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** The newest episode of AEW Unrestricted features a chat with Roderick Strong. Looking back at his string of matches with Bryan Danielson, Strong shared that he tore his calf muscle a week prior to him and Danielson’s ROH World Championship match at the first Supercard of Honor. They wrestled for 56 minutes in that match. Strong said his confidence grew as the match went on and he called Danielson a pro.
A little crazy thing about that (ROH World Title match vs. Danielson in 2006), I’d actually torn my calf muscle like a week — it was like a little tear in it — a week before that match, and I was so scared that I was just gonna drop the ball. I was like, ‘Oh my God. I am not prepared for this.’ But, he’s a freaking pro. As time went on, my confidence rose in the match. I wasn’t as scared but yeah, just hearing that number, 60 minutes, it was like we had went 37 minutes, 47 minutes but then just how it got incrementally higher. Like, oh my God, I do not know how I’m gonna do in here and it was awesome though.
Strong’s first one-on-one bout in AEW was against Chris Jericho on the May 17th Dynamite in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Strong said his earlobe was ripped during the bout when he was hit was a plastic trash can.
And their violent garbage cans (in Austin, Texas). You know, the plastic garbage cans that hit me in the face and ripped my earlobe off a little bit (in Falls Count Anywhere match on Dynamite).
Oh man, it was crazy. I was so disappointed in myself in that moment. I was like, whoa, gosh, and I thought, oh, it’s plastic. It’s not gonna be that hard but the bottom obviously is a whole different beast, and it messed up my beard. It took me so long to get facial hair. My whole career… and I was finally so proud of it and then I’m like, ‘Ah, it’s got a little slash on it’ so maybe it makes me look tough.
For 13 years of his career, Strong was with Ring of Honor. He feels he was there longer than he should’ve been but he’s a loyal person.
Because of the opportunity given to me (at Ring of Honor), it was hard for me to leave, and that was one of those situations where I stayed longer than I should have. But, I’m a loyal guy. I don’t know. It was hard. But I definitely stayed a few years too many but, nothing I can do about it now.
As far as who he’d like to wrestle on the AEW roster, one of the names Strong mentioned is Big Bill. He praised him for his recovery, said his work has improved and he looks great physically.
Big Bill is someone I’ve never worked with and honestly dude, just watching him, such a big fan and his story too is crazy so it’s just like, to see him overcome that kind of stuff. Obviously, my mom was a recovering addict and she’s in that world a lot and just to see people overcome their demons and do that and someone like that, I feel he looks better than he ever has. I mean physically, that’s obvious but even his work.
** Among the talents in the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble match was Danielle Moinet a.k.a. Summer Rae. She further reflected on it while speaking to Chris Van Vliet. Rae said she was bummed about being announced for the Rumble ahead of time because she wanted the appearance to be a surprise. She was not going to fight about it but did tell those in WWE that it was a bad idea to reveal then-IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Mickie James would be in the match.
You know, I was bummed that they announced me before (the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble) because I felt like no one thought I was going to come back ever. And I’m so good at hiding stuff like pretending that I’m somewhere else and I’m like, I’m going to pretend I’m in Dubai or something like that… I travel so much that I can put that on a boat somewhere and I don’t even have to put that it’s St. Barts or you know, whatever it is. I (hid) my hair color change. I wanted it to be when I was in Maxim HOT 100. I wanted to debut on the red carpet. So I think I posted me with blonde hair for a week and then I just showed up one day. Yeah. So I remember when they said they were gonna announce me, they literally called me the day of and I was doing cardio. And it was SmackDown. And they were like, ‘Hey, we need to sell tickets. We’re gonna announce the twins, you, Mickie James.’ And I was like, ‘Mickie?’ I’m like, ‘Don’t announce Mickie. She’s the champ. No,’ like, ah, and which is I mean — oh my gosh, that’s such a no-no with WWE and the forbidden door and everything like that. So I wasn’t gonna fight with him on me. But I’m like, I really think that’s a mistake for Mickie, but, well, what company I’m in to be announced, you know, with the twins and Mickie. I’m like,’Okay, cool.’ And then I’m like, I haven’t told any of my friends. I was ‘fabing everyone. And so I was like, okay, now I have to call my best friend. So I stopped doing cardio. And I called two or three people. ‘But guess what? I’m going back.’ ‘How long have you known?’ ‘Three weeks?’ So when it came out that night, I will say that was cool. The internet was super excited. You know, even the haters were — well, at least she is not back for good. They’re like, cool, I’ll have one night, you know, or whatever. But people, most people were excited. And it’s crazy. Because you just don’t know, if you’re gonna have a five-minute thing or a two-minute or whatever. So for me, I was like, I don’t need to train. I’m fine. It’s like riding a bike; spin kicks, spin kicks, cover, it’ll be fine, you know? And so when we showed up, it’s just so many moving parts. And I can’t imagine having the job of the producers to do that. And as my first Rumble, you know, I’ll show up, do what you want. But I’m gonna get my stuff over character-wise online, and I’m gonna get myself over. So yeah, and everyone says that too, ‘Oh, you’re only in it for a little bit.’ And then, we all get paid the same? Well, not really… We’re all getting paid. And what a moment. And I actually was so, so, so, so nervous backstage, so I’m like, oh God, I only have a little bit to get it out. And it makes the fans want more, you know? You don’t go in there and mess up a 10-minute thing and then they never want to see you again.
