Former WWE star MVP was recently interviewed by The Mirror to talk about several professional wrestling topics. MVP discussed how much longer he wants to wrestle, reflecting on his WWE run with pride, and if he regrets not getting a main event level feud with the company. Here are the highlights:
How much longer he wants to wrestle:
“I am at a point in my career where I am ready to transition. I always said that I was going to retire at 45, and I’ll be 45 in October. I decided that I still look and feel pretty good, so I’m going to hang around for a couple more years, but I know that my actual in-ring career is coming to a close.
“I am ready to move into the next phase of my career, which would be motivational speaking. I know that my life story is an inspirational one and one that can, hopefully, help others achieve goals in their own lives.”
Reflecting on his WWE run with pride:
“Sure, absolutely. I think about that young kid who grew up in Florida with a single mom and in poverty, essentially. I made some bad decisions and was able to overcome that because Vince McMahon gave me an opportunity. Society said ‘You’re an ex-convict, we’ll give you a minimum wage job,’ but Vince said ‘Hey, you’re talented, let’s give you an opportunity.’
“I was able to travel the world as one of WWE’s top talents. I was able to take people that I watched on television with awe and make them my peers and my colleagues, and I was a two-time United States Champion and a Tag Team Champion. So I look back and go ‘Wow – I’m in the history books!'”
If he regrets not getting a main event level feud with the company:
“Well, I wouldn’t say regret because it was never something I could control. So you can’t ever really have regrets over things you literally have no control of. Should I have been a WWE Champion? A lot of people seem to think so and I certainly do because anytime you lace up your boots, you do it to be the absolute best.
“But there are some legends like Mr Perfect and Scott Hall – guys who were definitely top-tier with amazing careers that never really had the chance to hold the top belt. But that’s fine, because at the end of the day, like I said, I look at my body of work and I’m in the history books and was one of the longest-reigning United States Champions in history.
“I’ve been a champion at every promotion I’ve been at, so I would have liked a chance to show that I could have been a top champion, but I don’t think it takes away from my overall history.”
