Former WWE star/Producer David “Fit” Finlay was interviewed by David Penzer this week on the “Sitting Ringside” podcast. Finlay talked about working in Europe, moving to the United States and working in WCW, his move to WWE, and much more.
Finlay talked about the difference between wrestling in Europe compared to coming into WCW. He said, “I was a little bit disillusioned because I wasn’t wrestling every day. I wasn’t involved in everything. It was a wrestling culture shock. It’s a whole different culture between Europe and the U.S. I couldn’t get around. I didn’t have a car. But, no matter where I went, I wrestled the same. I had my own style I guess. It’s the way I wrestle. To me, I didn’t really didn’t get over in WCW at all. I think I floundered there. I don’t think anyone knew what to do with me. It was a short lived thing in my opinion. It didn’t work. There was Scott Hall and all those guys who came over at the same time shortly before I did. I think I was overshadowed by those guys and rightly so because they were the stars. It was a little bit of a shock to me that I wasn’t involved very much. I was a little bit depressed. I just wanted to be in the ring and do my thing. I just wanted to be doing what I’ve done all my life and not sitting at home…I just felt that WCW didn’t do me any favors and I probably didn’t do them any favors either.
Finlay was asked if training the women was something he was assigned to do or something he took an interest in doing? He said, “I was assigned to the girls. I had to work with them doing bra and panties matches and lingerie matches, pillow fights, thanksgiving dinner matches, musical chairs. You know who I am. You know what makes me tick. This really is not in my wheelhouse. It’s not who I am. I did it and tried my best at it. The girls were doing good, I was getting embarrassed telling these girls how to strip each other off doing a sunset flip or whatever it may be. Eventually, I got the girls and sat most of them down and said, ‘I don’t know how you feel about this, but let me tell you how I feel about it.’
I told them I was embarrassed about how to talk to a girl on how to take her clothes off in a wrestling match. It was degrading to them, I thought. We all agreed and hugged and high fived. We made a plan and I said I’m going to teach you how to wrestle. That’s what we did. I got my wrist slapped and told this is not what we want. They said we don’t want girls wrestling like guys. We want them pulling hair, cat fighting and screaming and yelling, wardrobe malfunctions. Stubbornly, I just kept plugging on and teaching them how to wrestle. I would have the girl come to the ring and be in there for 4 or 5 hours a day to try to get this going and eventually it went more to wrestling than gimmick matches. That’s how it went. Then of course, for whatever reason, WWE decided they did want a women’s wrestling division and of course, it’s their idea, right?”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Sitting Ringside with David Penzer with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
