Hit The Ropes Radio Interviews ROH's Prince Nana

Hit The Ropes Radio recently had a chance to interview Ring of Honor’s Prince Nana. He took us through his plans now that ROH’s on HDNet, who’d he like to get his hands on and more. Check it out.

Hit The Ropes Radio: We’re on the line with none other than Ring of Honor’s Prince Nana. Prince Nana, how’s it going?
Prince Nana: Who the heck am I talking to? That’s number one. That’s what I need to know. Who am I speaking to?

HTR: Wait, you come on our show and you’re showing disrespect, Nana?
PN: Disrespect? Disrespect? Number one. Let me tell you something, my friend. I’m in the middle of a huge deal with one of my street agents here in New York City. And I’m told to give a call to you guys? For what? You guys know my whole bio already, huh?

HTR: Because we’re the best thing on the internet, that’s why.
PN: Oh, yeah? That’s good to know. Now let’s get on with the interview, my friend. Unbelievable.

HTR: Now, Nana, we saw you on HDNet. Ring of Honor’s got a new TV show. What does that mean for you? You were broke not too long ago. Now you’ve got your riches back.
PN: Let me tell you, my friend, the big time has come for Prince Nana. I’ve always been big time. But, you know, I was going through some problems for three years with my family back home in Ghana.
But now things have changed, my friend. The storylines have changed. There are different things going on that, let me tell you. I’ve been a great, great effort for The Embassy. Did I make any sense just now?

HTR: Yes, I understood you completely. You’re on HDNet and you’ve got your Embassy back. What’s your plan for the Embassy?
PN: My plan for my friend is to finally get those championship belts. This is the reason why I’m in this company in the first place. The reason why I’m in the Ring of Honor is because the Ring of Honor title means everything right now in the pro wrestling business.And for it to be a part of the Embassy is truly, truly going to be a tear in my eye. A tear in my eye.

HTR: A tear in your eye? Well, I know that means that’s really special, and right now Jerry Lynn just beat Nigel McGuiness for the belt. Who in the Embassy can beat him for the title?
PN: Well, right now I can’t disclose that type of information to you. Right now, the Embassy is assembled with three of the best wrestlers. Number one, Byson Smith, all the way from Noah. Number two, the crown jewel of the Embassy, Jimmy Rave.
And number three my personal assistant—ha ha ha!—Ernie Osiris. With those three in the group right now, things are going to change. Just like Obama said, "Change has come." Ha ha ha ha!

HTR: That's a monster, I’ll tell you—that Smith character. I’ve seen him powerbomb the hell out of some people.
PN: Oh, yeah, were you at the show in New York City? That poor little guy who tried to help out Brian Danielson— did you see how he smacked against the floor? If you haven’t seen it go check it out on the ROH Newswire.

HTR: You lost your riches at one point. How, exactly, did you get them back?
PN: Well, my friend, because of the high connections I have all over the world and in the wrestling business, things were able to come through. I was able to communicate privately with a few of the associates that I’ve been working with over the years.
And I was able to reintroduce what it is that we do. And I’ve also spoken to some of the higher-ups in the royal family to get the OK. And I’ve begun to have some sort of support from the royal family. I will be making a trip back to Ghana at the end of the month. So, when I return, there will be a lot more in store.

HTR: Are you going to stick with the core that you have, or will you be adding new members to the Embassy?
PN: As of now, it’s looking like it will be just these guys aligned with us in the Embassy. A lot of tapes have been sent to our new New York office—a lot of tapes with people who’ve been in big companies, from the WWE and ECWA. I’m getting tapes, resumés, and love letters from these idiots.
It’s crazy, but the only direction we’re going with it is up. Believe me, as I said earlier, things are going to change.

HTR: I believe Shane (our co-host) sent in a tape, but he hasn’t heard anything back.
PN: I still have jobs available. I need someone to wash Ernie’s feet before and after the matches. If you want the job, then I’ll bring you down to the next show. Do you want me to book you a ticket to Canada? We have Canada this weekend. Do you want to come?


HTR: To wash your feet?
PN: That’s what I said. Yes, for Ernie Osiris.



