Sycho Sid Discusses His Legendary Career

ladies and gentlemen he's here [Applause] sausen how are you good thank you so you're the master and ruler of the world former WF champion wrestling Legend did I miss anything out no you can keep going um so you you've wrestled everywhere WF WCW the whole nine years but um you're most I think most people in the UK know you for the psycho Sid run that you had my first question is do you still feel bad about giving JOS lethar A heart attack no not at all when you were coming up with your character of said whether it's said Justice said vicious psycho said it felt like you really like you you became so intense and maniacal when you did that how did you kind of come up with that character what was the idea for you to become this absolute psychopath you talking about the character psychos I think one time I was uh I was either walking back from the ring or to the ring or I remember the camera being there and then it just sort of came to me and said start that blinking thing you know and then from there I said okay I started adding to that and then I did a lot of reading of like horror books you know and now that's where I got my interview material for that for that particular character and the when you had your first run in WWF is said Justice you come in in in 91 you're the referee at SummerSlam for Hogan and Warrior against Sergeant Slaughter and uh General Adnan and it seemed like you were being positioned to be the next big baby face the next big Hulk Hogan um and then you ended up turning on him and uh becoming the the heel said Justice there's a lot of stories going out there did you want to be the baby face did you want to be the heel what did you want to do and and why did it play out the way that it did be that's s I'm trying to think about how to say that that boring everyone to death I was offered to come to the WWF and to um do this charactery of justice and came to an agreement I was going to only do TVs and pay-per-views for one year and then at WrestleMania they make me world champion and then say you're the next guy actually I called Vince on a telephone I got a opportunity when Dusty rhods became the new Booker of WCW he came in and said Sid I want you sign a new contract and uh so I went home I never talked to this guy Vince McMahon before I call the office in one second he's on the telephone he says s vicious I said jry goes and I told him the situation and uh he said well I like for you to come in so that afternoon he had a a flight from me to his office so he promised this stuff I'd do that so actually the match you're talking about with uh the Ultimate Warrior I I was they fired the warrior as soon as he went out the match that night and then I had to go in and take his place because it was no one else so that sort of was like the beginning of starting of a bad you know things weren't going like they were supposed to and then when you um eventually go to WrestleMania eight to face Hulk Hogan in the main event um do you have fun memories of that match um doesn't look like you do um talk a little bit about that match and the way that that played it again this is not your typical you know wrestling stories people probably talk about um when we got to the um WrestleMania that's again when I was supposed to be world champion and I was only then going to go into house shows never do a house show before then right so at the SummerSlam was the warrior thing things changed so what was it where the Royal Rumble were R Flair won the Royal Rubble I think huh Albany yeah Albany New York and what happened was you know when uh the deal I was supposed to either pull Hogan over no Hogan pulled me over know uh people booting and we went back to the bag and uh he was really upset to the point I was like Wow and uh he's so I went to Vin right then after so many other things have went not the right way and I stuck my hand out and said hey man I I'm sorry but I can't stay here anymore you know things aren't going like we they were supposed to and um when grown people cry like that I can't be around grown man acting like that and uh so he made me a promise to stay to WrestleMania then that's when I left after that do you think that do you think hul Hogan was too insecure about his position or do you think he should have should he have went with the way the fans were thinking and changed his character you'll be honest with you and this is the honest gu truth everyone knows me knows this is the truth I never called the office and asked questions I never knew who I was working with the next night and the reason being is like when I first got into business I met a guy in hillbilly gym he goes Sid don't take yourself too serious if they ask you to lose you know you want me to do it tripping in the ring you'll keep your job and you won't have any trouble so that's why I really looked at the business and I wasn't your typical wrestling protocol I I did know anything about wrestling I just sort of fell into it from um being so big you know but um so what was the question again about Hogan like was was he too insecure do you think about everything I don't know if you come I mean you would think it come across insecure if someone is screaming I think he screamed Vince said you did this purposely you know like he made those people boo him that this is the thing is people the business is simple uh like anything we're going to get to a position where we do really well and then things change and the wrest of your business and and everything else in life and so and it's it's probably a strugger for all of us again for me too not having this dream of being a wrestler and all this it wasn't as hard for me so maybe he I don't say insecure um but it was a hard pill to swall say you know the warrior didn't do it and now we're going to get Sid to do it and and um but so for me he was always a gentleman to me and kind and U but it had to be a tough position and at WrestleMania 8 there's this famous clip that's on YouTube of you screaming at me and Jee oand and calling him a fat bald little o um when you would do those interviews was he in on