Former ECW Champion and WWE/TNA/Lucha Underground star Rycklon Stevens (Ezekiel Jackson, Big Ryck) recently talked about his career and future with PWMania.
Stevens talks about his time in WWE including being the final ECW Champion, working for TNA, his future with Lucha Underground and more. You can read a few excerpts below:
Ezekiel Jackson Talks WWE & winning the ECW title:
For me your told from the past you expect that once you get a lower title that it’s a stepping stone and I was expecting that at time that I was going to be challenging for at the time the IC title, US title and then eventually one of the world titles. It was definitely for me looking like a positive for the future. There wasn’t anything that said were going to sit down and have a conversation hey, this is what we’re going to do with you or this is what you’re going to do. They only do that to certain people. There are a few guys whose whole career is outlined for them but there are some of the mid-level guys, lower level guys you show up work and perform and do what you’re supposed to do and hope that you keep getting the recognition and the respect of the fans whether they love you or hate you. It wasn’t there was any discussion about hey we put the ECW title on you and this is the next step. It wasn’t as if it was written in stone it’s just that for me that I got this let’s see if they see something in me what can I do next and I’ll let it go wherever.
His injuries in WWE:
I think if they see money in you that there is a short term or a long term they’ll utilize you for the best for whatever you can give them because there are a lot of high level guys that have been injured. There have been a lot of guys who have been injured that they have been able to hold titles on like Cena. He’s torn his neck, torn his hammy, torn his pec, and he’s been the guy for the last ten years. If they give you a title it’s about if you can produce it then you’ve produced and they’re still hanging on you. I don’t think that it drops you completely.
Working in TNA:
It was a couple of weeks of we tried to reach out to you we have something set up and we’d like you to come in but then when I went it in it was basically lets test you out for these couple of shows. After the shows there was no phone calls, no emails, nothing. It was just I didn’t know if it was a them trying to figure things out or because of their TV deal or what so I wasn’t really stressing because I had spoken to Lucha Underground beforehand and being that it was based out of LA and I didn’t have to travel as much I really was focused on that.
His future with Lucha Underground:
I think the sky’s the limit. We shook up wrestling within the first couple of months of being on TV. What is this new thing? What are they doing and can we have more? I think we shook up wrestling to quote Muhammed Ali, ‘shook up the world’ and I think the sky’s the limit for me is the same thing. I want do what I do best. I beat people up and I’ll make money doing it. That works for me. We really have a great crew. Everyone shows up and we know what we have to do. We have a lot of freedom that were comfortable with what we’re doing and whether or not you have talent that are all mind you get better creative, you get better production better value from people there and you enjoy going to work more. If you see yourself saying hey that’s my idea and then it’s seen you’re motivated to want to do more and keep going week after week and come back better.