HTR: That’s really tempting, but I’m looking at my calendar and I can’t get away next week. I still want to be in the Embassy, but I need to take a rain check.
PN: Unbelievable. I’ll get someone to cover your post. You have the job, but it doesn’t pay much.

HTR: Well, Prince Nana, we want to put you in the hot seat. Are you up for the challenge?
PN: As long as you do it within about 20 seconds. It’s looking like all my girlfriends in the great city of New York are looking to give me a call, and you’re holding up my booty call time.

HTR: OK, who’s your favorite opponent?
PN: My favorite opponent ever is Cheetah Master of ECWA.

HTR: Who would you like to face that you haven’t yet faced?
PN: I’d have to say Brian Danielson.

HTR: If you weren’t a pro wrestler, then what would you be?
PN: I would probably be Puff Daddy in another life.

HTR: Barrack Obama or Bill Clinton?
PN: I’d have to go with Bill Clinton because he got the job done with that assistant in his office. I have to give it up for that. He’s half-black for doing that.

HTR: If a movie was made about your life, who would play you?
PN: I’d have to say, who the hell would I want to play me? Ricky Rourke, he’d play me.

HTR: Ricky Rourke? Oh, Mickey Rourke.
PN: He just needs a very very dark tan and he’ll be OK.

HTR: If you can go one-on-one with any celebrity, who would it be and why?
PN: Most likely it would have to be that fool from that show 106 and Park. I want to get my hands on him because I don’t like the way he talks to his fans. His name is Terrance Jenkins. I’ll beat him down all across the stage and kiss his girl all over the stage, too.

HTR: We’ll see if we can arrange it.
PN: Arrange it. It needs to happen to that fool.

HTR: One of our listeners wanted to ask you about shrimp cocktail.
PN: Who is this? Who the heck wants to know about this luxurious meal?

HTR: One of our great listeners.
PN: If you want to know about the shrimp cocktail, you have to come down to our new apartment complex on Lexington Avenue, where I am right now. One of my chefs will cook something up for you.
We’ll give you a full shrimp, a chopped up shrimp, a spicy shrimp, curry shrimp, Chinese shrimp, anything you want, alright. But always the cocktail is in there, you understand what I’m saying?

HTR: We understand, and we’re not going to hold you up all night. You say you have your ladies you need to get to.
PN: All night long. You hear them in the background, right? But before I let you go, let me explain something to you. There is serious business that needs to be completed. That way, if you’re looking into the record books, then you can see the history that has been made.

This history will be a heck of a lot better. I hope all of you fools at home are watching those stupid DVDs, HDNet, or going to the Ring of Honor Web site to see the real time maturity of Prince Nana and his Embassy.
You has better catch us, because we’re going to tear up Ring of Honor. The only thing that matters is the title. Once it’s a part of The Embassy, it will truly be over.

HTR: Wow. That’s quite a statement.
PN: And that’s not a joke. I’m being very real with you. Isn’t that how they say it in New York City? Let’s keep it real? Huh?

HTR: Keep it real. Well, Prince Nana…
PN: (To someone in the distance) Hold up, I’m coming right now.

It's even funnier to hear, check the YouTube clip.

Don't forget to check out Hit The Ropes Radio for this week's special guest, former WWE, WCW and ECW star, Big Vito. Plus, Turnbuckle 2 Turnbuckle makes its long awaited return, TNA prizes are given away, and more—this Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Hit The Ropes Radio Interviews Prince Nana Wed 4/15

Ring of Honor's Prince Nana will appear on BlogTalkRadio’s Hit the Ropes Radio Show (www.blogtalkradio.com/hittheropesradioshow ) with hosts Daris, Shane and Demetrus on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Prince Nana will discuss his career, Ring of Honor on HDNet and more. We will also have the very first WWE vs. TNA Tag Team Challenge and the third edition of Turnbuckle 2 Turnbuckle. Plus TNA Trivia for TNA prizes. Call in and chat with our guests ( 646 ) 929-2442.

You can catch the archives if you can't listen live or download it from iTunes for free.

Callers are welcome to join the conversation during the show by calling ( 646 ) 929-2442. The live, wrestling radio show will stream from the host page at http://blogtalkradio.com/hittheropesradioshow.