it at the time or was it just kind of like I'm going to do something and just go with it you know in those days we did everything on the wing and so what I always always tried to do I always thought had maybe any particular time I'd have five or six characters in my mind from things I was reading like Hannibal from Silence the Lambs or say Johnny Cash or sometimes it would be one word or a paragraph would set off things for me and so that's where I came up with the interviews that I did and then you went back to WCW and it always seemed like you would end up being WCW WWF WCW WWF why do you think that you jumped so much from place Place well when I went to the WWF the first time I walked away from at the time and I won't say the largest guaranteed money Bill offered in the business uh Vince McMahon offered me one I think 10 shows for $250 a year and I I took a chance on myself and so for me again it wasn't about you know being in one place all the time I wanted to push the envelope and I wanted to be the best at this place and the best at that place and and um and now of course we know there was other circumstances again like I said there's this time that you can feel when you're losing that momentum and I never wanted to do that and if people think about my career I never was I never had like some and I'm not saying anything wrong with this but some guys only had like one break my whole career was a break because everywhere I went to was a new deal it was a big beginning and to me uh I didn't plan it like that but I'm glad it worked out like that and when you went back to WWF you became Shawn Michaels bodyguard and you're doing all that stuff um again that was kind of a short run um did you like that idea how was it pitched to you that you were going to be The Bodyguard and do you think it had more legs to it than it had it had been pitched to me before uh you know you know Vince called me I was flew in we talked about it uh I didn't think it was uh you know I think first show at Wrestlemania when you're working against the grain if you're fighting against something that's not working it's going to be a struggle and if I'm standing in the ringside with the other two guys are in the ring and they're chanting my name and they're want me to be The Bodyguard that doesn't work so I think and I don't know this but the night after that they changed that if you remember I think that's hard for someone to be in the ring and someone to be outside the ring and them chaning your name and not the other person but then the next year you become come back and have one of your big runs where you finally became WF Champion you have the run where you and sha are on the same side and then you get the title shot and it leads to Survivor series and it's funny because before at the Royal Rumble Hogan's getting Boo and he's supposed to be cheered and then you go to Survivor Series against Shawn Michaels who's supposed to be cheered and then gets booed um talk a little bit about that Survivor Series match when in your first championship now this is some of the things when you asked me about what happened when I went here there I actually when I was doing the cycle SE in the beginning and I took that little time off I had broken my neck and the doctor said one more serious blow you'll be paralyzed so I took a year off this is a funny story I took an agriculture job I'm a farmer from back my background I never told Vince I you know I'd quit because he was sending me a jack every week true story and then one day I come home from a convention and he calls and says again I need to take the place of the Ultimate Warrior and so uh um that's what I did so when I came back i' had actually come back from an injury that I've been you know that was and then I got went to a doctor got the okay and that's when I came back and then um with the time was asking in things have changed the ratings were show and I think this is people won't understand this but they actually said that it showed from like the Saturday night skit was Chris Farley that the new uh audience was a 1545 male audience and things changed to where now like you said I was cheered as a bad guy so one night I could work with a bad guy and the next I could work with a good guy so that was the first time that was ever done what are your memories of that Survivor Series night against Shawn Michaels you w your first one title in Madison Square Garden the story for me is the biggest part of that was this is actually that supposed to been Vader in that position and we were at a garden show a couple months before maybe four or five months before the pay-per-view and they said Sid we want you to put Vader over because he's going to beat Sean at the pay-per-view at SummerSlam for the championship and I should sure you know I don't mind so we left that night as I walking through the the U the curtains there I saw Vince McMahon and I could look at his face and I know he changed his mind on that so when they pulled me in the office at the next pay-per-view and said s we're going to make you the champ I said I already knew that and so that to me was the big payoff that I really worked myself in that position I think everybody know I'm not really like that well by Vince so get someone that doesn't like you that well put you in that position and then you forc yourself to be successful to me that was greater than any belt or anything I could have accomplished and then you would go into the Royal Rumble in 1997 in Texas to and Sean's Hometown he's going to win the title back and you went from being this really popular baby face to then being hated because you were powerbombing his you know Jose's son and you were hitting Jose with a camera was that something that you wanted to do and make sure you were disliked no um again I was playing that character in between when they said okay we're going to put the belt on you tonight we'll put it on Sean you know his big dream was have a um what we call like a big show where you have a dome that'll Fe seat 60 70,000 people and usually that's held for only WrestleMania so he wanted that that was S A Dream