00:00Yeah, it's good to speak up a little bit.
00:01Real name is Matt Wiese.
00:04How did you get into the business?
00:06I started at the Power Plant, WCW Power Plant.
00:09I wrestled there as Horseshoe for a while.
00:19What was it, like, ever since you were a kid, was it like a dream to be a pro wrestler?
00:23You know, when I was a kid, yeah, I used to, I never expected to actually be a wrestler,
00:28but I was a big fan of wrestling growing up.
00:31I mean, you know, I used to watch shit all the guys back in the day.
00:35I mean, you know, Hogan and Snuka and Buzz Sawyer and Wildfire Tommy Rich.
00:40And, I mean, just, you know, everybody.
00:42Anything that was on TV that I saw, I watched, I was always a big fan of it.
00:47You know, just the whole, you know, brutality and just, you know, the whole fighting mentality.
00:55And, you know, I was always in trouble as a kid.
00:57And so, it was kind of like, kind of an escape for me, you know, watching that, so.
01:04What was it like training to be a pro wrestler in Power Plant and get into WCW?
01:09The training at the Power Plant was really tough, you know.
01:12You know, I mean, just very intense workouts, you know.
01:15We'd start a day off with, you know, 800 prison squats.
01:21And then, you know, we'd go run wind sprints in a parking lot that seemed like it was miles long.
01:26And, you know, then we'd go into the ring and do drills.
01:30And, you know, we were there from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, 5 days a week.
01:35And, you know, to put your body through that much training, 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, you
01:43know.
01:43It just, it's really tough, man.
01:45But, you know, it's a great business.
01:48And, you know, it's like anything in life, bro.
01:52Anything worth having, you know, you've got to work hard for it.
01:55It doesn't come easy.
01:56What are, like, the politics in the wrestling business?
01:59Was it frustrating at times?
02:02Well, I mean, you know, there's politics in any job, man.
02:05I mean, the bottom line is wrestling is a job.
02:09It's a way that, you know, guys make a living.
02:12And, I mean, hell, you know, shit, there's politics in everything.
02:15So, I mean, can it be frustrating at times?
02:18Yeah, but, you know, it's, you know, it's all how you deal with it and, you know, how you accept
02:24it.
02:24I mean, you know, any job you have, there's politics.
02:29So, accept it, deal with it, do your job, do the best you can, make your money, put food on
02:36the table,
02:36put a roof over your head, support your family, and that's the bottom line.
02:41You're a SAG rooster actor.
02:43Yes, yes.
02:44Like, do you think that, like, the WWE should have something like that,
02:48where, like, there's more of a safety net or more of, like, kind of like a union of sorts?
02:53Well, you know, I mean, that's the infamous question is, you know, wrestling being unionized.
03:01And, I mean, really, it's neither here nor there for me to say.
03:06And, you know, my opinion really doesn't matter on it.
03:09There is no union.
03:12But, you know, I mean, at the same time, you know, it's a very good living.
03:17You can make a lot of money in the wrestling business.
03:20So, you know, as long as you're smart with your money, you make, you make, you know,
03:24the proper investments and you save and you pay your taxes on time.
03:28And, you know, it's all about how you handle your money.
03:31I think, you know, in any pro sport, you know, whether it be baseball or football or boxing or, you
03:39know,
03:40whatever, guys make a lot of money and they just mismanage their money.
03:45And, you know, they blame the fact that, well, I didn't have health benefits because there wasn't a union
03:52and I didn't get this or that and poor me.
03:56But, you know, shit, man.
03:58I mean, you know, union or no union.
04:03If you're making a good living and you're smart with your money, it really shouldn't matter.
04:12What, like, in the backstage of the WWE, like, does the internet look down upon by the wrestlers?
04:18Like, what's that like?
04:21Me personally, I don't, you know, I own three computers.
04:25I've got two in my house and I've got one in my office at a business that I own.
04:30And I don't even go on wrestling websites, you know.
04:34I don't pay attention to the internet.
04:35Of course, you know, when you work in that profession, you hear the gossip and, you know, stuff like that.
04:44But most of the guys that buy into that stuff don't know what the hell they're talking about anyhow.
04:49Is some of it legit?
04:50Yeah, some of it's legit.
04:52There's accurate information on there and there's information that's just completely bogus.
04:57So, you know, I mean, I think for the most part, it's a way for these little computer geeks to
05:07spend their time doing something that they pretty much know nothing about.
05:14What, like, you interact with Vince McMahon.
05:16Like, what was your, like, personal opinion on him?
05:19Like, did you guys get along?
05:20What did you think of him?
05:21I'm a huge fan of Vince McMahon.
05:25You know, and I don't say this to kiss his ass or blow smoke up anybody's ass because that's not
05:31my style.
05:31I could care less.
05:32But, I mean, the bottom line is Vince is a genius when it comes to wrestling and he's a very
05:43smart businessman.
05:45And for somebody to take a small territorial company and turn it into a, you know, billion-dollar organization, you
05:56know, you can't be a dumbass and achieve that.
06:00But, so, yeah, I mean, I was always a big fan of Vince and I had nothing but the utmost
06:08respect for him.
06:10Do you have plans to, like, continue in the wrestling business and go back to WWE once?
06:15You know, I mean, I love wrestling.
06:17Don't get me wrong.
06:19At this point in time, no, I don't have plans to wrestle.
