Rhino appeared on this week’s “Talk ‘N Shop” to discuss declining to continue his WWE career, as well as Sabu’s reluctance to discuss their friendship.
Rhino on why he turned down the WWE’s offer to renew his contract in 2019:
“They offered me the biggest contract they ever offered me. This was in 2019,” Rhino revealed for the first time. “The thing was, it wasn’t like ‘F’ you, I’ll one up you, I’m better than this or better than that.”
“They had a lot of guys under contract. Heath (Slater) and I were on the road only like one house show loop a month, and I love being on the road. I enjoy it. I enjoy being around the boys. I like to work. I would be sitting home more, making money, but just going into TV. I was becoming miserable.”
“I was not hating not the wrestling business, I was just hating life. I talked to Scott (D’Amore) when I was able to. He said, ‘We love you, but we have a budget. It’s pretty tight, but you can go out and do indies.’ I always enjoyed the indie scene. I like finding that talent and helping the talent out. I like being on the road and I could drive.”
Rhino explaining why Sabu would not admit he was friends with him for the first six months Rhino was in ECW:
“He (Sabu) told me after six months, ‘The reason why I told everybody you’re not my boy and I wouldn’t communicate with you is because we wouldn’t develop that friendship.’”
“He (Sabu) would bring in guys, friends, that would deserve a spot because they worked hard. Him and Paul (Heyman) had a love/hate relationship. Paul would hire them, bring them in, use them, f*ck with them, and then get rid of them. He said, ‘With you, I made it a point to make sure nobody thought you were my boy so if you got a job, it was because you were talented. If you didn’t get a job, it’s because you didn’t earn a job and you didn’t deserve it at this moment in time.’”
“Whether Paul f*cked with the people that were friends (of Sabu), I don’t know, but that’s his side of the story.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Talk’n Shop with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
