Recap of Alex “The Pug” Porteau on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 01/16/2015

by Vic Schiavone

Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed former WWE wrestler Alex “The Pug” Porteau to IYH Wrestling Radio. The interview touched in large part on his thoughts on the wrestling product today.

Highlights included the following:

* Do you think younger wrestlers can learn more working with a ring veteran or working with someone on their own level?

“Yes, I do…definitely a lot more with a legend. A legend will go out there and just have a match without going over anything in the back. All these guys, they have 25 high spots in the back and then they go out there and do it all. It’s a big spot fest, and they lose the people, there’s no up and down, it’s consistent the whole match, and half the stuff doesn’t even make sense anymore. It’s ridiculous.”

* Why do you think there is a mentality with a lot of independent wrestlers today that they don’t have to work on looking like an athlete?

“I’ll tell you why. Because people are allowing them to get in the business, and promoters are letting them come in and they’re letting them work like that because they’re working for nothing. Yeah, they can work a little bit, but they look like tow-truck drivers or pizza guys; they don’t look like wrestlers. It doesn’t matter if you can come in there and do a killer cross body off the top or throw these Ricky Steamboat dropkicks; it looks good, it’s OK, but if you don’t look the part…I think the problem is that the business is not kayfabe like it used to be. Back in the day, you would never, I don’t care if the guy had $5,000, bring him around if you had no inclination of being on TV within six months or look like an athlete. It wasn’t about money; now it’s all about money. You got fifteen hundred bucks and you want to be a pro wrestler? Come on in, we’re here Monday night. That’s just unfortunate that’s the way it is right now...everybody’s a wrestler now, so it means nothing to go up and say you’re a pro wrestler anymore because everybody’s a wrestler…I won’t mention any names of some of these NXT guys that roll through there, but these guys are jacked up, they’re in condition, they have a tan, they have a jug of water in their hand everywhere they go; they’re ready to roll. They’re TV ready. They could be on Monday Night RAW next Monday, and that’s the way you have to look if you want to be a pro wrestler…Maybe they’re just content with where they’re at…I really think that a lot of guys are just content with doing indies and having a regular job on the side. I don’t think they’re really inspired to really move up, a lot of them.”

Other topics discussed included:

* Where did “The Pug” name originate from and did he like the idea of the gimmick?

* What famous manager and booker does he say inspired him to get in the wrestling business?

* What did he think was the difference between wrestling in the Northeast and wrestling in other parts of the country?

* Does he still watch wrestling on TV?

* What is one of the strangest things anyone has had him sign at a fanfest?

Alex will be appearing with Fan For Life Wrestling at New England Fan Fest 5 on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island. For additional information, go to http://www.newenglandfanfest.com .

If you would like further information on the wrestling school owned by Scott Hall and Larry Zbyszko where Alex works as a trainer, go to http://ibelieveinwrestling.com/.

This interview is available for listening at http://www.iyhwrestling.com/viewnews.php?autoid=25819

or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-QRv_qaPTw.