Konnan recently spoke with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated Extra Mustard ahead of this past weekend’s Aro Lucha event; you can read a few highlights below:
Konnan comments on being outspoken, promotions being loyal to talent:
“Companies are loyal to you as long as it is convenient to their interests. Why wouldn’t I think the same?
Don’t ask for my opinion if you don’t want to hear what I have to say. I’m not a stockholder. Companies play those mind games and a lot of people are afraid to leave promotions. You saw it in Mexico with CMLL and AAA, and you saw a little of it with WWE and WCW in the ‘90s with who was loyal and who wasn’t loyal to a company.”
Konnan comments on his brief run in WWE as Max Moon:
“Max Moon was a robot that had a lot of pieces to it. I would have to fly from Mexico to LA, then pick up the robot in LA, and I had to carry it everywhere. At this point, I was blowing up in Mexico and I just started on a Mexican soap opera. Why did I need to go to WWE? I was making good money and doing what I wanted, so I just stopped showing up for TV.”
“They called me one day and said, ‘You’re fired.’ I said, ‘OK, bye.’ It wasn’t a big deal to me. I didn’t grow up watching WWE or wanting to be there. Plus, I was already a star in Mexico. Much like what happened after I left CMLL, the WWE has held a grudge for a long time against me.”
Impact Wrestling Media Call Highlights & Full Audio feat. Josh Mathews, Sami Callihan & Konnan
Konnan comments on guiding young talent and giving them a platform to succeed:
“I remember sitting down with Eric Bischoff when I was in WCW, and listened to him bury Mick. I disagreed. It’s not like what the Kliq had you believe, where guys had to want to be like you and girls needed to want to f— you. That had changed. It’s just like when I heard guys say, ‘Oh, my son can beat up Rey Mysterio.’ That’s not what your son is thinking when he watches Rey. Your son is thinking, ‘This little guy is dope.’ Rey has drawn a lot of money. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for guys who have drawn because I know how hard it is.”
“There is something I love about recognizing raw talent, cultivating it, then watching it mature and become what it could be. Some people don’t know how great they can be unless you tell them and show them how to be great. So many young talent just need someone to believe in them and show them the right way to do things.”
Konnan talks about his goals for Aro Lucha:
“I’ve always wanted to bring lucha to the United States, but I haven’t been able to yet. I was in Lucha Underground, but they weren’t able to do what I thought they could have done. We can do it with Aro Lucha. It’s pure excitement and a lot of fun.”
The biggest pops of the night [at the Royal Rumble] were Helms and Rey, and they’re both with Aro Lucha. Rey starts on April 28, and he made more views on YouTube from the Royal Rumble than Ronda Rousey or Trish Stratus. Rey is a legend and a lucha god.”
“I listen to the people. Promotions think they’re smarter than the fans, but that’s when they get in trouble. This is for the fans. If you’re not listening to them, you’re not doing your job.
Roman Reigns still gets booed to this day. That’s the fans saying, ‘You didn’t give us what we wanted and we have long memories. So this is your guy, Roman Reigns? We’re going to boo him.’ The fans, for many years, have been given things they don’t like. This is not a knock on WWE, because they’re the best at what they do, but it’s hard to sit through Raw. It’s three monotonous hours, and they don’t give the people what they want all the time. Aro Lucha goes out and entertains the fans.”
