Swoggle Shoot Interview

Big things come in small packages and nobody has a bigger heart and passion for this business than former WWE superstar Hornswoggle. What was supposed to be a short run in the WWE became a multi year long deal as he took the ball and ran with it and established himself as a regular WWE superstar. In his first ever shoot interview ever, Dylan Postl, now known as Swoggle sat down with RF VIDEO to discuss his career to date and trust me, he is just getting started. Dylan took us back to his early days as a wrestling fan and talks about what obstacles he had to deal with growing up with his size. He didn’t sit back and look at it as a negative. He made goals early on in life and knew what he wanted to do because like most wrestling fans, he wanted to get into the business as an active wrestler and he didn’t look at himself any different from anyone else. You will hear about his early days as a fan and how he got broken into the business along with Ken Anderson and other names that you have watched on TV. Was he treated different, did he ever want to quit the business? You will hear all about his training and some of his early matches before he was picked to do a random try out in the WWE. The wrestling business is all about opportunity and Swoggle was given a great one when he had a chance to work for the WWE in a try out. You will hear all about the open call for smaller guys to work with Dave Finlay and how Dylan did during his try out for that spot that just came by luck. What was it like to finally be in the WWE just after a small run on the indy season? What lessons did he learn from his mentor or as he would later call him dad, Dave Finlay? What was it like being on the road and being put in some of his earliest matches in the WWE? Who can forget the angle when he became Vince McMahon son? You will hear all about how that came about, and what it was like to work with the most intimidating man in the business and also your boss. What is VKM really like during rehearsal and can you be yourself around him or do you always have to have your game face on. Want to know what it is like during a typical day of TV for Dylan, you will find out what he had to do from the time he woke up until after the TV tapings ended. Did he like being around Great Khali? Let’s not forget his match with VKM in the cage and how stiff were those belt shots? Was JBL easy to work with? He was in many different angles and programs and we discuss all of them and most importantly his run and partnership with Finlay. He was drafted and split away from him but eventually put back together and drafted again to ECW. Did he like his run with Chavo and what was it like to be a mascot for DX. Did HHH and HBK take him serious and how did they treat him outside of the ring? We talk about all of his gimmicks including being apart of 3MB and let’s not forget one of his best matches and highlights of his career the WWW LC match with Torito. You will hear all about how this match went down and what it meant to him. This is a great story, as Dylan has so many amazing stories on what it was like to be around John Cena and how he treated his son. What was it like doing a major movie for the WWE and why he almost wanted to quit due to the lack of promotion for it. Did he ever mark out for any of the guest hosts on Monday Night Raw? Hear about becoming a movie star and getting the role of the Leprechaun in “Leprechaun: Origins” and behind the scenes on what goes on during the making of a movie and the differences to pro-wrestling. He has seen many people come and go and we talk about why he was released and how did he take the news. Where will he end up and what are his future goals. I can tell you this is one interview you don’t want to miss especially if you love the WWE. Dylan spent a few hours with RF VIDEO telling us stories you never have heard before from the perspective of a man who has achieved it all but promises to entertain us for many more years to come! The important question first – you are a huge RF Video fan – what’s your favorite RF Video shoot interview? Let’s talk life growing up – talk about your upbringing in Wisconsin and when you first knew that you were different from the other kids growing up? What sort of life experiences did you have? Are you bullied? Is dating tough? What is day to day life like for you as a little person? How do you feel about the term midget? When do you first discover wrestling? What made you first fall in love with it? Memories of your favorite matches and talents at the time? What made you decide to get into the business? How did your family feel about you getting into wrestling? Was the fact that midget wrestling had become passe ever a concern when you were trying to get into the business? If wrestling hadn’t worked out, what do you think you would be doing? Is it true you were trained by Ken Anderson? How did you first meet him and set up being trained? Were you trained any differently from everyone else since you were smaller? Was the physical aspect of the business, like bumping, easy for you? How hard was it to get acclimated to working in the ring? Memories