Rich Swann Reveals His Best Friend Backstage, Which WWE Hall Of Famer Was His Idol, WrestleMania
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was recently interviewed by Raute Musik to talk about his journey in the WWE. You can check out some highlights from their conversation here:
Starting to watch wrestling and Bret Hart being his idol:
"The very first time that I ever seen professional wrestling, I remember I was maybe about five-years-old, I was watching a recorded episode of the Power Rangers at about 8:50, and my brother had came into the house with his friends. He grabbed the remote from me and he said ,'No, we're not watching this crap, we're watching this.' And he turned on USA Network, and the first thing I hear is a loud screeching guitar, and pink lights and hearts splashing everywhere, and Bret Hart comes out with the World Wrestling Federation Championship. The people just going nuts, and seeing him give his glasses to a kid instantly made me want to be that kid in the front row for the rest of my life, trying to get those glasses. That was how I first started watching wrestling, and I've never ever stopped watching since then. By the time I was 15, there was a professional wrestling school by where I lived in York, Pennsylvania, and I got the opportunity to join the school and the classes and here we are today. Never giving up no matter what trials and tribulations, no matter what crazy stories on the road — and now to actually have this opportunity to be in the Cruiserweight division and be champion in the WWE is insane to me. Especially after the stereotype of somebody with my stature and size would never make it to the WWE and now here I am."
Being the best video gamer in the WWE:
"I would say yes, as I have knocked out Kofi Kingston, Seth Rollins, and the list goes on and on when it comes to playing the video games. I would definitely say Kofi Kingston is the number one guy when it comes to the sticks, but I'm gonna come and jump over his head and take the crown as the king of the gamers in the WWE. They can up up down down all they want, but at the end of the day when it comes to grabbing the sticks, it's gonna be left right right knock out."
Who his best friend backstage is:
"I'd say definitely a couple of my best friends, it's so hard to say best friends because we're all together over 300 days a year, so you kinda get close to each and every person in a different kind of way. Definitely a guy who I've always been close with and traveled the world with is a guy like Neville. And to get the opportunity that we've had, even though his attitude has changed in the WWE, to get this opportunity is one of the best feelings in the world. To go with a guy who I've looked up to and who has helped me out all over the world in Japan, Germany, England, the man is definitely a guy that I aspire to be in WWE one day."
What match he'd like to be in at Wrestlemania:
"The thing that's amazing is that it's gonna be exactly where I live in Orlando, Florida, so it's gonna be right down the road from my house. I want every single Cruiserweight in contention for the Cruiserweight championship at Wrestlemania, every man for themselves whether it's a Ladder Match, a TLC, Money In The Bank, it doesn't matter. Just to have that opportunity to wrestle on the grandest stage, and I know it's said every single time, but literally on the grandest stage of them all. To have that opportunity, hopefully — Oh man, I can't even speak on it. It's just something that every single wrestler aspires to be, the guy wrestling in the middle of the ring in front of over 70, 80, 90, 100,000 people for the biggest wrestling company / entertainment company in the whole wide world. That's the dream. No matter what kind of match I'm put in, whether it's a single match, a tag match, a multi-man, I just want to be on Wrestlemania to have that experience. If us Cruiserweights get that chance on that platform, there's no telling what's gonna happen in a match like that."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Raute Musik with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Raute Musik