HBK vs. Undertaker: “I’ll be the first to say that I thought Taker v Shawn was the best match at WrestleMania, maybe one of the best matches I’ve seen in years. To a certain degree, I was proud of both of them. I never take away the fact that Shawn was a great wrestler and he did a lot of great stuff. I’ve always been really proud of the match we had in Anaheim, when I dropped the title to him.”
Passing the Torch: “If you look back when I first won the title, too many guys – Warrior, Hogan, Jake Roberts – didn’t pass the torch back. When I left the business I had a lousy ending, but I would have loved to have wrestled Steve Austin one more time at the end of my career and really put him over – or Shawn. I would have loved to have given back. I didn’t end up being able to pass the torch back, that was an honour I would have liked to have done.”
John Cena being a company guy: “When Chris Benoit died he was on Larry King and somebody asked him if wrestlers need a union – and he shot that down and said ‘no’. The truth is only an idiot would say wrestlers don’t need a union, because we do! But it is hard not to take that company position and be a company guy when you’re on the team later. I was in his shoes and you try and do the best you can. As far as his career and how they’re using him – he’s better off working with them and doing everything the way he’s doing it.”
Wrestlers dying young: “I don’t understand why so many of them are dying from the prescription pill problems and downers and things like that. There’s an addiction I don’t understand, as I was never addicted to anything like that and never had any desire to tranquilize myself after the matches. I couldn’t understand why these guys would take pills all the time. Back then it was stupid, but now they’re all dying. There have been so many who died that shouldn’t have. Curt Hennig, Miss Elizabeth, Davey Boy, Test and Crush should all be alive. But I think it’s unfair to pin this epidemic of wrestlers dying on Vince McMahon. It’s the wrestlers who need to clean up their act.”
You can listen to the audio of the interview at: http://del.interoute.com/?id=39743260-f095-436b-90eb-1cb0cc34ee3f&delivery=stream
