One Of Us: Gabriel Iglesias On How Pro Wrestling Influenced Him

Gabriel Iglesias is known as one of the premiere standup comedians in the world with roles in hit TV shows and movies. He is also a big pro wrestling fan. "Fluffy" can trace his love for the business back age 11 and WrestleMania 3 and Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant.

With money tight, the star didn't get the chance to attend live shows growing up. Iglesias made up for that 10 years ago as a regular when WWE came to Los Angeles. He attended around 30 Raw and SmackDown events, as well as 15 pay-per-views and 8 WrestleMania events. The celeb also found himself backstage with a few appearances on WWE programming.

"You are a kid in a candy store," Iglesias said. "The only thing is when you see the magic and see how the magic is made, it's a double-edged sword. You get the secret, but then you know the secret. It took away from my childhood. When you see things happening back there that you're probably not supposed to see like, 'Cool, alright so we're all going to have lunch together.'"

When it comes to early face-to-face interactions with wrestlers, there was that one time with the Icon.

"I was hanging out by the elevator with Sting. We're just kind of chilling," Iglesias said. "What are you going to say? 'You waiting for the elevator?' 'Yeah.' 'Up or down?' What are you going to say? They've heard everything. I think he liked the fact we were just talking about the elevator."

Knowing the grind for the life of an entertainer, the Californian has a deep appreciation for the performers of the ring. The business of the pro wrestling business has always influenced him when it came to the presentation of his own shows and name branding.

"Aside from the actual bumps and getting physicality in the ring, it's all pretty much the same thing. It's entertainment that you have to promote. It's entertainment you have to create and develop. There is travel involved. There is social media. All the same things go into it, which is why I get along so well with wrestlers," he explained.

"Once we are out of our little area, it's pretty much the same game. We drink at the same places. We deal with the same issues at home. We deal with the same stuff when we are traveling. So, it's very similar. I know for me my shows I try to model them as much like wrestling as much as possible."

Catch Gabriel Iglesias on Netflix's Mr. Iglesias and Nickelodeon's Unleashed. Visit fluffyguy.com for everything "Fluffy." Iglesias' full interview can be found via the embedded player below: