Montel Vontavious Porter
Montel Vontavious Porter is one of wrestlings hard men but what is he really like? And more importantly is he a McDonalds or Burger King man? We get down to business to find the real MVP.
What have you been up to recently, anything exciting?
I'm just leaving a school now where I rewarded one of the children who won our contest, The Wrestlemania Reading Challenge. Students were encouraged to write a message to their favourite WWE wresting star and tell them why he or she should write a particular book and the winner gets to go to Wrestlemania in Houston. So I just paid a visit to a school and surprised them all and it was really really wonderful.
Did they write about you?
No actually she wrote to The Big Show and suggested that he read a book called The Big Friendly Giant, it was really really sweet.
Why did you want to be a wrestler?
Actually it wasn't something I aspired to be as a child but when I was at work release I met a correctional officer who was an independent wrestler and I used to ask him questions about wrestling all the time, I wanted to know the behind the scenes type stuff and he asked me if I wanted to learn. I said 'Absolutely, I'm looking for a hobby, something to keep me out of trouble'. I didn't realise I was stumbling into my passion.
How did you make it your profession?
I spent a number of years on the independent scene, honing my craft and driving hundreds of miles for next to nothing. It was just an opportunity to be in shows and get my name out there. After I got to a certain point I was able to get a few trials for the WWE and I came up with the MVP concept and I pitched it to them, they liked it and the rest was history.
How did you come up with the name Montel Vontavious Porter?
Well I used to work on South Beach and I was a doorman, nightclub security, bodyguard and I often came into contact with these pompous, overpaid self-obsessed athletes and that's where I got the idea for a character and I decided MVP would be perfect and the name Montel Vontavious Porter...I just wanted an ethnic sounding name. A lot of the American footballer and basketball players that are African American have names like LeBron James or Laveranues Coles. Exotic names that their parents made up and I thought if you hear the name Montel Vontavious that sounds like an African American guy that is from the city.
Do you have a stage persona or are you just yourself in the ring?
Actually MVP is who I am with the volume turned right up! Intense!
Are you looking forward to coming to the UK?
London is one of my favourite cities. I love the UK, I love the people and I love hanging out in London, it's a great city. So whenever I get to come here, wether it's performing or wether it's a promotional tour like this one, but especially when I get to come over here on my personal time, it's always a treat.
Are you just doing London or is there anywhere else you'll be visiting in the UK?
No this particular tour it's just London.
You spoke about visiting a school earlier today, obviously a lot of kids like wrestling, do you see yourself as a role model to them?
It's funny because initially I didn't consider myself a role model to them. I didn't want the responsibility of been a role model but the presence of the WWE today, our programming is aired in over 50 language in over 100 countries around the world and a sizable portion of our audience is made up of children and I remember the impact wrestlers had on me as a child. I actually went to an elementary school in California last year to read to the classes and I walked in and asked, 'Is there anybody in here who doesn't know who I am?' and every child in that classroom knew who I was and when I thought about the fact that you've got impressionable children all over the world watching me, it impressed upon me the fact that I am a role model, wether I want the responsibility or not. So I have to be very conscious of that.
How do you keep your self in shape? Do you follow a special diet?
Generally I try to eat a relative clean, high protein, low carb diet. I give myself cheat days but with our travel regime, I'm on the road for 250 to 300 days a year, so driving from town to town doing shows it's a little difficult to eat the way that I'd like but it is what it is. I always travel with protein shakes and carry my supplements with me. I use creatine and glutamine and my essential fatty acids and amino acids and so on and so forth. As far as my training regime, every town I'm in I try to find a gym and I try to spend 20 to 30 minutes on weights at least three times a week and at last 30 minutes of some kind of cardiovascular training three times a week in addition to the 15, 20 minutes I do a night in the ring.
Do you think there is space for WWE and TNA?
Yeah of course there is. It's like is there room for McDonalds and Burger King.
But there's not it's all about McDonalds! There is no room for Burger King!
Ha ha but that's were your wrong because there are people who actually enjoy the taste of a Flame Grilled Whopper over a Big Mac. I think that without question WWE puts out a better product but I have a number of colleagues and friends that also wrestle for TNA and their product, while it's wresting its packaged and put out differently and there are those that enjoy that and I guess those people that enjoy TNA are those that would enjoy Burger King!
Who would you most like to face in the ring?
I've been very fortunate in my career that I've been able to wrestle some of the greats and I'd like to face Shawn Michaels at some point I'd like to have a feud with the undertaker and if The Rock ever decides to come back and wrestle, which he probably won't, but if he does decide to come back I'd like to face The Rock in a Wrestlemania.
Do you think he won't come back because he's scared to take you on?
I think he might be intimidated by me! Let's start a rumour, The Rock fears MVP.
Is there a non-wrestling celebrity that you'd like to take on and teach them a thing or two?
Haha, it's funny that you say that as MVP was inspired by todays over paid, self absorbed athletes and there's a number of athletes that I think act ridiculously in public. I know some of them say and do controversial things just to get media attention and I can understand that but then there are some that do it just because they're full of themselves. They get a big head and they act that way. Any one of those athletes I'd take on. I can't think of anyone in the UK... well there's plenty of footballers that I've heard about. I'll tell you what, how about Kaka?! I'd like to take him on for his salary. Me Vs Kaka winner take all.
Yeah but if you win you'll be stuck at Man City and no-one wants that!
Well I'm actually a Manchester United supporter so what I can do is play for city and then throw all the games.
Is there anyone you think could beat you?
