Steve Corino recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard and below are some interview highlights:
Biggest draw to leaving ROH for WWE:
“I can show my enthusiasm and passion for the business here at the Performance Center. I was lucky enough to learn from Kevin Sullivan and Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk, and their passion still lives in me, so I’m passing that on.”
Has his experience as a wrestler outside of WWE made him a better trainer:
“Absolutely. I can think like a middle guy, I can think like a top guy, and I’ve hit leadoff and I’ve hit ninth. I wouldn’t change a thing about my career during my 22 years in the ring or in the office. I lived in Puerto Rico for one year, working for Carlos Colon. It’s more than wrestling for the fans, it’s part of the culture. I always loved the spirit, and I always loved wrestling in Puerto Rico. It wasn’t easy being a bad guy, because people really hate you, but when they love you, they’ll love you forever. I truly believe any experience I’ve had brought me to this point right now. It wasn’t meant to be in 1996, or 2002, or 2007, but the universe had it ready for me to be here in 2017. I’m happy to have my WrestleMania moments through the men and women who I help coach.”
If the WWE Performance Center strips away wrestler’s individuality:
“People from the outside might see this as a factory and an assembly line. Once you get here, you see that there is Terry Taylor. There is Robbie Brookside. Norman Smiley. Johnny Saint. Scott Garland. There are five or six different styles. Matt Bloom wants his coaches to discuss all the best techniques. We debate about what the best training methods are for a big guy, since he is a big guy but I wrestled big guys. There is a lot of healthy debate between the coaches. Every day, it’s so exciting. I’ll have a lesson plan, and then we’ll always find new areas and ways for people to react.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
