Maven is still involved in the world of professional wrestling, thanks to ISPW.
Former WWE Superstar Maven recently sat down with WrestleZone’s Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. When asked about the fact that Wikipedia says he’s still retired, Maven joked that they also have his middle name wrong.
“My Wikipedia also says my middle name is Klint, and it is not. So yeah, I take Wikipedia with that much believability,” Maven said. “Yeah, wrestlers are many times. I mean, how many times at last count has Ric Flair retired? How many times has he had his last match?
“That’s the one thing about this business that I think is great about this business, and that’s as long as there’s people still willing to pay to see you, I don’t think you’ve fully ever really retired. And the way I look at my career, yeah, I’m 46 now. I’m definitely not the athlete that I once was. But I can transition, and I’ve been able to move into different roles.
ISPW has been a great opportunity for Maven
Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling is a New Jersey-based promotion that Maven works for. He credits ISPW with giving him a way to stay involved in the wrestling business without trying to make another full-time run he knows he can’t commit too.
“It’s actually reignited the love that I have for the business. Because if I was to go out and wrestle, even if it was wrestling just on the weekends, eventually I’m gonna get hurt. The one thing about the human body is the older it gets, it doesn’t get in better shape, and you’re just going to get injured quicker. I take two trains to work and two trains home, which that right there is enough to keep me from getting in the ring on a regular basis.
“So, with that said, there’s not that many organizations that would bring in a guy who can work a limited schedule like that. So, I’m very, very thankful that Tommy and ISPW have offered me that. Not to mention, they are 20 minutes from my house usually. The show that we run there is literally 20-25 minutes from my house. So it’s great.”
Maven believes WWE missed out on Bull James
When asked about working with Bull James in ISPW, Maven spoke about how much he loves working with James and believes that WWE missed the boat on him.
“Yeah, I love working with Bull,” Maven said. “Bull is one of those guys that, before working with ISPW, I mean, obviously I knew who he was. I knew the name but to say I knew much more than that would be a lie. I didn’t; I never watched him on NXT.
“I’ve never watched any of his stuff when he was in WWE. But I think it’s safe to say he’s one of the guys that they missed on. He’s phenomenal. He’s amazing, and you could plug him into the weekly show right now, and he would excel. So I’m just fortunate enough that I get to show up at the arena, and I get to work with him on a regular basis now.”
Read More: Maven Had A Humble Goal And He’s Shattered Those Expectations On YouTube
Bull Fit
During an interview with WrestleZone, Bull James (fka Bull Dempsey) spoke about the “Bull Fit” gimmick in NXT. James said that it originally was just a comedy gimmick but he loved the fact that fans got behind it and wanted to do more with it.
“I just was trying to give everything I had to make it work,” Bull James said. “And it wasn’t until after the first couple of training vignettes aired. We were in Largo; I remember a fan came up to me, and they had a big baggy Bull Fit shirt on,” he explained. “They just released the t-shirt. And he’s like motioning up and down his body, and I was like, okay? Then he was like, ‘Do you notice I lost weight?’ This was a fan that came regularly, and I was like, oh, yeah, he did. And he’s like, ‘Yeah man, I’m getting Bull Fit.’ And then I started getting more and more messages like that on like Instagram or comments and stuff.
Motivation Proclamation
“I was like, wow, people are actually using this as motivation. This is actually cool,” James stated. “Because you get the audience on Twitter that’s oh, they’re fat shaming him, and I was like, no I was on board with this from the minute that Hunter pulled me aside and asked me if I would want to do it. I wasn’t scared for my job to say no, I was like, this is something cool, unique. It’s coming straight from the boss’s mouth. So obviously, he believes in it. So let’s try it.”
Bull James also pitching merchandise ideas like a Hulkamania-style weight set. He also pitched being a participant in Triple H’s workout video.
“It would have been nice to see them come to fruition obviously and see the hard work pay off. But it was a lot of fun. It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in the wrestling ring in my life.”
Read More: Dax Harwood Calls Bull James A Student Of The Game, Highlights His Biggest Downfall In WWE
What do you make of Maven’s comments? Are you happy to see him back in the world of professional wrestling? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit WrestleZone with a link to this article for the transcription.
