10 Explosive SHOOT Interviews In 2020

8. WWE Is Augustus Gloop – Andrew Yang with Chris Van Vliet

WWE have had a lot of criticisms leveled against them in 2020 – many of which stem around their handling of a certain global pandemic – but one of the biggest bones of contention is the banning of their talent using Twitch and Cameo. Despite calling their wrestlers “independent contractors”, they sure as f*** don’t treat them as such – just ask the former Zelina Vega. Augustus Gloop was a big greedy nincompoop, and Andrew Yang feels WWE are quite similar. 

If you’re not aware, Andrew Yang was a former presidential candidate for the democrats and is hopeful – at the time of this recording – to be part of president-elect Joe Biden’s new cabinet. And if he does get that seat, he’s already said that he will target WWE for their definition of “independent contractor”. He did a fantastic interview with Chris Van Vliet, and spoke about this topic saying:

“It infuriated me because I know that the WWE has been trying to play it both ways for years now, where they’re saying on one hand you can’t do anything without our sayso we own you, but you’re an independent contractor and we have nothing to do with your health, retirement, any of the benefits that would ecurde to an employee.”

And then went as far as to call WWE, “f****** greedy”.

“The McMahons have made so much money, they have money to where they’re investing in football leagues. If you’re a wrestler, breaking your back, and the WWE is like ‘oh, we can’t afford you, you’re fired.’ It like, ‘Well, you probably could have afford me if you could afford to lose tens of millions on [The XFL] debacle.’ The affordability argument does not apply to WWE the way it applies to every other firm. If you look at AEW, I have a feeling that their economics are real. WWE does not have those constraints anymore because it’s a public company. If your company is worth $3.3 billion and you’re mistreating workers, that’s just shameful, really shameful. There was a point in the distant past where you could have made a legitimate argument based upon cost, but now you can’t. Now, it’s just plain f****** greedy. We can all see it.”

Say what you really mean there, Mr. Yang.

This could be a turning point for the wrestling industry, and an interview that could change the very fabric of how it all works. Keep your eyes on this one.

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7. The Son of a Wolverine – David Benoit with Chris Van Vliet

There aren’t that many names in WWE that are more controversial than Chris Benoit, who in 2007 murdered his wife and child over the course of a weekend, then took his own life. It was a moment that shook the wrestling world to its very core, and the effects of the event still hold strong today. Vice’s brilliant Dark Side of the Ring opened season two with a two-part special on Benoit that made me cry a whole hell of a lot and I would heartily recommend you watch.

Chris Benoit’s son, David Benoit, featured on the show talking very openly about his father and his crimes. But in an interview with Chris Van Vliet, he interestingly brought up his fledgling wrestling career, and how he doesn’t want to shy away from his family name and wrestle as Chris Benoit Jr.

“I don’t own [the rights to] his name yet. I have his middle name I can legally use it and they can’t come after me. Yeah [I would wrestle as Chris Benoit, Jr] I think it would be cool. I’ve got the tights with the claw.” 

Listen, I’m happy for David Benoit, I really am. But I’m not sure this is something that is ever going to get positive traction. The Benoit double murder-suicide is one of the darkest days in wrestling history, I’m not sure if we need constant reminders.

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6. A Very Bad Rusev Day – Miro On Talk is Jericho

WWE have missed the ball on a lot of talent over the years, and Miro is just one of those names. And perhaps he’s one of the biggest. There was a period in time where nothing – and I do mean nothing – was as over as Rusev Day. So what did WWE do? Try and squash it, break up the team, and release Miro in the early days of a pandemic. 

The pandemic actually plays a part in Miro’s final days of WWE, as he told Le Champion on Talk is Jericho that he feels his anger towards WWE making talent work when every other sport – and the whole world – was shutting down, and that’s what got him fired. He says in the interview that he felt that his firing was coming, saying:

“I was getting some of the boys around because we were not okay about how everybody was treated in the pandemic situation. We felt scared to go to work, and once again, it was probably ten of us talking, somebody leaked it to the office. From us 10 people that were talking, somebody leaked it to the office and to the dirt sheets, and once that happened, I knew right away they’re gonna fire me because they’re going to blame it all on me of course because I’m the guy, but it doesn’t matter.” 

“They fired me. I lashed out because I think we’re on the path of doing something good because I do want to protect the boys. We all wanted to protect the boys and the girls. That didn’t work out, and that’s why I felt like they cut me underneath because I was just so angry, man.”

An angry man? But you seem so friendly on Twitch!

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5. Come Sail Away With Flair – Rhea Ripley with Lillian Garcia

Charlotte Flair winning the Royal Rumble made a lot of us groan, but Charlotte Flair going against Rhea Ripley made a lot of us excited, and Flair winning that match split opinions – those who felt that it could be really interesting for The Queen to return to NXT and have great matches with their great talent, and those who thought it would be a big pile of dicks. Ironic as there were no dicks involved. Apart from Raw creative, of course.