My little brother! My younger brother was actually an amateur wresting champion in high school and he's a Police Officer in Miami where we're from. He still competes in open tournaments and submission wrestling competitions and he does quite well so he's one of the few people but that's because we share the same DNA!
Have you fought him yet?
It's funny the last time we had a wrestling matchI actually beat him, I made him tap out but since then he's gotten much much better so now I try to avoid fighting him. Plus he's a cop so he carries a big gun!
Do you have a favourite fight?
Again I've been fortunate that I've wrestled some of the greats in the industry but I think one that is particularly special to me is when I was able to wrestle Ric Flair who many regard as the best of all time, 16 time World Whampion. We wrestled twice and once was for the United States Championship which I defended against him and that was a huge moment to beat Ric Flair but on his way out we wrested at Madison Square Gardens and it was his last match at Madison Square Gardens in New York City and my first match in Madison Square Gardens and I lost to the Figure Four Leglock so I'd say that series with Rick Flair was quite memorable.
Do you think the wrestling industry has any problems such as steroid abuse or is it all just press hype?
Yeah it's severely over-hyped. I will say there was a time, many years ago, when that was an issue in the industry but since then there's been a huge emphasis on health and where once upon a time in the locker room there'd be beer and the drugs were prevalent but now you're more likely to find protein shakes and vitamins. The WWE has a wellness programme and contrary to popular belief it's a very stringent wellness programme and we're tested for drugs, steroids and narcotics and as a matter of fact that wellness policy also has another side to it that a lot of people don't know about and that's the cardio-stress test that we have to take annually to make sure that we're fit and that cardio-stress test discovered a heart ailment that I suffer from and potentially it saved my life. So I think that the media tends to focus on negativity because that's what sells quite frankly. Once upon a time it may have been a problem but that was before I arrived and I don't believe it to be a problem any more.
Are you still ok to wrestle with your heart problem?
After it was discovered I went to a cardiologist and had the procedure done to correct it and now I'm better than ever.
We ask every person we interview to come up with a question for our next interview and David Archelletta, the runner up of American Idol wants to know, If you were to open a restaurant what type of food would you serve?
That's a pretty good question! Well I grew up in Miami and I'm a big fan of the Caribbean food wether it's Jamaican brown stew chicken or Cuban black beans and rice so if I were to open up a restaurant it would probably be some sort of Afro-Carribbean cuisine.
Can you come up with a question for our next interview?
What was the last song that you sang in the shower?
Catch MPV in the ring this April when the WWE and Honey Monster presents Wrestlemania Revenge Tour comes to the UK
FemaleFirst - Jessica Watson
Montel Vontavious Porter is one of wrestlings hard men but what is he really like? And more importantly is he a McDonalds or Burger King man? We get down to business to find the real MVP.
What have you been up to recently, anything exciting?
I'm just leaving a school now where I rewarded one of the children who won our contest, The Wrestlemania Reading Challenge. Students were encouraged to write a message to their favourite WWE wresting star and tell them why he or she should write a particular book and the winner gets to go to Wrestlemania in Houston. So I just paid a visit to a school and surprised them all and it was really really wonderful.
Did they write about you?
No actually she wrote to The Big Show and suggested that he read a book called The Big Friendly Giant, it was really really sweet.
Why did you want to be a wrestler?
Actually it wasn't something I aspired to be as a child but when I was at work release I met a correctional officer who was an independent wrestler and I used to ask him questions about wrestling all the time, I wanted to know the behind the scenes type stuff and he asked me if I wanted to learn. I said 'Absolutely, I'm looking for a hobby, something to keep me out of trouble'. I didn't realise I was stumbling into my passion.
How did you make it your profession?
I spent a number of years on the independent scene, honing my craft and driving hundreds of miles for next to nothing. It was just an opportunity to be in shows and get my name out there. After I got to a certain point I was able to get a few trials for the WWE and I came up with the MVP concept and I pitched it to them, they liked it and the rest was history.
How did you come up with the name Montel Vontavious Porter?
Well I used to work on South Beach and I was a doorman, nightclub security, bodyguard and I often came into contact with these pompous, overpaid self-obsessed athletes and that's where I got the idea for a character and I decided MVP would be perfect and the name Montel Vontavious Porter...I just wanted an ethnic sounding name. A lot of the American footballer and basketball players that are African American have names like LeBron James or Laveranues Coles. Exotic names that their parents made up and I thought if you hear the name Montel Vontavious that sounds like an African American guy that is from the city.
Do you have a stage persona or are you just yourself in the ring?
Actually MVP is who I am with the volume turned right up! Intense!
Are you looking forward to coming to the UK?
London is one of my favourite cities. I love the UK, I love the people and I love hanging out in London, it's a great city. So whenever I get to come here, wether it's performing or wether it's a promotional tour like this one, but especially when I get to come over here on my personal time, it's always a treat.
Are you just doing London or is there anywhere else you'll be visiting in the UK?
No this particular tour it's just London.
You spoke about visiting a school earlier today, obviously a lot of kids like wrestling, do you see yourself as a role model to them?
It's funny because initially I didn't consider myself a role model to them. I didn't want the responsibility of been a role model but the presence of the WWE today, our programming is aired in over 50 language in over 100 countries around the world and a sizable portion of our audience is made up of children and I remember the impact wrestlers had on me as a child. I actually went to an elementary school in California last year to read to the classes and I walked in and asked, 'Is there anybody in here who doesn't know who I am?' and every child in that classroom knew who I was and when I thought about the fact that you've got impressionable children all over the world watching me, it impressed upon me the fact that I am a role model, wether I want the responsibility or not. So I have to be very conscious of that.