for him so I said that's what we're going to do I said okay that's fine with me so they said we're going to have you hit Jose lathero tonight with the camera I said that's like the stupidest thing I ever heard I said let me beat sea with my finish and in San Antonio he could beat me with his finish but they wanted to do it like that and I did it the way they did now the deal with Shan was in between that pay-per-view and the next pay-per-view now you got to realize business was wasn't that good then and as soon as they put the belt on me they're selling out every night so we go to a convention they call Nappy where like venues like this come and you know tell you what their products if it's seats or uh Refrigeration or whatever they you know all the things they have in these big venues and I asked day I said business is doing pretty good right now we're going to keep the still put the belt on Sean he said we're going to put it on him and then we're going to put it back on you Monday night and then we all know Sean retired and um but it did lead to you winning the title back and you go to WrestleMania against Undertaker is that look at is that one of your favorite memories going being in the main event WrestleMania with taker for the title you know the thing and I tell people this too I have a total different perspective this business than anybody you're ever going to meet when I was in the first WrestleMania I was told like a year after you remember remember WrestleMania I'm went not really and I and I sayen that as as a in a different way I was I took every night seriously as it was a WrestleMania and uh and I took WrestleMania 13 series too but to say that it was any greater of a night it was it the funniest greatest night of my life was and people don't remember this but I was actually five time Champion I was the firsttime champion for 30 seconds against steam at halling Havoc the thing was is no one told me about it and they came to me and said tonight you're going to fight sting and they told me for three months I'd be the champ and they said you're going to take sting take him through a door and when you go back Barry wiam is going to come back dress his sting he's taking off three months lost 80 pounds you just roll him up you're the new champ I'm going okay and so I no I didn't know Barry was coming so Barry comes in with his head duck down he goes just roll me up kid so I rode him up one two three he you know went back to the still I took the belt turned towards the camera like that I also heard this roar I turn around stings back in the ring the referee's pulling the belt out of my hand he says take the Stinger Splash now why that was more important to me is because I think if in wrestling and I think wrestling fans were agreed to this if I can fool you then you feel like something really happened to you that night and we in the wrestling business feel if we can fool the boys then we fool the audience and I was definitely F that night we're going to take some fan questions just a second but before we do you you left wbf in 97 and then you went to WCW you were the Millennium man you and Randy Savage I mean what a pent that was um but and then obviously you would have these promos like there's the famous one on YouTube about you have half the brain that I am and I have half the brain that you do with Halland Nash that's on there go ahead I mean please defend that one go ahead this is the thing guys you got to realize is um I consider I did a decent interview in my life so Vince Russo and an Ferrar comes in and Bill Bush is the new guy in charge he says Sid we need to do get you to do what these guys ask you to do because if you do it everyone will follow what you're doing yeah right and so uh they came to me with that interview now you don't realize this is my home state they're chanting suie Pig for Arkansas and then when they gave me the that interview I asked him are you really kidding me and it wasn't really that simple wasn't you had the half the brain it was like you are the half of brain I am you are the half a brain or something CRA went I can't even say that you know so that's uh that was the writing for Vince Russo and Ed Ferrar I will never take the credit for that interview nor should you ever um okay we've got so if any any questions for S put your hands up we got people got a mic around give us your name where you're from I say that you doing pav from slow down in London nice to meet you pleasure um one thing I want to say is like obviously the most cringing video on YouTube that you have to watch but you don't want to watch but this is one of the things you have to see is just when obviously when you broke your leg um jumping from the top ropes so I just want to know from that time um did you ever try that move before or anything or and then what was going on in your head afterwards because it was you know cataclysmic so the thing was WCW was within months of folding um they give a guy who maybe might turn out to be maybe one of the dumbest people in the world Johnny laurenitis they gave him like a one-day position to be the like the booker the guy came up with ideas so he thought with Scott Steiner if you watched him if he took a high boot in the corner he took it really well it looked like it could and he and he really did run his face into your foot really hard so Johnny says we're going to do something really crazy we're going to get you jump off the second rope and give Scott a high knee now the deal was I was still recovering from toal shoulder surgery I couldn't really support myself and I told him I didn't feel comfortable doing that but he tells me we've already got it written down it's already with the in the back um we can't get out of so two or three different times I I came to him through the day and said I just don't feel comfortable with that and so they they just wouldn't bend and so what happened when I jump if you notice Scott didn't he stopped coming in when he stopped I'm not going to hang up there for very long um so I had to make a decision I'm going to land on my left leg and I'm going to give him a knee to the