MVP On Adjusting To Manager Role With Bobby Lashley, Getting Advice From Bobby Heenan Early In WWE Career

In a recent interview on After the Bell with Corey Graves, MVP discussed adjusting to his manager role with Bobby Lashley, getting advice from Bobby Heenan early in his WWE career, and much more. You can read MVP’s comments below.

MVP on his on-screen chemistry with Bobby Lashley: “I always tell young, up-and-coming professional wrestlers, when you’re trying to play a character that’s not really you, it’s going to be difficult and fans can register that. Sometimes, it’s not even consciously, it’s subconsciously and they pick up on it. But Bobby Lashley really is that combat athlete, Bobby loves to train, Bobby is happiest when he’s training and fighting. The Lashley that you see on the screen is Lashley with his own personality turned way up. MVP is me, with my volume, my personality volume on 11. If you look, that’s the reason that we work so well. If you look historically, all of the greats – Stone Cold Steve Austin, that’s Steve with the volume turned way up to his personality, Dwayne Johnson is The Rock. He just turns his volume on his personality up. In this case, that’s why me and Bobby work so well together because of the dynamic. Bobby is a man of few words, and I always have something to say.”


On making adjustments to become an effective manager: “It’s one of those things that’s just organic. I’ve had people ask me – we’re not gonna turn on Bobby and go after the WWE Championship. I have no desire to work that hard, man (laughs). MVP wants to go after the United States Championship? No, I don’t. So, in terms of adjustments, I’m just adjusting to life after wrestling while I can still wrestle. I will still wrestle periodically, but for the most part, I enjoy stepping into a Paul Heyman-like role. In my case, I’m a guy that can still climb into the ring and sit behind a commentary table and also film backstage vignettes.” 

On his conversations with Bobby Heenan early in his WWE career: “Many many years ago, in Tampa at Steve Keirn’s school of hard knocks before Florida Championship Wrestling, I had the pleasure of cutting a promo. We were shooting something and I saw Bobby Heenan walk into the garage. He was standing in the corner. As I’m cutting my promo, in my opinion, the greatest manager of all time, one of the greatest commentators of all time, and one of the greatest brains the business has ever seen, is standing there watching me cut this promo. When I finished, Mr. Heenan called me over to him and said, ‘Kid, that was great. Has Vince seen you yet?’ I said I don’t think so. He gave me some advice that stuck with me just about natural flow and being sharp and fearless and making it real and being different. We talked for quite a bit, and every time I saw him after that, he was always very complimentary and remembered me and said very cool things about me. So, now, when I hear people comparing the role I’m in these days to the role that Heenan made so famous – to even use the name MVP in the same sentence with Bobby Heenan is one of the highest compliments I’ve ever been paid in my entire career.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit After the Bell with Corey Graves with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.