Chuck Palumbo Interview - Egos In The WWE Locker Room, Calls TNA "Low Grade", WCW Tenure

Chuck Palumbo recalls his career in an interview with Josh Modaberi of Wrestling101.com as he discusses WCW, the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro, egos in the WWE dressing room and more.

The multi-time champion admits that he was not a wrestling fan growing up. He tried his hand at the industry after watching a television commercial.

"I actually saw an advert on television when I was watching WCW Nitro, they had an ad for the Power Plant. At the time I was in college and I was on a full basketball scholarship, but I decided to leave school early and go for it, it was just one of those things where I made the decision pretty much based on instinct," he said. "I never really watched WWE on television and to be honest with you I only really watched WCW for a few months before actually getting into the business."

Palumbo would go on to hold the WCW World Tag Team Championship on four occasions. He says of the experience, "It was great working with guys like Kevin Nash, he was so instrumental in helping the younger guys develop, I appreciated it back then but looking back now having had a long career in the wrestling business it was really cool what they did for us."

Palumbo competed on the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro. He recalls the atmosphere that day when WWE bought out its competition.

"It was very strange, we found out about it pretty much that day and the next thing you know here comes Shane McMahon, Pat Patterson and Jerry Brisco, and that's when I realised they were taking over. It was a very surreal experience but at the same time I was very fortunate to be on the last Monday Nitro ever," said Palumbo. "That night it was Sean O'Haire and myself against Mike Awesome and Lance Storm, so it was a good experience."

Upon arriving to WWE as part of the WCW invasion angle, Palumbo thought it was great to face off with The Hardy Boyz, APA, and The Undertaker and Kane. However, he adds, "at the same time there were some egos in the WWE and WCW, and I never understood this and I think they regret it now, but when we first came in it was like the WWE guys against the WCW guys and if you think about it that's kinda foolish, if anything the boys should have been bonding but there was a lot of heat in the air."

Having worked for both Eric Bischoff in WCW and Vince McMahon in WWE, Palumbo compares his former two bosses in terms of their similarities and differences.

"Similarities, they are both go getters and hustlers but obviously Vince McMahon is much more disciplined, hungrier, I think he is more intelligent and it shows, Vince is still on top of a huge industry and Eric Bischoff is working as a talent in a very low grade wrestling company," said Palumbo. "Vince is a very hard worker, he loves the business, respects the business whilst Eric, I don't think he does as much, I think he is a smart guy but I don't think he has the same respect for the business, and he did a real number on WCW letting his ego get the better of him."

Palumbo also recalls his departure from WWE in 2004, his second stint with the sports-entertainment company, working with Billy Gunn, life after wrestling and more. The full interview is available here.