of working independents in Wisconsin like Fox Valley Wrestling Alliance and NWA Wisconsin? Was there anyone from that indy scene that should have made it but didn’t? How do you first end up hired by WWE? Is it just a regular tryout or do you find out they are looking to cast someone to play Finlay’s troll under the ring? Who reaches out to you? What’s the process like? Do you remember what your first meeting with Vince McMahon was like? When you are hired, is there any promise of this being a long-term idea or are you just in for a short run? Thoughts on working with Dave Finlay and what you’ve learned from him? Was he open to the gimmick at the beginning or did it take time for him to warm up to the idea? Memories of your debut on Smackdown when you attack Paul Burchill? How hard is it to be the newest guy in the locker room? What are the biggest mistakes you see guys make that cause them to end up with heat in the locker room? Was there anyone who looked out for you early on to keep you out of trouble? How terrible were some of the Smackdown tours overseas? There are a lot of horror stories of guys being targeted on the tours? Memories of first dealings with Undertaker? What was the feedback like to the gimmick at first and who was responsible for changing and tweaking it over time? What led to the Little Bastard name being dropped in favor of Hornswoggle? Who came up with the name? Memories of working with Boogey Man and Little Boogey? Memories of working The Royal Rumble? Memories of your Wrestlemania debut in Detroit being involved in the Money in the Bank match? Was that your best ever payday in the business? Memories of winning the Cruiserweight title? When did you find out the plan was for you to win the belt at the Cruiserweight open? How was working with Jamie Noble? Were you disappointed when the decision was made to drop the division? Did you get to keep the belt? Thoughts on WWE bringing back the Cruisers with the tournament this summer? Thoughts on the Chris Benoit tragedy and how it changed the WWE locker room? WWE began doing the storyline where Vince McMahon had an illegitimate son. Originally it was to be Ken Anderson, but he was hurt. When did you find out they were going with you in the role? What was it like working closely with McMahon in the vignettes? Thoughts on Vince as a person? Is it fun working with him or is it walking on eggshells the entire time because you don’t want to end up on his bad side? Take us through what a day of TV is like when you have a featured role in a major storyline Memories of wrestling The Great Khali at Summerslam? How is Khali to deal with? Were you happy they reunited you with Finlay? You got to do segments with Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon over the course of the storyline – what is the wrestling fan inside of you thinking as all this is going on? Memories of wrestling Vince in a cage match on Raw? How stiff were the leather belt shots? Who was stiffer – Vince or JBL? How did you feel about the twist where Finlay reveals during all this that he’s really your father in storyline? Memories of working Wrestlemania 24 during the Finlay vs. JBL brawl? WWE drafts you and Finlay to WWE-ECW – are you excited about this? Is it a demotion? What’s the difference working ECW vs. the other brands? Thoughts on going to Raw and having the relationship with Finlay ended on camera? Were you worried about being back on your own? Memories of your feud with Chavo Guerrero? You did all sorts of silly gimmick matches during that run – any favorite match? Did Guerrero ever have any issue with putting you over? Who pitched the idea of making you the DX mascot? Memories of the Little People’s Court vignettes with Shawn and Hunter? Did you ever worry the comedy stuff was offensive to other little people? Did you think DX was into having you as part of the group? Specific memories of Shawn and Hunter? How were the merchandise royalties? Memories of wrestling actor Jon Heder during the six man tag on Raw? In 2010, you were moved back to Smackdown – at this point, is there any real difference between the brands? Memories of being the Pro for Titus O’Neil on WWE NXT? How different was NXT vs. Raw and Smackdown in terms of creative direction? How much of it was an actual reality show? Memories of working with AJ Lee? Are you surprised she left the business? What did you think of the Anoymous Raw General Manager before it was revealed it was you? in 2011, WWE allows you to start talking after you get a wish granted from Santa Mick Foley – was it hard playing a mute character all those years? Who was behind the idea of turning you heel and putting you with 3MB? What did you think of the gimmick? Thoughts on Drew, Heath Slater, Jinder? When WWE hired Torito, were you excited there was someone for you to work with? Memories of the Wee L C match at Extreme Rules in 2014? Do you think that match was the highlight of your work in the ring in WWE? What was the reaction backstage from management after? Why did the Slater/Gator/Hornswoggle run end so quickly? How did WWE paydays change after the WWE Network was launched? Why do you think the boys just