head and what happened what I feel like I've never watched the video I think I came down at an angle and when I came at that angle it was just enough to snap that part of the leg I and I've never seen the video thanks um obviously you were part of the shock Master segment um what was going through your head at the time obviously the hilarity get those but part of if you if you listen to the audio when that happened earlier that day we go through the um rehearsal and um Fred is the shock master and it was um we're going it's going to be a wall here and Fred's going to come through the wall and we practiced a couple times and it was me and Harlem heat I believe and um there was a 2x4 still on the floor and I said could you get one of the construction guys to remove this 2x4 I said because is going to have a thing on his head he's not going to be able to see anything he said s you don't know anything I said okay so as soon as that happened that night you can vaguely hear me back now I think I was cursing I said I told you that was going to happen and no it did so that's what happened unfortunately for Fred that night oh the shock master um any more questions oh hi I'm Paul from Preston um a lot has been said about the finish of WrestleMania 8 um how was that supposed to have played out and was it true that Papa Shango missed his Q you know I don't remember about Papa Shango missing a queue I I told you in Al I think I said what happened in albony after Hogan was upset about everything I I told Vince that night I wanted I was done um from beginning things weren't going the way things were supposed to uh I offered him a handshake he refused my handshake and so I said well I'm still quitting you know so he said well stay till WrestleMania so everything after M and Hogan's match I knew nothing about hi Sid uh my name is Jonathan from limi Ireland um I was a huge fan of yours hopefully we'll see you in the WWE Hall of Fame one day um my question is what's your favorite version of your character the Sid Justice psycho Sid Sid and is there any guy that you didn't get to wrestle that you really would have liked to no not far the wrestling part I wrestle I got to wrestle with Harley to me he's one of the greatest so you got I got to be a teammate of Ric Flair another greatest um against shy Michael so I don't think I missed anything my two favorite people were bamb bam Bigalow and Vader uh they were maybe the two biggest workhorses in the wrestling business enjoyed working every night if you guys want to Vader story I'll give you one we were wrestling every night we're doing a match and so I called a silly spot out of blue I said I'm going to kick you the stomach and do a sunset flip which look stupid for me I said and you just land on top of my head and keep your continue your heat so we get back to the dressing room and Leon says Sid do I work like a like a dog to make you look like a million dollars every night I said yeah Leon Leon you do really work hard you do make me look like a million dollars every night he goes well what was that deal tonight I said I don't know I thought i' would do that he goes listen don't ever do that again have a couple more questions hello my name is Shy I'm from Liverpool um out of the current roster who will be your dream opponent of all wrestlers who would be my dream opponent out of the current roster now anyone right now and I'm gonna be honest about this I can't really no one's I mean I think I I think you should um go against Brawn strowman no I was thinking you were going to think that too and I think that would be a good matchup because people don't get to see big guys go against big guys very much anymore also I will say this no of who's wrestling today I think I would have a good match with Brock Lesnar we both do a few things similar so that's who I think I would would work today thank you for joging my memory I feel like the promos between you and Brock Lesnar would just be Dynamite um let's do one last question if any's got one anyone um my my name is Oscar and I'm from Liverpool um out of your whole career what was your best match probably one of my best matches was with uh Shan Michaels at the Survivor series and uh again reason that is so magical we were at the Madison Madison Square Garden and if people don't know that that's the uh ultimate place to ever perform in anything um and then Sean is a very giving person in the ring he he worked really hard to make me look really well that night and the response I got from the people and this is when one thing I I said earlier tonight that I don't have your typical wrestling career I didn't come up as a wrestling fan but no one appreciates the people more than I ever did because when people would do that for me without the the the machine forcing you to do that tells me you you like something I did and I appreciate that more than anything one more question no pressure make it good hi say my name is AR I'm from SL your promos were some of the best in history I want to ask you know when you went from quiet and then you just went intensity in one minute just just like that I a snap the finger did someone tell you to do a PR like that or was that just you going for it you know again when um for my interviews I like I again I I read a lot of different type of materials when you read different type materials when you read a book really well like sometimes I'd read a book me and my wife would go to the theater and I'd go have I've seen this movie before she goes no this is the first time it being out so a book you can almost hear the screaming or the Silence of it so I thought that captured me in a in a reading a book one day and so I said that might work and as soon as I did it someone said man that works and I get people asking me that all the time so and then I looked at also this is might be little off the cuff Billy Graham was uh an evangelist at one time when he got really quiet you really listened to him and I thought okay that works so if it works for him it might work for me as well okay ladies and Gentlemen please give out one more time the one and only pyus [Applause]