06:22Since I left WWE, I've been offered, you know, to go to Japan and some dates in Australia and Italy
06:30and South Africa and make some good money.
06:33But, you know, I'm staying home and I'm doing some other business endeavors right now that are paying me some
06:40good return.
06:42And I'm enjoying being home right now and I'm enjoying what I'm doing.
06:46So, for now, I'm going to do that.
06:49But I'm the type of person who gets bored easily.
06:53I need a change of pace quite often.
06:56So, you know, I'd never say never.
06:59If I decided that I really miss the WWE, which at times there are aspects that I do miss, and
07:09then there's aspects that I absolutely don't miss.
07:13You know, but if it ever came down to it and, you know, I decided that I wanted to go
07:18back, then obviously the ultimate decision would be up to them.
07:22And, you know, I don't know.
07:27I mean, maybe, maybe not.
07:32Do you feel like you were underpushed?
07:35Do you think you could have been better utilized?
07:37Yes, I think at times I could have been better utilized.
07:40Absolutely.
07:41You know, Vince McMahon even said that I could have been better utilized.
07:45But the bottom line is, is, you know, it's a business and, you know, we are characters on a television
07:55show.
07:56You know, it's just like any other television show.
07:59You have a part to play.
08:01You are paid a certain amount of money to play that part and, you know, like it or leave it.
08:10You know, I'm not really into the whiny, poor me bullshit, you know.
08:16It's like, it's a job, man.
08:19You know what I mean?
08:20You go to McDonald's and they say, hey, flip that burger and make that quarter pounder.
08:24You're going to flip that burger and make that quarter pounder and you're going to collect your check.
08:27You know, like I said before, it's a job.
08:28So, you know, whether you're pushed to the moon or whether you're underutilized, you know, it's Vince, you know, definitely
08:39knows what he's doing.
08:40And sometimes things work and sometimes things don't.
08:43And but for the most part, I think he has good intentions for everybody and for the company as a
08:49whole.
08:50And sometimes, you know, you have to make sacrifices as a person in order for the company as a whole
08:58to better succeed.
09:01What was your opinion lately?
09:03Like when 18 wrestlers got released in like two days, like what was going through your mind when that was
09:08happening?
09:09You know, some of those guys I knew very well and, you know, some of them I just knew through
09:16work.
09:17You know, I don't really know their situations, you know, hopefully they were smart with their money and they've got
09:24some good investments or they have some money to, you know, do something else with.
09:29And, you know, I'm sure they'll survive.
09:32One thing about people in the professional wrestling business, and when I say professional wrestling business, I mean the WWE,
09:40because in my opinion, at least in the United States,
09:44if you're not wrestling for the WWE, you're really not wrestling.
09:48And if you're not a WWE superstar, you're really not a superstar.
09:51So, you know, it's it's I mean, it's it's disheartening, you know, on on one hand to see guys put
10:05out of work.
10:05But, you know, on the other hand, sometimes, you know, decisions need to be made and and, you know, budgets
10:15need to be cut in order for the company to prosper as a whole.
10:26So, yes, what do you mean the monopoly of the business?
10:35Like, I mean, like, pretty much it's like, you know, there's like a TNA, there's like, pretty much people still
10:40think there's just a WWE.
10:42Mm hmm.
10:42Do you like, there's so many fewer spots with well-paying checks than there used to be.
10:48Absolutely.
10:49Like, like, how does that affect the workers?
10:55Well, I mean, you know, any time I mean, there's less jobs, you know, so as there's less there's less
11:06spots to be filled, there's less jobs, there's less employment, you know.
11:10So it as far as affecting, you know, the workers, you know, the wrestlers, the athletes, you know, it forces
11:20them to do something else, you know, change careers or or, you know, go overseas and and try to make
11:29money, you know, in the trade, you know.
11:33So, you know, it definitely has an effect, but, you know, in that's life, brother.
11:40There's good times and there's bad times, man.
11:42You know, I mean, I did five years in prison.
11:45I didn't like it.
11:46You know what I mean?
11:47But I did it.
11:49That was a bad time, you know.
11:52Do you mind talking about why you went to prison on it?
11:55I mean, you know, just public information.
11:58Go online, you know.
12:10Have a good night.
12:12What you doing?
12:13Going to TGF Fridays.
12:14Where at?
12:15Over at the block.
12:16Rick and them going?
12:17Yeah.
12:17Really?
12:18Yeah.
12:18All right.
12:19You're open to one.
12:20Okay.
12:21So, all right.
12:22Thank you very much for the thing.
12:24Yes, thank you.
12:25I'm going to get back to that.
12:26I think I'm going to shoot over there and see you, brother.
12:27Okay.
12:28All right.
12:29What's your opinion of backyard wrestling?
12:33I mean, you know, man, I really don't have an opinion.
12:37I've never been to a backyard wrestling event.
12:42You know, I respect them guys for putting their bodies on the line.
12:48But at the same time, I think they're a little misled and a little misguided.
12:57And in my opinion, I don't really have a grasp or an understanding of, you know, what the business is
13:07really about.
13:08Uh, so, you know, it's, really can't say much for it.
13:15What, like, what is your future dreams for the rest of your life?
13:18What do you want to accomplish now?
13:19Make money and retire, baby.
13:22Have sex every night.
13:23Get buck wild.
13:25That's horseshoe style, baby.
13:27That's what I do best.
13:28That's what I do best.
13:28Hmm.
13:29Hmm.
