wrestling / News

Aiden English on How Intimidating It Can Be Having One-on-One Time With Vince McMahon

September 24, 2020 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
WWE Vince McMahon, Samoa Joe WWE, MVP, NXT Image Credit: WWE

Fightful recently interviewed former WWE Superstar Aiden English (aka Matt Rehwoldt), who discussed how intimidating it can be when you get into a room with Vince McMahon. Below are some highlights.

English on his time interacting with Vince McMahon: “A little bit. Not as much as I wanted and also that I should have made time for. You hear a lot from guys. Number one—it’s Vince McMahon. It’s intimidating just on who he is alone. Then, he’s incredible busy. Especially, television is the one chance you get with him, the one time a week because it’s the only time you’re going to see him. So, he’s really busy, he’s trying to get the show together. He’s super passionate. So like, sometimes he’s all involved in this segment trying to make it work, so he doesn’t have time to talk with everyone. Or he’s in meetings with writers, but by the way, he’s still the CEO. So, he’s got phone calls from that stuff going on. So, knocking on that door and getting in that room in television day, which is already busy is really hard. But, I will say the guys who are very successful make it a point to get that rapport and get that regular contact. That’s something on me that I wish I would have tried a little harder at, I’ll be honest.”

On the one-on-one time he had with Vince: “I did get a couple of chances of having one-on-ones with him. All I have to say—once you’re in there, once you can get that time, that’s the hardest part. Once you’re in that room with him, eye-to-eye, he’s intense and if he’s feeling strong about something he doesn’t mince words. But, he’s on the level. He’s real. He tries to make whatever he can work for you. He’s just a guy at the end of the day. Like, that sounds so cheesy and banal. But, he is. Once you’re talking to him, he’s not so intimidating. It’s just getting in there, breaking that ice and getting it started.”

English on having to split with Rusev: “We had kinda fought together. ‘Can we keep this going?’ But, it just came down from on high, it’s coming to an end. It’s like, ‘Okay. We tried, and that’s fine.’ But, I remember, ‘Alright, if it’s gonna end, then let’s do something big with it. Let’s make it count.’ I had a lot of ideas for how I could take that and make it work for me and for both of us, and have a chance for me to expand my character after that. It just some things fly and some things don’t. Unfortunately a lot of the ideas I had just kept hitting brick walls.”