Prince Nana joined Ring of Honor in 2002. Known as an Ashanti Prince from Ghana, Prince Nana formed a heel stable named The Embassy that terrorized ROH. He managed the ROH Pure Champion John Walters, Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelly and Abyss before his 2006 departure. He made a surprised return in 2008, with no riches, only to reclaim his status when President Obama passed his Stimulus Package. He reformed The Embassy with Bison Smith, Ernie Osiris and Jimmy Rave.

It's the fans show, so call in and ask questions or share a comment.

An archive will be available at the same link immediately following the show or listeners can subscribe to the archives via the RSS feed located on the host page. Read more about the host and the discussion on Hit the Ropes Radio Show’s blog at http://hittheropes.blogspot.com. We are the fastest rising wrestling radio show on the Net.

About Hit the Ropes Radio
Hit the Ropes Radio Show is the premier live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on pro wrestling news, notes and interviews. Hosts Daris, Shane and Demetrus explores the careers, organizations and world of professional wrestling. Callers are encouraged to call ( 646 ) 929-2442 to comment or ask questions. Or just sit back and enjoy the store. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hittheropesradioshow. The show is live every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Eastern. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

About BlogTalkRadio
BlogTalkRadio is a free, web-based platform which allows any user with a phone and a computer to host a live, interactive Internet broadcast. Hosts call into the service by phone, managing callers on the web-based host dashboard. Shows stream live directly from the host’s BlogTalkRadio web page with archives available for all past shows. BlogTalkRadio has been featured on ABC News, The Washington Post, Portfolio, Talkers Magazine, and TheStreet.com. And it has over 3,000, 000 since it’s inception. The citizen broadcasting network can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com.

ROH's Bobby Cruise Interview

Hit The Ropes Radio:Mr. Bobby Cruise, how're ya doing?
Bobby Cruise: Good Daris.

HTR:Ring of Honor is blowing up as we speak. We just talked to Brent Albright a few weeks ago, and he said the locker room's excited. You just finished taping your first TV show on HDNet. How was that like and what are your expectations?

BC: Well it was a great atmosphere overall. This is what a lot of the guys have been working for a long time in the wrestling business. You have Brent Albright and Austin Aries, who've been to WWE and TNA, but for a lot of guys this is their first shot at national television.

So the vibe in the locker room is a very excited one and a very focused one. Everyone knows from me to everyone on up knows what's on the line here. We have a huge opportunity. I think it will be great. HDNet has been tremendous to work with. This will be a tremendous partnership between ROH and HDNet.

HTR:Now, I don't have HDNet and had to watch the first episode on YouTube. Did they tell ya'll, for those of us who don't have HDNet, how we can get a hold of HDNet.

BC:Yeah, I found out today that it was on YouTube, which I think at this point is a good thing. HDNet will be the first to admit that they're not in as many homes as they want to be. But that will progress as 2009goes on. I am very fortunate enough so I have Direct TV. People with the Dish Network and the HD package have access to it. I think it will slowly and surely get done as far as more cable systems in different areas picking it up.

I just found out that Comcast in the Boston area, which is a huge pickup for HDNet, just started carrying it in the last week or two. Like I said, as 2009 progress, you will see more and more availability of HDNet on individual cable systems.

HTR:Right, like I said, I did get to catch on YouTube and I was quite impressed. It wasn't the goofy wrestling. You saw some chain wrestling,and it gave exposure to a lot of guys that people probably never heard of before. Like the main event (Tyler Black vs Jimmy Jacobs)they had a feud that people weren't exposed to, but ya'll did a great job of recapping that for us.I think it was an excellent way to kick it off.

BC:Yeah, I agree. Overall I think we should be happy. I know there are things will change from our side and HDNets side of production as we learn. That was our first two nights of taping for the first 6 weeks. And we have our next set of tappings here in Philly in April 9th and 10th, which happens to be a Thursday and a Friday in a couple weeks.

We may do some things different as far as lighting and sound. I know there was some concern because there were 1,000 people there for the first three episodes, and you really couldn't tell that. People have told me that it didn't seem that many people were there. The crowd noise wasn't there. They were loud, but it didn't get picked up. So we might look at miking the crowd a little bit on these next sets.