It’s since come out that NXT had to run all their ideas past Raw and they were always shut down. What it meant that Charlotte Flair’s run as NXT Women’s Champion in 2020 was beating a lot of talent, and not putting anyone over. And the person this hurt the most was Rhea Ripley, who went from being the next hot thing in NXT to just… being there. It took a long time for Ripley to recapture the magic she had this time last year, and she told Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory that that loss was the start of her downfall.

“I’m not too sure. It did feel like (the wind was taken out). I felt like I went through a stage where I was losing confidence in myself because I wasn’t portrayed the same way. Even now, I’m still slowly building myself back up from it. My confidence was tainted a little, which sucks because I try to keep it up and do my best all the time. I don’t know if it was something in my head that wasn’t getting the picture, I just got a little bit lost after that. Now, I feel like I’m getting back on track. Building myself back up has been hard, it’s been difficult, but I’ve found my track now and I’m getting back on it.” 

The old Rhea is now back, and it will only be a matter of time before we start talking about her as one of the best talents in NXT again.

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4. Running on Diesel Power – Brodie Lee On Talk is Jericho

Full disclosure, I’d wrote this next segment earlier in December – just as we’ve done with all these lists so they were ready to go out over the holiday period – and part of me nearly took this out and replaced it with something else once we all found out Lee had passed on. But listening back to the clip, it made me smile because it made me think of all the great times we had with Brodie Lee in AEW, or Luke Harper in WWE. He was such a passionate man about this strange wrestling business, and hearing his voice again was quite comforting to me. So, this entry remains as it always was intended to be. Rest in peace, Brodie Lee.

It’s easy to forget but Brodie Lee actually left WWE in December of last year, after trying to get out of the company for most of 2018 and 19. The former Luke Harper’s run in WWE can be summed up as “was in a tag team with Erick Rowan”. He tagged with Erick Rowan in NXT, teamed with on the main roster, then he wasn’t in a team with Erick Rowan, and then he was in a different team with Erick Rowan, then creative had nothing for him for a bit – finally coming up with the brilliant idea of putting him in a tag team with Erick Rowan. And then he left. To quote Bret Hart, frustrated isn’t even the goddamn word for it.

And Brodie Lee revealed to The Demo God on Talk is Jericho that WWE’s other big creative plan for him wasn’t a singles run – but to be in a team with a different person with a ginger beard.

“I was going to be Sami Zayn’s heater and I was like, you know what, I go ‘f**k man, that’s exactly what I don’t want to do.’ That’s what I’ve done my entire career, I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to just go do my thing, but you know what, I’m gonna make it work, let’s figure it out and go from there. And two days later I was supposed to debut on SmackDown, I believe after Mania, and then it got cancelled. ‘Oh, we’re not doing it.’ And I’m like ‘Okay that’s it.'”

Man, I just really miss Brodie Lee. It’s only been a few days, but I still haven’t quite processed this. And I didn’t even know him personally. Let’s all be kinder to each other in 2021. Tell the people you’re close to that you love them. I know I will.

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3. Trouble In Paradise, Already – FTR WrestleTalk Interviews

Louis Dangoor has made a name for himself in the wrestling world this year with his interviews with the likes of Will Ospreay, Drew McIntyre, Brodie Lee, and then AEW Champion Jon Moxley. But in an interview with FTR, they dropped a pretty big bombshell that they were already unhappy with some of the booking they’d got in All Elite Wrestling.

The pair debuted in the company after being released by WWE and immediately began a feud with The Young Bucks; a feud that had been building for the previous 4 years. It was the match wrestling fans wanted to see, and it was finally going to happen. But then AEW over egged the pudding and turned The Bucks heel… I think? They superkicked Alex Marvez and Tony Schivaone, and then had to turn back face the week before the PPV as no one wanted to see heel Bucks vs. heel FTR for the tag titles – especially when it might have been the last time the team challenged for the belts. It was a bit of a mess, something FTR aired their grievances about to our own Nugget.

“We begged for our release from WWE for two years, and I’m not saying that with any bitterness. We begged for our release from WWE because of this match… Am I happy with the build? I think the build to this match could be a little bit better. Obviously when you’re an artist, you think that your piece is the most important piece in the whole museum, and I do believe that. I don’t know if that comes off as selfish or not, but we believe that our piece in the AEW art is the most important art in the museum of Full Gear. The build, I feel, could have been a little bit better. We could have had a little more time devoted to this match and to make it a little more special. But with everything that has been given to us, we all four have put every ounce of effort into these next few weeks of building to make sure it’s just as important as we want it to come off, just as important as the fans had hoped it to be and I think that at Full Gear, you’re going to see quite possibly the greatest tag team match of all time.”

There is some debate over which match was better: FTR vs. The Bucks, or The Bucks vs. Omega & Page – and you can debate that all you want in the comments I’ll even join in. But it’s undeniable that the Full Gear match was amazing. The build was a bit shonky, but the final product was amazing. Sort of the opposite of Homer Simpson building a spice rack.

• Interview
• ftr
• AEW
• wwe

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