accepted the changes? Thoughts on CM Punk walking out of WWE? What was the locker room reaction to him walking out? Do you think WWE would ever welcome him back? How has WWE changed under Triple H and Stephanie? How do you compare them to Vince when it comes to dealing with talent? Who were the best and worst members of creative to deal with when it came to pitching ideas and trying to get feedback? Was there ever any segment you turned down? Anything you regret doing while under contract to the company? Thoughts on the NXT brand today? Does the brand put more pressure on main roster talents? Any stories about John Cena and his power in the locker room? Let’s talk about your movie roles. How did the Leprechaun movie come about – was that the company coming to you or you pitching the company to use you as an actor? Were you a fan of the franchise? Any memories of shooting the film specifically? How different are you treated on a film set vs. at a WWE TV taping? One of the complaints about the film was that the Leprechaun wasn’t in the film a lot – do you feel the same? Do you think WWE pushed the film enough? You also appeared in the Muppets: Most Wanted film so let’s talk Muppets – why are you such a huge Muppets fan? Favorite character? How excited were you when they guest starred on Raw? Is it true you rushed to get a bunch of Muppet tattoos when they were booked for the taping? Memories of working with them in scenes on Raw? Were the WWE stars marks for the Muppets when they came in? Is it true they wanted you for the first Muppet comeback film in 2011 but WWE blocked you from doing it? If that is true, were you upset about it? What led to you being cast in Muppets: Most Wanted? Memories of working with Tina Fey, Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta? Were any of them WWE fans? When it comes to everything you were able to do in the business, where does the Muppet stuff rank? Talk about the circumstances of your WWE Wellness suspension? Before your suspension, how did you feel about the Wellness Policy in general? Do you think guys were cheating to beat it? Did you feel it was fair that you were suspended? Is there any way for you to argue the suspension or is that just getting additional heat on yourself? What were the reactions from the boys when you were suspended? Do you feel the company stopped using you because of the suspension? While you were off TV, were you pitching ideas to creative or just waiting? Where were you when you got the call you were being released? What was the reason they gave you? Were you surprised when you got the call? Damien Sandow told Rolling Stone he was relieved when he was released? Did you feel that way? What’s the first thing you do after they let you go? Memories of the working and being on the road with the following: Ken Anderson Umaga Jonathan Coachman Carlito Tommy Dreamer Deuce & Domino William Regal Mick Foley Matt Striker Armando Estrada Miz John Morrison Hawkins/Bryan Myers Zack Ryder Matt Hardy Beth Phoenix Santino Marella Tony Atlas Mark Henry Natalya Tyson Kidd – thoughts on his injury? Big Show Goldust Brian Kendrick Ted DiBiase Jr. Cody Rhodes Kane Brodus Clay Dolph Ziggler Brad Maddox Los Matadores Ric Flair Bobby Lashley MVP Randy Orton Batista Bob Holly RVD Paul London Elijah Burke Matt Hardy Snitsky Thoughts on doing a spot with Zandig at the Tournament of Survival? Thoughts on the Death Match scene in general? Do you find that your love for the business is enriched by being back on the independents? Thoughts on working the AIW JT Lightning Invitational tournament? You wrestled Brian Myers a million times in WWE, so what was it like teaming with him? Was it fun working with Little Guido? What are you goals now that you are free and clear to work anywhere? Who do you want to work with the most? Do you think TNA or ROH could be a destination for you? Any chance of revisiting the Torito feud in Mexico? You’ve been running an independent in Wisconsin for some time – did WWE ever give you any problems over running and promoting? Was there any issue with working with Jeff Jarrett and letting him use your ring in Wisconsin while you were under contract to WWE? What’s the best and worst part of being back on the independents? Who do you look forward to working against in the future? Was there anyone in WWE you wanted to work with but didn’t get the chance to do so? Who were your favorite road partners in WWE? What was the worst travel day for you ever? Any favorite rib stories? Greatest rat story from your time on the road? Thoughts on Cody Rhodes leaving the company Thoughts on WWE letting Brooklyn Brawler go Favorite city to wrestle in? Best and worst fan experience on the road? Best and worst experience working for WWE? Do you think you’ll ever return to WWE full-time one day? Hornswoggle in the WWE Hall of Fame – who inducts you? Thoughts on the company going back to a brand split? Would you ever want to write a book about your time in the business? We’ve heard you are a big wrestling toy collector what’s your favorite item? What do you think is the biggest misconception of you as a person? Any final thoughts for your fans?