Kazarian recently spoke with Metal Injection about various topics. Here are the highlights.
On bringing more heavy metal elements into his character:
“In the last couple of years, I’ve really been trying to extend the heavy metal part of me into the wrestling part of me more than in the past. In the past, I was kind of bound down by the shackles of what a pro wrestler should look like. Well you know what, I want to look like a kid at a heavy metal concert. I want to look like a guy at a Maiden show.”
On having more freedom to build his character in Ring of Honor:
“Daniels and myself ran into problems with logos in the past with TNA and other places. Whether it be him wearing a shirt that had Marvel Comics on it or me wearing a Pantera shirt to the ring. We were always told, ‘Nope, don’t do that’ and yeah, Ring of Honor has never said a word to me. So I would probably not be allowed to wear the battle vest or a (Judas) Priest shirt if we weren’t in Ring of Honor, but I think Ring of Honor understands that this is an extension of my character. and I don’t think any of the bands would mind either — ‘Hey, this guy is flying the flag for heavy metal.’”
On meeting the late Lemmy Kilmister:
“Lemmy was there at The Pond in Anaheim, and me walking in being a metalhead, and finding out what I was going to do or not do that day, and seeing, like ‘Holy shit, there’s Motorhead! there’s Lemmy! Why is he here?’ And this was when he started doing (HHH’s) music. So, I’m saying to myself, ‘I have to go up and say hello to him.’ And I had that opportunity, even though it was just a little, ‘Hello sir, I’m a big fan of you… ‘Oh, hello thank you’ and that was it. But that was all I needed. I probably wouldn’t have had that opportunity if not for wrestling.
