Shark Boy Says Steve Austin Enjoyed His Stone Cold Parody Gimmick, Competition Between ROH and TNA, and More

– Former TNA wrestler Shark Boy recently took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. He discussed his first tryout match in WCW, getting feedback from Stone Cold Steve Austin that he enjoyed the Stone Cold Shark Boy parody gimmick, and more. Below are some highlights.

Shark Boy on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s reaction to the Stone Cold Shark Boy character: “Without a doubt. I said from the very beginning that if it did offend him or upset him, I wouldn’t do it. I got the opposite feedback, he really enjoyed it. He sent word from Kevin Nash to me and he has wished me all the luck in the world.”

On his craziest backstage moment: “Probably my tryout match with WCW. I wasn’t given much notice and I had to get my gear on really fast, I didn’t think I was working and I was on first. Had to make my way through a crowded dressing room of stars — Flair, Sting, Bam Bam. I found a chair with the a bag on it and moved it, which is a big no no. Turns out it was Scott Steiner’s. Scotty came around the corner and said, “What the F—?” I said, Mr. Steiner, my apologies, I have to be in the ring in fifteen minutes and there was nowhere else to sit. I’ll put your bag back when I’m done. I needed one more minute. He didn’t say anything and walked away. I heard Rick say, “Hey Scotty, what the “f—.” I offered my sincerest apologies to Rick and he walked away and I never heard another word about it.”

Shark Boy on the competition between TNA and ROH: “The TNA TV numbers are higher than ROH — with the WWE, they have had a huge headstart. It’s sort of like if you tried to start a new football league and compete with the NFL. That’s what TNA has been trying to do, and you saw Vince fail with the XFL. It’s an uphill fight, and that’s what TNA is trying to do. As for the releases, everybody on that list and some that weren’t name were incredible talents and it probably came down to money. Another thing is a wrestling company feels the need to shuffle talent — that’s another thing you’ll see when a company has been around a little while. Finally, I think the company is always evolving, and right now it might be more of a TV product than a touring product, which is how it started. People have said that the company is dying many times in the past, and I have no reason to believe it’s any more true now than it’s ever been.”