Rico Looks Back On Managing Infamous WWE Tag Team

Former WWE talent Rico Constantino was a controversial character in his own right, as a flamboyant and effeminate wrestler taking inspiration from Adrian Street. However, before donning the face paint, Rico portrayed a toned-down version of the gimmick as the stylist and manager of the Billy & Chuck tag team, which he recently recalled during an interview on "INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet."

According to Rico, he originally entered WWE as a singles star but assumed the role of a manager when he was asked to because he believed it would help him prove himself, and his pairing with Billy & Chuck is something he feels catapulted the tag team. "The whole – that's what made the wedding so spectacular," he opined. "When we agreed to do that, when I got there, we had a meeting with Vince [McMahon] and said: as long as we don't embarrass that lifestyle, or show it in a bad light, we'll keep going." 

Rico further maintained that he took the same stance Adrian Street-inspired character later in his WWE run, emphasizing how important it was to him for his character not to degrade and embarrass people. However, not everyone in WWE felt the same way about his character later on. 

"They thought it would hurt their character, you know?" Rico stated. "Charlie [Haas] was trying to explain it to them, and he said: 'Listen! This is the easiest it's gonna get. All you have to do is have facial expressions, no bumps. Longevity; just react to what Rico does.'"

While some didn't want to work with him, Rico stated that the likes of Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Spike Dudley, and Val Venus all understood how to work with him and made it work. Rico's former tag tea partner, Charlie Haas, has said that wrestlers who didn't want to work with him would take out their frustrations on Rico in the ring.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.