So I agree with you, it was a great first entry. Anyone who's a Ring of Honor fan will obviously watch it. And anyone who's not will hopefully watch it and the first time get hooked over the next few weeks.

They did a great job with the Ring of Honor history like package. That gave a nice quick thorough recap, not just of Ring of Honor, but the stars that have through Ring of Honor and gone on to other place. People will recognize people like CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Homicide and go wow, I didn't know these guys wrestled for Ring of Honor, let me check this company out.

HTR:That's what I like about Ring of Honor, which a lot of fans will see. There's a movement in the making. A faster pace, chain wrestling, spot moves, all intertwine into one. And there's all reason behind it. And you have big things coming. I understand Ric Flair is visiting with you.

BC: Yes, he's doing several appearances with us as he was with us in St. Louis, he's got one coming up in Virginia, one in Detroit, and we just announced that he will be with us when we return to the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 13. He's got several appearances and we're really excited.

HTR: There's a lot of great wrestlers that have passed through ROH. In fact, we are already debating, how soon ya'll will be competing with TNA in the ratings war. Any thoughts?

BC: Oh obviously it would be great. They're a solid number 2 right now. There's no doubt about that and nobody can question that. Whether you agree with their program or don't agree, they're a solid number 2. And if you're number 3, as we are,then the next logical step would to try and be number 2.

They have the added of advantage of being on cable, yes it's basic cable, but that's a huge advantage. We'll kind of make up some ground as HDNet progress, as I said before, and get's in more and more available across the country.

I see nothing but great things. It's a great locker room. It's a focused locker room, as I said before. It's all up to us. We've been given the opportunity by our management Cary Silken and we've been given the opportunity by HDNet.

And there's no doubt that Ring of Honor knows wrestling and HDNet knows production. So let's see if we can make a winning team. And so far I think we have.

HTR:There's a lot of attention to wrestling lately, especially with the movie The Wrestler. Ring of Honor had a huge part in the move, as it was the set for the final scene. And you were in the movie, can you tell us a little bit about that?

BC:Yeah, it was obviously a great opportunity when we first had heard that Darren Aronofsky was interested in doing the movie The Wrestler and wanted to do something with Ring of Honor, it was an exciting opportunity.

When you start putting a movie out there that got the buzz that it did, and the awards that it did, and like I said Mickey Rourke is in it, it can do nothing but good for your company.

And for Ring of Honor to be featured in the main scene when other promotions were featured in the film, and no disrespect to them, you could see it was smaller arenas. And it built up to Randy the Ram and the Ayatollah. And it happen to happen in a Ring of Honor building, in a Ring of Honor ring, with Ring of Honor signage everywhere. It made Ring of Honor look great.

The publicity from it has been very good from the electronic media to the print media. Every town we go to they want to talk to about Ring of Honor's involvement in The Wrestler. So it's been great.


HTR: So were you the commentator for that scene? Tell us about that.

BC: Yeah, the taping of that scene actually took place in two Ring of Honor events over two different days in the same building. I did the ring announcing for the main event scene for Randy the Ram and the Ayatollah. I probably must of announced that match about 15 times as they kept trying shooting different angles.

It was really exciting to attend the premier in New York in October, and seeing myself on the big screen, I didn't thing that was going to happen.

HTR: Now going back to Ring of Honor, tell us how did you get your start in Ring of Honor?

BC:It started in 2003, when I was doing the Steve Corino intros that used to get quite a bit of a reaction. Steve was having a feud of Homicide back in 2003 and was making a big return to Ring of Honor. And he sent me a quick IM online one night and he said "hey, I'm going back to Ring of Honor and I'm thinking of having this quote unquote heel ring announcer and I want you to do it.

Plus I've heard of Ring of Honor and known people who've worked for Ring of Honor, but I've never seen a Ring of Honor. And I remember being there for that first match with Homicide and remember being blown away. The lighting, the athletisicm, the production, just a great thing.

