazing new shoot! Memories of growing up in a wrestling family How soon did you know you wanted to be a wrestler Who trained you What do you remember about your brother’s success in the WWF How open about the business were your Uncles growing up Is it true you were a street dancer as a kid Is it true you were involved in a drive-by shooting What was the hardest thing about training Is it true that you wrestled your first match in a battle royal Memories of wrestling for Gino Brito in Canada Thoughts on Dino Bravo Was it a good place to learn Did any of the vets test you Memories early on about teaming with Samu How helpful was it to get into the business already teaming with a vet Memories of your early Puerto Rico tours Was it a hostile environment after the Brody murder How did you wind up in World Class Who was the booker at the time Memories of matches with the Von Erichs Were they hard to work with Any good road stories Memories of Fritz Memories of Buddy Roberts, good road stories How did things change when Jerry Jarrett bought into it Thoughts on Eric Embry Thoughts on when Lawler came in Memories of the USWA vs. WCCW feud Memories of matches with Michael Hayes and Steve Cox Memories of Superclash III Did you look at as an audition for one of the big 2 Do you remember Kerry cutting himself How did you wind up in WCW Memories of Paul Heyman Any good Paul Heyman stories Are you surprised at his success as a booker Memories of matches with the Midnight Express Memories of Ric Flair Thoughts on Jim Herd Why the switch from Paul to Humperdink Memories of matches with the Dynamic Dudes Memories of matches with the Road Warriors Were they hard to work with since you guys were all big and they didn’t like to sell Memories of matches with the Steiners Memories of matches with Steve Williams How did your brother Tonga get into the mix Was it hard being on the road with your brother Memories of Sting Memories of Lex Luger Why did you wind up leaving WCW Was it hard adjusting to the indys Was it hard to make a living on the indys Did you ever think about quitting Memories of your first Japanese tours Memories of working in the UWA with Yoko Memories of wrestling Mil Mascaras How did you wind up in the WWF Initial impressions of Vince McMahon Who’s idea was it to get your Uncle into the mix How valuable was it to have him with you every night Memories of the locker room and how well you were received Did you feel a lot of pressure coming from a wrestling family Memories of your first matches on house shows Did anyone rib you early on Memories of matches with the Natural Disasters Memories of matches with High Energy Did you and Samu ever argue over matches, finishes, etc Was he a good traveling partner Memories of matches with the Smoking Guns When Vince was on trial were there ever any fears that the WWF would go under Whos idea was it to add Lou Albano to the mix Do you think he was too old at the time Thoughts on the Clique and the influence they had on business at the time How did things change when Hall and Nash left How big was it for you to get the tag belts How crazy was the road schedule Was there a reason you guys wound up dropping the belts to Shawn and Diesel out of nowhere? Why do you think you didn’t get much of a push when you came back as the new Headshrinkers Who’s idea was it give you a singles push Were you nervous Did you like the inspirational street gimmick you had Why was the feud with the Samoan Gangster Party dropped so quick Why did they change the gimmick to the Sultan How did the idea come about You must have some great Iron Sheik stories What do you make of him today Any good Bob Backlund stories Is it true when you came into the WWF early on that you and Vince had visions of a Sumo gimmick Was it hard adjusting to wrestling with a mask Memories of your matches with a young Rocky Maivia Did you think he would be successful later on Why was the gimmick dropped Why did you wind up leaving Did you leave on good terms Did you like the indys at the time Could you make a good living How did you wind up coming back Who’s idea was the Rikishi character How had things changed in the WWE as opposed to the last time you were there How important do you think your match was with Triple H on Smackdown right after he won the belt How did you wind up with Too Cool Is it true that you had a smelly pair of tights youd use on certain people when giving them the stink face Who got the nasty tights Any good Brian Christopher stories Memories of matches with the Radicalz Thoughts on Chris Benoit and the whole tragedy Memories of Eddie Guerrero Memories of matches with Kurt Angle Memories of matches with Edge Memories of matches with Tazz Who’s idea was it for your leap off of the cage against Val Venis How hard was it on your knees Did you have any problems selling for Chyna Thoughts on Chyna today One of your biggest angles was the one with Austin. Was the plan for you all along as it was rumored to be Billy Gunn for awhile Memories of the feud Triple H was added to the story, was that a change or something planned from the start Do you think you and Austin alone could have done more business How different was wrestling the Rock years later Memories of your match at Hell in the Cell. How concerned were you about the cage giving out How did you wind up teaming with Haku Memories of matches against Undertaker and Kane Did you think it was unfair to constantly read about yourself in the Ross Report Why do you think you became so injury prone in 2001 Did you feel pressure from Vince for missing so much time Where do you think you and Haku could have gone if you never missed any time Memories of giving Vince the stink face How did you come up with the stink face Was he a good sport Memories of matches with John Cena Did you think he would be as big as success as he has become Memories of the whole Sean O Haire and Roddy Piper feud How different was Hogan when he came back Did Hogan try and be one of the boys or did he still feel as if he was the Hulk Hogan of the 1980s Did the WWE try and pressure you to lose weight Did you never want to make the commitment to losing weight or were you afraid of losing your spot Are you scared of dying young How did you wind up leaving Have you ever been contacted to come back either fulltime or for a one time deal How did you find out you could no longer call yourself Rikishi How did you feel about it Your weight has went up and down throughout your career, why is that How did Nu-Wrestling come about How big was wrestling in Italy Why did you stop promoting Why do you think it didn’t pan out Memories of going back to Japan and wrestling Muto How did you wind up in TNA Thoughts on TNA Thoughts on Vince Russo It was reported that you tried holding them up for more money after you signed a contract, is that true How do you feel when you hear people in TNA management say that you had a poor attitude Thoughts on Samoa Joe What happened when you were arrested two years ago Were you embarrassed Any good road stories, ribs Have you ever refused to do a job and if so why Any regrets Fav and least favorite matches Thoughts on the current WWE and TNA products Do you see yourself with another WWE run? What do you think is lacking on the indys today Do you ever want to write a book