Ron Simmons Talks "DAMN!" Catchphrase And Possible WWE Hall Of Fame Induction
Former WCW World Champion and former three-time WWE World Tag Team Champion Ron Simmons was one of the featured guest on this week's live edition of Monday Night Mayhem. Here are some interview highlights courtesy of Paterson, MNM's associate producer & official correspondent:
Why he's looking forward to being a part of the forthcoming NWA Legends Fan Fest next month in Atlanta & interacting with his fans personally: "For me, I take a lot more personal than a lot of the guys do, because when you're on the road as much as I've been during my career in wrestling, you don't get a chance to interact with the fans the way you would want to. For years, any of the guys & girls have questions they wanted to ask me and many things about matches, things that I have done & enjoyed over the years and a lot of things they want to know about me personally even about my football career. This is an opportunity for me now, since I'm retired from the ring, to give back in a way, and I'm looking forward to it."
What he believes is the one thing that contributed to his success & longevity during his careers in both football & professional wrestling: "I have to say for me personally, coming from the background I did, not having a mother & father at an early age, wanting not to be another statistic out there, and for people to have pity on me and look at how I grew up. I didn't want that, and I dedicated myself to making sure, whatever it was I getting into, that I was going to do it and do my very best at it."
Why he is not surprised that his "DAMN!" catchphrase caught on with fans and still resonates today: "I'm not surprised at the way it has caught on, because I think there is always someone in real life that is going to do something that will make you say DAMN. I think it's like a big relief that I say it, so when they sit next to the person that does something, they could say 'That's exactly what I want to say to you.'"
What a WWE Hall of Fame induction would mean to him personally & professionally: "Over my career and now as things have wound down for me, I have been fortunate enough to be elected into a lot of Hall of Fames: College Football, the FSU (Florida State University) Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. All of those things mean a lot to me. If that is to happen to me, I would probably be overcome with emotion. I know what I had to go through, I know what it took to get there, and for me to be standing on the same platform as some of the guys I've admired coming up in the wrestling world, it's going to rank right up there with being the first African-American to win the Heavyweight Championship and being selected to go into the College Football Hall of Fame. It's gonna rank up there with me."
For the full interview, go to MondayNightMayhem.com.
Source: Monday Night Mayhem