After a while the Corino thing died down. And about a year later they contacted me, saying hey a ring announcer position has opened up, are interested in taking it? I said yes and that was back in Novemeber or 04. So it's been about 4 and 1/2 years at every taping, up and down the road.

HTR:Can you tell us about the Ring of Honor champ Nigel McGuiness?

BC:Fans are going to see a cocky arrogant, very stuck on himself personality. But there also going to see one of the best wrestlers in the world. There's no doubt about that. He can back up everything he says. His reign in Ring of Honor is pushing serious time here. He's battled everybody and defeated everybody, on numerous of occasions. It's been quite a run watching him come into his own, especially the last two years. And he totally deserves to be the world champion.

BR: Do you think of having the same buzz as ECW when it was the third option?

BC: Yeah, in a way. You have to have that third option, a strong alternative. Yeah you have to have that backstage stuff like that, but we'll focus on the wrestling. But we have the SmackTalk, as people are walking to the ring, cause that doesn't cost us any time.

We'll do more backstage stuff, because you have to have it for TV. But not to the level of the other two. Otherwise we'd be just like them and not an alternative. We don't say we're an entertainment company. We're a wrestling company.

HTR: If you haven't seen them before you need to. They've got tapings coming up April 9 & 10 in Philly, Montreal April 17, Toronto April 18 Dayton April 24, Chicago Ridge April 25. If you need more info, check out www.ROHwrestling.com. You're definitely on the right path Bobby. And I want to thank you for coming on.

BC:Thank you, any time guys.

Hit the Ropes went three on one with Ring of Honor star Brent Albright on the latest edition of our weekly radio show this past Wednesday. Go downloa

Hit the Ropes went three on one with Ring of Honor star Brent Albright on the latest edition of our weekly radio show this past Wednesday. Go download the archives to hear the whole show in its entirety.

But Hit the Ropes Radio gave “The Shooter” Brent Albright a call to find out what he was up to and where he’s been. Check out his thoughts on WCW and WWE growing up, his idea of where ROH is headed and his battles with CM Punk and Adam Pearce.


Hit the Ropes Radio:We’re here with Ring of Honor’s Brent Albright, Brent how ya doing?

Bent Albright: Oh I’m doing great, how are you guys?


HTR: We’re doing great. Now we want to catch up those who aren’t as familiar with ROH, tell us a little about yourself.

BA: I’m from Tulsa, OK. I’ve been working with Ring of Honor for about three years now; I’ve been wrestling for 11 years. If you’re wondering about my style, my style is a mat based style, technical style, ground and pound style, with a little areal mixed in.


Like I said, I’ve been wrestling for ROH, Japan, OVW for three years, Smackdown for three months, and the Indys in the Midwest. And that’s me in a nutshell.


HTR: You’ve been around for a while, wrestled in a lot of organizations, and our poll question for today is at “what year did TNA break away from the NWA?” And you know a little about the NWA as you feuded over the NWA heavyweight title. Can you tell us a little about that?

BA: Yeah, I feuded over that belt with Adam Pearce. We’ve feuded since Sept. 1, 2007 down in Puerto Rico. And in Aug. 2, 2008 we feuded in New York City over the NWA title. It was an incredible match and we tore the house down. It was something I’ll never forget, it was awesome.

HTR: It sounds awesome. Now you say you have a technical base, which has allowed you to go with any style. And you’ve pretty much have gone against everyone. Down in your days of OVW you faced a list of who’s who of up and comers, who was your favorite to face off with?

BA: Other than Adam Pearce, it has to be CM Punk. We had the same kind of chemistry as Adam Pearce and I. We just tore the house down and left matches that people remember. One of the highlights of my career has been being able to work with him.


HTR: Right. Now you’re talking about great matches, and that’s what ROH’s known for. You don’t have the costume and people dressed up in funny suites…

BA: Now wait, we do have people dressed up in funny suites. We have El Generico. We’ve got Rhett Titus, I mean the man wears a bow tie to the ring and wrestles. We’ve got funny characters. H*ll, we’ve got a 5’2” lumberjack so come on. We’ve got some characters.


HTR: Yes that you do. But I was referring to the technical wrestling that ROH is known for and the great matches that have been displayed for years. And finally ya’ll have your TV show, what’s the atmosphere like in ROH right now? You’re about to blow up.

