Rhyno Recalls Getting His Start In ECW, Rob Van Dam Vacating TV Title

On the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show, Rhyno appeared for a new interview where talked about getting his start in ECW, working with Paul Heyman, and more. You can check out some highlights below:

On getting started in ECW: “He just saw something in me, you know? I mean, Paul Heyman has a great mind for wrestling. And Jim Cornette, I’ll tell you a quick story. Paul, when he hired me, it was a Detroit show. I went and worked out in Grand Rapids. Lansing the next day, there were no workouts. Then in Detroit there were workouts, and I was the only one there to work out with someone else. So anyways, he goes, ‘Wait until after the show. I want to talk to you.’ So after the show they did all their pre-tapes, and then he talked to me. It was like 3:00 in the morning and he said, ‘Did you ever try going to WWF or WCW?’ And I said, ‘Jim Cornette got me a dark match. He really likes my work and nothing came of it. And then, just keep in touch.’ And Paul looked off to the side and he goes, ‘Huh, we agree on something.’ And then like, he spaced out.

“And then he joined back in the conversation we were having. He’s like, ‘You’re hired, this and that.’ And then I asked Pee Wee, the referee, I go, ‘What did he mean by that?’ It was just so odd. It stuck out. And he goes, ‘Oh, him and Cornette, they hate each other.’ And I never knew that. So, you know. It was the oddest thing because he just stopped. He goes, ‘Huh, we agree on something.’ And then he looked right back at me, and I’m like, That was odd, you know? And, anyways, I think they have mutual respect as far as their love and passion for business. They just have a different look on it and you know, how it should be presented. But no, it was so funny how he said that. And out of the whole conversation, I remember, ‘Do you want a job?’ and that. And anything other than that? I don’t remember too much. And it was 3:00 in the morning, so.”

On wishing he would’ve won the ECW TV Title from RVD: “You know, actually we were working, and that’s how he broke his foot. We’re in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And he did a baseball slide and he broke his foot. And you know Rob, he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m all right,’ You know? And a lot of us back then, it’s like you’re working through injury and all that stuff and you’re like, ‘All right, I’m all right. I can go.’ And Bill Alfonso, I’ll never forget it because we’re on a stage. It’s a theater setting and it’s like a 3500-seat place and it’s packed. So he does a baseball slide and he does something, and I see him hobbling. And then all of a sudden, Fonzie just runs up to me. He goes, ‘Rob’s foot’s hurt, Daddy! Throw me in the crowd!’ And I’m like, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘Rob’s foot’s hurt, throw me in the crowd, Daddy!’ So I just grab him and I launch him in the crowd and they start bodysurfing on him, just so Rob could get his bearings and everything.

“So we finished the match and he gets to the back and does all of his flips and stuff. I mean, just to land on that, I couldn’t imagine the pain. But he had broken a bone in his foot, right? So he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m all right, I’m all right.’ He takes his shoe off and the thing just blows up. We’re like, ‘I don’t know if you’re okay.’ So he had to have surgery, so that’s why he relinquished the title and the tournament. In a way, it would have been nice to beat Rob. But then again, I was still on that ascent and and in my career where it would have been better to wrestle him after I got momentum and all that stuff. It would have been a bigger match down the road. And that’s what Paul was shooting for is Rob and I, you know, but the company closed down because I killed it, so according to them.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Kurt Angle Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.