Al Snow On Which WWE HOFer Inspired Big Boss Man - Pepper Angle, First WWE Run Regrets, The Rock
Al Snow recently spoke to Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. about his storied wrestling career. Snow discussed his first stint with WWE and how he feels he didn't make the most of his opportunity with the company.
Snow got his start in WWE in 1995 and he wrestled under various gimmicks that didn't get over. One of the gimmicks was Avatar, in which Snow would come to the ring bare face, put on a mask to wrestle his match, then remove it. He eventually became a jobber to mid-card superstars and was sent to ECW in 1997. Snow said he regrets that he didn't embrace his initial gimmick more because he believes it could've been successful if he committed to it more.
"Any time that you're put in a position on TV, no matter what it is you're doing, it is an opportunity," Snow said. "That's not a wrestling match, that's a commercial for you to sell yourself. If I had known then what I know now, I could've probably made far more of that opportunity from what I did at that time. It's just one of those disappointments that we all go through, hindsight is 20/20. Any chance with the WWE in any form is an incredible opportunity, and that one was, and I wish that I had the understanding that I do now, then I would've been able to capitalize far greater on that opportunity."
Snow also discussed his feud with Big Boss Man, which was highlighted by Boss Man kidnapping his dog, Pepper. Boss Man later invited Snow to his hotel room to serve him dinner and forced Snow to unknowingly (kayfabe) eat Pepper. Snow said the idea for the storyline was inspired by Mr. Fuji, who is rumored to have done something similar to his neighbor in real life.
"That was inspired by Mr. Fuji, who had in real life apparently did that to a neighbor's dog he didn't like," Snow said. "Art imitates life."
Snow had a ton of praise for The Rock, who he thinks is the greatest attraction in wrestling today. The Rock has successfully crossed over into becoming a mainstream celebrity and it was recently announced that he will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"He's such a great attraction, he really is, so much so that he's taking over Hollywood as well because of it," he said.
Snow also discussed his new Collar Elbow Brand clothing line, which he launched in July. The clothing line is already popular with wrestling fans, and Snow said his main goal was to create something that would appeal to people who are passionate about wrestling.
"It's been a great start, we only just debuted the brand in July and it's taken right off," he said. "I think a large part of that is that we made the brand to represent everyone's love for wrestling. I've been a professional wrestler for 35 years, but ultimately I've been a fan of wrestling for far, far longer, and still am. My being involved in professional wrestling hasn't changed how much of a fan I am of it one bit, in fact I think it's actually made me more of a fan."