BA: With the transition of powers, the new regime as some like to call it, and the new booking… morale is up, morale is higher than it’s been in a while.

Especially with the debut of our TV show, with the tapings being in Philadelphia at the old ECW arena. I mean the atmosphere in the locker room is awesome.

Everyone has seen with the WWE has to offer, what TNA has to offer, and now they’ll be able to see ROH in three weeks when the tapings are done. Right off the bat into 17 million homes.

And hopefully with the network that we’re on (HDNet) they’re only gonna get bigger and we’re gonna get bigger. I just expect great things coming out of it.

HTR: ROH is on the up and up. Where do you see the company in five years? With the TV show, do you think they will get on a broadcast network or what?

BA: That’s hard to say. I know HDNet is growing going into 17 million homes, and hopefully 70 million homes next year, and in the next two years maybe even 100 million homes.

That in itself will be a network. More people are having access to HD channels so who knows. The sky’s the limit in the next 5 years.


HTR: I checked out the matches, the action is great and the fans are crazy. Give the listeners an idea what’s it like to go to a ROH show.

BA: For me, when my music hits, especially in NYC. I walk through the curtain in front of 2,000 people, their banging on the guard rails. Their starting all the chanting, “Kick his *ss” and all that. The atmosphere is electric. Fans are used to a high impact, high flying show, and that’s what we try to deliver every time.


You got some fans that will say, “I didn’t like this or I didn’t like that” but for one or two that say that you have two or 300 hundred that say it’s awesome. And even those who say otherwise, they still come back and buy tickets, so they must be liking something.



HTR: It’s so surprising how ROH has been able to hold on so long without TV. You hear about them mostly through trading DVDs, but now you’ve got “Rise Above” PPV on the Dish Network and the TV show on HDNet. For those who don’t know, who are you feuding with right now?

BA: Right now I’ve got a little rivalry with Claudia Casanova. When we met in Detroit I had him in a submission and he tapped out. But his foot was in the ropes and the ref says a rope break trumps a tap out.

In my book it’s the other way around. I got DQ’d but we’re gonna meet again in Danbury, Connecticut, so just like last time I’m gonna make him tap out. Only this time it’ll be in the middle of the ring.

HTR: That match in on the 27th?

BA: Yeah, Friday the 27th. Then we tape our TV show in Philadelphia on Saturday, followed up again at the old ECW arena for a show on Sunday.


HTR: How was it wrestling in the ECW arena?

BA: I had never wrestled in the ECW arena until six months ago, and I thought it was awesome wrestling in an arena that had so much history. And it was funny I was wrestling as the NWA champion, in an NWA title match, in the same building where the belt got thrown into the trash can.


In that regard I thought it was really unique and I’d get a chance to do the NWA title proud.


HTR: Since you brought the NWA title. A lot of greats have held that title over the decades. How does it feel to hold a title that was held by Flair, Rhodes and other greats?

BA: It’s awesome. Even though the NWA doesn’t get as much press that it did back in the ‘70s and ‘80s but it means a lot to me. Just to be a part of the NWA and NWA history and having my name go in the history books as a champ, it’s definitely a highlight of my career.

Especially to win it in NYC, in a state that the title has never been defended in, never been won in, it was awesome. To have the kind of match that Adam Pearce and I’ve had, a match that I’ll be able to tell my kids about is great.


HTR: Sticking with the whole NWA, who from the past NWA organization would you go one on one with if you could?

BA: Man, I think there’s a couple. Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Rick Steamboat. There’s a lot that I would love to work with.


HTR:Did you grow up on the NWA or are you one of those guys who were pulled into wrestling later?

BA: I caught in on wrestling in the late '80s, ’88 or ’89. WCW on TBS, I think Crockett was running it still back then. But of course I remembered Hulk Hogan, Big Boss Man and the Junk Yard Dog from the WWF. I can remember seeing Sting and Arn Anderson for the first time.


All the guys from WCW. I remember seeing the WWF as more colorful and cartoonish while WCW was more… it was real, it was wrestling. And I enjoyed that different feel from it. So that’s what I grew up on.


