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Pete Gas Discusses His Run in WWE, Animosity From The Locker Room, Shane McMahon Kayfabing Him About His Return, More

September 15, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka

– Former Mean Street Pose member Pete Gas appeared on Main Event Radio, here are the highlights…

Was there ever any animosity towards him in the locker room: No one would ever really show it. There were a lot of guys who were able to open up to us and accept us. There were some, maybe not to your face but you know that there is animosity. It was one of those things that I understand why…those guys all paid their dues and we had to pay our dues in a different way. We paid our dues in the ring; a lot of these guys really beat the hell out of us. At the end of each match, we smiled and showed respect and shook our opponent’s hands. By the end by the time it was all said and done we earned respect in the locker room which is one of the most important things about being there. JBL, he’s beat me in the head with chairs so many times. [APA] were a little stiff with us. After the match, I shook his hand and said thank you. He told me months later that that was the day I earned his respect.

Looking back at the Attitude Era and the Mean Street Posse: There’s no word to really do it justice. Going out with the pyro going off, crowd going crazy, girls flashing. You’re walking out and you wonder what it’s like to being a rock star when you’re out in that atmosphere. I was just proud to be around. We got thrown into the ring from being on the street performing with the best athletes in the business. We gave them everything we had for 3 years. If we sucked we would have been gone the next day. We were improving, we had heat with the crowd and that’s why we stayed as long as we did. I wish I could have shown people what I could have really done. It’s kind of unique. What you do with your opportunities is what is most important. We would drive city to city and talk about how we could get better and we’d watch tapes. I wanted to prove that I belonged and getting respect in the locker room.

Finding it difficult when his run came to an end: I don’t care who says it’s not, they’re full of it. It is a great lifestyle. I loved every day, every minute. Jumped out of bed, couldn’t wait to know what I was doing that day. I wanted to learn, wanted to prove that I belonged. It’s a hard pill to swallow when it’s done. You feel real special when you’re doing it and then it goes away and it hits you. Considering how much your body gets beat up it was worth every bit of it and I would do it again.

Jeff Jarrett wanting him to bash the McMahons: I remember being on the trading floor at Wall Street talking to Jeff [Jarrett]. And he said I’d love to bring you in [to NWA-TNA] but you’re going to have to bad mouth the McMahon’s. I told him I didn’t feel comfortable with it and that I had to speak with Shane [McMahon] about it. Never had that talk, never heard back from Jeff, and I left it at that. I would have had a very hard time with that. Somebody gives you an opportunity you don’t go around and stab them in the back. It’s something I wouldn’t have done without talking to Shane first and he probably wouldn’t have been too thrilled about it.

Shane kayfabing him the day of his return to WWE: I actually called Shane the day he returned to WWE to catch up with him. He was delivering a guitar to his son’s school. Didn’t think much of it, got off the phone with him and about 4 hours later he’s on the first segment of Monday Night Raw. I called him and told him he kayfabed me and we had a good laugh about it. He told me that he didn’t kayfabe me; that he just didn’t tell me where he was going next/I didn’t ask him. He and I live our lives by the kayfabe, but he’s annoying about it. It’s been like that since we were kids. It just never ends with him.

Any chance of Pete Gas returning: I highly doubt that. I’m 46 years old. I’m in better shape now than when I first started wrestling. I don’t see it happening but you never say never in this business. When I got let go, I went to his office a couple of days later. I thanked him for the best 3 years of my life and I told him if he ever needed me back he wouldn’t even have to ask; that the answer is yes. There are a lot of great young talents right now so they don’t need me but if they call me I’ll be there. For the 15th anniversary of Raw, I had 8 tickets that were given to me by Shane to sit in the crowd with my softball buddies. I wasn’t in ring shape back then and he calls the day of the show and says “You wanna work?”. So anything can happen with Shane.

article topics :

Pete Gas, WWE, Larry Csonka