** On the newest episode of Cody Deaner’s Wrestling is Life is Wrestling podcast, he looked back on the period of his career when he was doing dark matches and tryouts for WWE. He recounted going up to Arn Anderson and asking why he did not have a job. Anderson stressed to him that he needed to be different. This is when Deaner switched up his look and began to craft a more gritty look.
I was at the WWE. I was (doing) dark matches and tryouts and like, a lot of them and finally one day, I’m like, it’s not happening. What is it that I’m not — why am I not getting a job? I’m getting positive feedback in terms of my wrestling skill and all this stuff. Why am I not getting a job? So I just decided, okay, well instead of just standing like an extra in the corner walking on eggshells, being afraid that I’m gonna ruffle someone’s feathers, I’m like, well I can’t get fired because I don’t have a job anyway. I’m gonna walk up to Arn Anderson and just ask him why I don’t have a job. So I did and he looked me in the eye and he goes, ‘Well, you gotta do something kid. You gotta be different.’ I’m like, ‘Okay. What do you mean?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, think of a way to be different. Rey Mysterio is different, Big Show is different. There’s lot of ways of being different. You gotta be different.’ So then I’m thinking, okay, I’m never gonna be Rey Mysterio. I can’t do those things. I’m also never gonna be a Big Show because I have those limitations physically so I had to take a serious look and go, okay, how can I be different? Like immediately right now and I knew the only thing I could do to immediately be different was completely change how I look and so I had beautiful, long hair that quickly became a really dirty mullet and I grew out my mustache and I got rid of all my really nice, expensive gear and started wearing Daisy Dukes and disgusting stuff to the ring and just decided, okay, I’m going to be different and I think that’s good life advice for people listening to this that are maybe struggling and want a promotion or kind of wanna get to that next level wherever they’re at life. You hear this a lot and I think it’s so true: ‘You’re either greater than, you’re either less than, or you’re different than’ and if you’re struggling trying to be better than and you’re finding yourself in situations at work or in life like, oh, I always end up being less than everything, well, there is a third option and that’s just to be different than, and showing that you are different kind of puts you in a different light and then sets you up potentially for success and getting yourself to a different spot, right? No matter what that is.
** Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 Victory Results (8/10/23) Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
– N-1 Victory A Block: Yuki Yoshioka (4) def. Timothy Thatcher (2)
– N-1 Victory B Block: Yuma Anzai (2) def. Manabu Soya (2)
– N-1 Victory A Block: Masa Kitamiya (4) def. Jack Morris (2)
– N-1 Victory B Block: Saxon Huxley (4) def. Lance Anoa’i (4)
– N-1 Victory A Block: Jake Lee (6) def. Adam Brooks (2)
– Atsushi Kotoge & Hi69 def. AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki
– N-1 Victory B Block: Katsuhiko Nakajima (2) def. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (2)
– N-1 Victory A Block: Kenoh (2) def. Yoshiki Inamura (0)
** STARDOM Results (8/10/23) Okayama Convention Center in Okayama, Japan
– Three Way Tag Team Match: Mei Seira & Megan Bayne def. Hina & HANAKO and Momo Watanabe & Rina
– Club Venus (Mina Shirakawa, Mariah May & Waka Tsukiyama) def. Utami Hayashishita, AZM & Miyu Amasaki
– Tam Nakano, Saori Anno & Yuna Mizumori def. Giulia, Maika & Thekla
– Syuri, MIRAI, Ami Sourei, Saki Kashima & Konami def. Hazuki, Koguma, Hanan, Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo
– 5STAR Grand Prix Red Stars: Suzu Suzuki def. Natsuko Tora
– 5STAR Grand Prix Red Stars: Natsupoi def. Mayu Iwatani
** Suwama will be present at DDT Pro-Wrestling August 13th show at Korakuen Hall.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
