Former WWE Superstar, UFC Hall Of Famer & MMA Legend Dan “The Beast” Severn joined the Duke Loves Rassin Podcast for an Exclusive Interview.
You can listen to the full interview in the embedded player at the top of this post. We have included some transcribed highlights, provided by Duke Loves Wrestling, below.
I always credit Mark “The Hammer” Coleman for probably kicking me the hardest. I got kicked so hard I saw three of him and the other two were just a figment of my imagination.
I can say just like this; YES.. Al Snow taught me how to strike and he did a horrible job. If I’m going to throw myself under the bus I’m going to take Al with me! Watching me strike was like watching stand up comedy. When I found out I was going to be in my first UFC I trained 5 days, an hour and a half a day. Between Al and his two other Professional Wrestling Protégées they only had 1 old pair of box gloves between them. So one guy would get tired then the next would come in and then he’d get tired and then the other one would come in. I stayed in the entire time and they’d be arguing with each other saying it’s your turn no it’s your turn. I never trained a single strike or a single legitimate submission. I’d stay out of range, close in and take my opponent down and make them scream or squawk and I was good to go. I don’t think you can find another human being that can make that claim that the trained an hour and a half a day for 5 days with 3 professional wrestlers in a wrestling ring and yet got the results I got in MMA.
It was great to know you made it to work for the number 1 company in the world but by the same token I was never utilized anywhere near my potential. Jim Cornette has done a number of interviews sticking up for me explaining there were certain limitations that I have where I’m not that guy that is going to cut great promos, I am a guy that knows physical mechanics and can take care of business that way. I was the first Wrestler ever to be non exclusive. At the time I was working for the WWE I was working for the NWA, I was working for the WWE and for the UFC and I was not exclusive to any of them. There were days when I’d be on the road and have three different bags packed and have to remind myself what I am today; a pro wrestler or a MMA guy.
The Sham! The sham in the sense of not following through, the short change, the shim sham dance but couldn’t back it up. I should have never gone against him the very first time. When the match was being set up I questioned UFC; how is this a Superfight? The man has never won anything. I’ve been in Superfights in Amateur Wrestling against people that have actually won things. Shamrock had that sterioded up physique that the UFC wanted to push at the time. They wanted to push someone who looked like that instead of someone who looked like Tank Abbott. I MADE Ken Shamrock by losing to him in one match. Name anyone he’s ever beat since then. Nobody! I’m not trying to be mean, but I rub people’s face in the truth.
He will get away with whatever he thinks he can get away with. I was used really well in the beginning and when they realized they had no control mechanisms over me that’s when creative started throwing me some crazy angles. I was first billed as a no nonsense babyface that just took care of business and Jim Cornette was my mouthpiece. All of a sudden they pitch me ideas when they want to tattoo 666 on me, the mark of the beast, and all of these other crazy ideas.
The F-Bomb king. He says the F-Bomb quite a bit. He even has it on a painting up on his wall. The F-Bomb King.
Almost every November the interviews come up; who’s got the better mustache. I always say Don is younger and his is much bigger and bolder but at least I’m the originator. Don was one of my wrestlers when I was coaching at Arizona State; he was living with my Younger Brothers. I still talk to Don on a monthly basis.