In an exclusive interview for WrestlingNews.co, Fred Rosser (former WWE star Darren Young) spoke with Steve Fall’s Ten Count. Scroll down to watch the full video interview.
Rosser on what it means to be the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion:
“It means the world to me because it’s my first major singles championship. I held the tag team title with Titus O’Neil in WWE. I’ll never, ever forget that moment. And now being the Strong Openweight Champion. It’s like, New Japan is sacred to me. That’s what it means to me. It’s sacred to me. And you know, when something is sacred to you, you treat it differently. You know what I mean? Whether I’m champion or not 20 years in this business, September 11 2002., I’ve been rocking and rolling. I still get to the building early. I don’t want special treatment, meaning staying in fancy hotels and stuff like that. Let me stay with the young lions, the New Japan young lions. So no special treatment for Mr. No Days Off.”
On how important it is to represent NJPW in America:
“New Japan Strong for me is like NXT. New Japan Strong is my baby. I’m the heart and soul of New Japan Strong and for me, at the end of the day, whether it’s on live TV or whether it’s on social media. For me, social media is like a second job…Whether it’s on social media or on the big screen, I want people to look at me who might identify with me and say to themselves, well, if he can make moves, then so can I. I would say my fight is much more bigger than in the ring. I’m fighting for more than just championships. I’m fighting for the people that say ‘Oh, you can’t achieve your dreams because you have a speech impediment, or you’re overweight.’ I’m fighting for those people that if they want to live out their dreams, then so be it. And that’s what I’m doing right now. So I want to be a representation, we need more representation, whether you’re gay, straight, or it doesn’t matter. When I won this championship a few [months] ago in Philadelphia, it didn’t matter whether I was gay or straight or African American, it didn’t matter. The people were rooting for me, the people were invested in the story. And that’s all that matters to me right now.”
On the reaction from the WWE locker room when he came out:
“Yeah, it’s always a good question to ask me. I always say every day is a coming out experience. So whether I’m doing this interview, or whether I’m sitting at the airport with someone who looks at me and says, ‘Oh, man, this is a big guy.’ We can talk at the airport, I tell them who I am. And they immediately Google me so that’s why I always say, every day is a coming out experience. So from guys like Randy Orton, who I still communicate with to this day. Mark Henry, Sheamus, Titus O’Neil [and a] plethora other superstars, they made it a lot more easy for me to walk into a locker room. I always say on my social media, anyone that doesn’t have that support system, whether it’s in their family, or their friendships, be a part of my family on social media. My social media is an open diary to the world. So anything I ever post or talk about always comes from the heart with the intent to motivate and inspire the masses. So I always say every day, my feet touch the ground. Someone’s counting on me to share my story on social media. But all in all, the WWE supported me, and we still communicate, but my goal right now is to knock it out the park with New Japan, New Japan Strong.”
On Vince McMahon not making it a storyline after Rosser came out publicly:
“It was Vince McMahon that actually reached out to me when I came out publicly. And we talked for 20 minutes. And it was really genuine. He said, about how one of his best friends Pat Patterson, God rest of the soul, was also gay. It was a good talk. You know what I mean? And I’ll never say a bad thing about Vince McMahon because a lot of people don’t know he was the one that gave me that opportunity with Bob Backlund. Tag teams don’t last forever. You can say what you want about Vince McMahon but when I proposed the idea of teaming with Bob Backlund he listened to me, he saw my visuals, he saw my ideas, and I sold them on it and we ran with it. I just always say it’s just unfortunate that the people that work with Vince McMahon [or] under Vince McMahon didn’t have my back, you know, but it is what it is. It was a time of my life being with Bob Backland. Vince McMahon gave me the opportunity to do that. So yeah, Vince McMahon had said when I came out publicly that he didn’t want it to be a storyline. And I said to myself, well, I’m fine with that. As long as I can be myself and be comfortable. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I don’t have to do wrestling promos like this (tough guy voice) to sound tough and sound masculine anymore. Steve, I don’t have to talk like that. I can talk like myself like I’m talking with you right now.”
On why he is so proud to be part of NJPW Strong:
“I’m proud of my moments with WWE. But the thing about New Japan is they’ve given me the opportunity. And it didn’t matter whether I was gay or African American or anything. I always say during the Olympics, when my family was rooting for other countries, I was always rooting for Japan and my family would always be like, ‘Why are you always rooting for Japan?’ I said because New Japan were the first to put me on the marquee before WWE, so that’s very meaningful to me….For me, there’s so much wrestling, there’s so much content out there to be a part of New Japan, New Japan Strong, and to be up on the marquee amongst some crazy talent. You know, you got Jay White, you got Ishii, Tanahashi, Eddie Kingston, Rocky Romero, a plethora of incredible talent. So, for me still 20 years in this business, I’m still studying and praying and studying and praying and studying and praying because I want to be able to keep up with these guys. The style is different, the Strong Style, fighting spirit is like no other. So to be able to adapt, which not to toot my own horn, I’ve been able to adapt to the style so well. I’m in love with the style, and hopefully, I can experience Japan. I’ve wrestled all over the world but wrestling in Japan is still a bucket list of mine. So hopefully within the next couple of months that will happen.”
His thoughts on the original NXT and Nexus getting buried:
“Steve, I don’t know if you’ve had any of the members of the Nexus on but I think all of our stories are different. A lot of mine is a blur. It’s been five years since I’ve been alcohol-free. So back during the Nexus [I was] heavy into the alcohol. So a lot of it was a blur. But I remember the original season of NXT. I hated it, I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I made it known publicly because I always said if I wanted to do American Gladiators or if I wanted to do American Ninja Warrior, that’s what I would have signed up for. But this game show type deal really exposed me because when you’re not good at juggling, and you’re being forced to juggle in front of a crowd, it’s even that much harder for the crowd to get invested in you because they look at you and say, Oh, look at this joke, they’re not going to take you seriously and it took me a long time to get comfortable. And my confidence level was very, very low. And again, during the Nexus I wasn’t comfortable and out with myself so that’s when I was doing those Shane Douglas deepening my voices moments and just not comfortable amongst the guys…The original season of NXT I hated it. When the Nexus came to Miami and delivered, we had to deliver. That was pretty much what was told to us by Vince McMahon and Michael Hayes and Arn Anderson that were around. We needed to deliver because if you didn’t, someone was going to get fired. So a lot of pressure. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. I remember knocking out the timekeeper. I remember clotheslining John Cena. I remember wreaking havoc during that entire summer and wrestling John Cena, him and I going over 15 minutes and it was that moment wrestling John Cena representing the Nexus, that’s when WWE took a liking to me and said wow this guy can really deliver so that was a really cool moment sharing the ring with Cena one on one main eventing Raw so it’s a moment that I’ll never forget.”
Click below to watch the interview.
This interview is exclusive to WrestlingNews.co. If you use these quotes, please include a link back to this page.
