By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest Omos
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com
When he realized he was growing faster than average: “Not until I got to college in the States. It took me years of playing basketball, and then the doctor realized that what’s going on with you is not normal. Just thought I was a growing kid.”
On what would have happened had the doctor not realized: “I’d have been dead. So it’s kind of similar to what Andre the Giant had. It’s called acromegaly. I think Big Show has it as well. But mine is kind of unique, because I have acromegaly, I also have gigantism, just means that you just grow really, really tall, and I have what you call Partial Cushing’s disease. I don’t know how to explain, it’s kind of complicated, but I have all three combined, and it was the first time in endocrine history that they found a patient that has all three combined. So I’m a really, really rare case, to the point where they had a journal published about my case. Yes, it was a treat for endocrine doctors to say we have read about this in textbooks, but you’re the first person to admit that actually has this condition.”
On competing in Japan: “What happened was I saw Tavion Heights of NXT and Josh Briggs go to Japan. I was just watching the videos and everything. Then, as they were doing shows in Japan, an interview came out with Great Muta, they asked him who would you love to have in Japan? The first name he mentions is me. I’m like, Oh, wow. That’s great. I didn’t think he would remember me, but he did. So I kind of threw the idea to a couple of guys about Japan. I remember seeing Road Dogg at the PC [WWE Performance Center], ‘Hey, do you have a couple of minutes to chat? Not really busy right now, but I would love to go to Japan.’ He said, ‘You know what? Let me think about it.’ And then a couple months later, he was like, ‘Hey, you have an opportunity to go to Japan. Do you want to go?’ I was like, Yes! I want to go to Japan. To be honest, I am glad I did. I needed to go to Japan.”
On his style in Japan: “I would say a little bit [different]. I took a lot of things that I learned while I was working with MVP. There were a lot of things that we talked about when we were on the road together, because he taught me a lot. I just took all that style. When I was there, I called him because he wrestled in Japan. I called him. I called Shelton Benjamin, and they go, ‘Hey, in Japan, you’re a heel, be a heel. They love it, be the nastiest heel.’ I’m like, Oh, really? So I really got to embrace that. And they loved it.”
On whether there were concerns Brock Lesnar could not German suplex him: “No, Brock, he’s a specimen. I wasn’t worried at all. People forget he’s a farm boy. He throws hay for a living. So him picking me up at 300-400 pounds. I knew he was gonna be able to do that. If Bobby can pick me up, I knew he could. That was my first time ever taking a suplex. Never taken it in training, never done it in the PC, not from anyone. That’s the first time I ever took it in German suplex was during that match.”
Whether he took the move the day before: “No. He’s such a great dude. Because I remember during rehearsals, he just goes, ‘Hey, how many Germans do you want to do?’ I’m like, ‘Brother, it’s you, Brock. However much you want to give me. You’re doing me a favor with this match. So, however many Germans you want that makes you look good, we’re gonna do it.’ He goes, okay.”
On the F5: “That F5 was easy. The German suplexes sucked. But for the first time in my entire life, I never felt someone hook me that way, and I could feel the muscles contract when he picked me up. For the first time I felt that oh shit, I can’t do anything.”
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