But I started really getting into wrestling with Monday Night Raw. But you had wrestling on TBS, WCW Saturday Night, where they did the taping from the Orlando Studios, with the rotating ring. Man that was awesome.

I remember seeing Regal on there, Bobby Eaton, Triple H a few times as Terror Ryzing. It was awesome.


HTR: You’ve been on the fan side, and obviously the wrestling side, what is your reaction when fans come up to you? Cause it seems that when people hit it big they forget about when they were watching WCW Saturday night, and when they were a fan. How do you react when someone comes up to you?

BA: You know what? As long as they’re polite and ask and don’t demand, because there is a difference you know, as long as they’re polite I’ll give them an autograph. I don’t care. It’s part of the job.


But if you come up to me and you think I owe it to you to give an autograph, I’ll tell you to piss off. I’m human just like everyone else. I don’t owe anybody anything. But if you want to be cordial or polite, I’ll give you autographs all day.


HTR: Well we definitely thank you for coming on. We want to make sure we tell all the fans to check out ROHWrestling.comso all the fans can check out Brent Albright and the rest of the Ring of Honor stars. Once again Brent, it’s been a pleasure and we hope you’ll come back on once the TV show’s done taping.


BA: Hey, anytime guys. Don’t forget to check out ROH’s TV show on HDNet, the PPV Rising Above on the Dish Network and ROHWrestling.com. Check it out it’s good stuff.


To find out more, listen in to Hit the Ropes Radio. This week's special guests: Former WWE Tough Enough Winner Daniel Puder and Gustavo Mendoza of Booker T's PWA.

Hit the Ropes Radio Show

Interview with ROH's Nigel McGuinness

Recently I got the chance to interview Ring of Honor's Heavyweight Champion, Nigel McGuinness via email.

For those who aren't familiar with the Nigel McGuinness, just YouTube him and you'll see just why he's set the independent wrestling scene on fire.

Born in London, England the 6'1" 220lbs phenom made quick work of legendary Les Thatcher's wrestling school.He has made his way, holding world titles everywhere he's gone.

Known for his Jawbreaker lariat, carefree attitude and his in your face style, this spiked hair warrior from across the pond is as fierce as he is cocky.

He's had notable feuds with Brian Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli.

But without further delay, here's what Nigel McGuinness had to say:

Daris Brown: I read you became a serious fan after attending the SummerSlam PPV where Bret Hart battled British Bulldog. What gave you the confidence to think you could fly to the US and succeed as a professional wrestler?
Nigel McGuinness: Movies. Hope.

DB: Who has had the greatest impact in your career?
NM: Les Thatcher. Shark Boy. William Regal. Samoa Joe. Bryan Danielson.

DB: Why is it that we see long title reigns, such as yours in ROH, where in WWE and TNA the belt changes every other month?
NM: Just a difference of philosophy.

DB: Who’s your favorite opponent?
NM: Clamdigger Danielson.

DB: Who haven’t you faced that you’d like to tie up with?
NM: John Cena on PPV.

DB: You’ve been one of the longest reigning champions in ROH, defeated the best the business has to offer, what’s left for you to do there?
NM: Create a legacy, best Joe's record.

DB: If you weren’t a pro wrestler, how would you make a living?
NM: Writer, salesman, barman.

DB:Best thing about being a pro wrestler?
NM: It's what I always wanted to do.

DB: Worst thing about being a pro wrestler?
NM: Destroying your body.

DB: If you had to start your own promotion, who would be the first person you’d sign? Why?
NM: Dragon. 2nd best wrestler in the world.

DB: What’s one thing your fans would be surprised to find out about you?
NM: I like classical music.

DB: What’s the best road story you can share?
NM: Nothing worth writing.

DB: You’ve appeared in both the WWE and TNA for brief stints, with your huge success in the independents, why haven’t you been signed by the “big two” yet?
NM: If you figure it out let me know.

DB: Any advice to those thinking about getting into the business?
NM: Don't. Unless you a. look like Brock Lesnar, or b. don't care if you make money at it.

DB: Anything you’d like to share with your fans?
NM: Their disrespect.