Savio Vega Reveals Which NWO Star Got Him In WWE
Puerto Rican wrestling legend Savio Vega stopped by WWE's The Bump this past week. Before discussing Austin though, Vega gave some background on how he got noticed by WWE. It turns out he got a big assist from Razor Ramon, aka Scott Hall.
"Razor Ramon was the guy that got me into WWE," said Vega. "When I was in Japan I told Bam Bam Bigelow to say hello to Scott. When Bam Bam came back he said Scott wanted me to call. So I did and he said 'I talked to the old man and he wants you to try out. I want you hear to me.'
"My first tryout I did as the character TNT. It was an easy match. When I came to the back he (Scott) chopped me hard and asked 'what was that?' He said 'I want to see the TNT that beat the hell out of me in Puerto Rico. Tomorrow you have another match; show me that.' So the next day I brought the TNT out. And they like it and they gave me the job, thanks to Scott Hall."
The conversation then turned to Steve Austin. Vega, known as Austin's first big rival, had nothing but glowing things to say about the WWE legend.
"We worked together since his tryout," Vega recalled. "It was in San Antonio, Texas. Pat Patterson came up to me and said 'you're going to work with Steve Austin. Let me know what you think.' I looked at Steve and said 'I don't know you, you don't know me. My finisher is a Spinning Kick. Let's call it in the ring.' He said okay.
"That chemistry was so perfect. So perfect. Patterson came up after the match and asked how was it. I said it was great, it was beautiful. After that we worked nine months, one year. We did Wrestlemania, In Your House, the Caribbean Strap Match; every night. The first time I remember him saying 'Savio I want to try a finishing move.' And we did the Stunner. It wasn't the best one because it was the prototype. But over time we started fixing and fixing and fixing. Man, happy to work with Steve. Big time."
Arguably the most famous match between Vega and Austin was a Caribbean Strap Match. Taking Place at In Your House 8: Beware the Dog, the match was marred by the power going out early on. The match, and event, ultimately took place again two days later, with Vega winning.
"As soon as the camera got on my face the lights hit," Vega recalled. "So we basically stalled for time to see if the lights would come back. They didn't come back. So Bruce Prichard approached us and said 'start the match.' So we do the match and we beat the hell out of each other. We did the whole thing. I liked that match better than the second one. But then we're back in the dressing room. I can't remember who came over but someone said 'you have to do the match again. No one saw it.' And we were like 'oh my god!'
"Then they gave us Monday off and then we worked Tuesday. Then, because Ted DiBiase was leaving the company, they made it if I lost I'd be his chauffer. If I won, he's gone. That was a lot better. That gave something stronger for the match. And hey; we worked hard and I loved that match. I love Steve; he's a great, great person."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription