Mike Mondo reflects on his days showing his Spirit in WWE.
Mondo recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about his reign as NWA National Champion. During the conversation, Mondo also reflected on his debut as “Mikey” in the Spirit Squad, which was a stable of villainous cheerleaders.
Mondo credited Vince McMahon for coming up with the idea, which he referred to as a special time in his career, noting that it was his first big run on national television. The Spirit Squad debuted around the time Disney’s High School Musical series kicked off in 2006, and came a few years after Bring It On hit theatres.
Mondo isn’t sure if either of those franchises influenced McMahon’s creative mindset, but he did watch movies like that to do research for the role. In addition, Mondo says he actually didn’t draw from cheerleading when it was first pitched to him. Instead, Mondo says he pulled from his days as a football player to make a connection with the audience.
Mike Mondo did his research for The Spirit Squad
“Maybe that’s something Vince would do. But when the gimmick was introduced to me, I remember doing my research. I always try to prepare myself and put myself in the best position to succeed, so I watched those movies just to get familiar and understand what I was getting myself into,” he explained.
“But honestly, I connected it more to me playing football back in the day. I remember there were always cheerleaders and always male cheerleaders. Us jocks were jealous of the male cheerleaders because they got to hang out with the cheerleaders. I just transitioned that emotion into the gimmick. ‘Okay, how can I make people feel that way when I’m out there in the ring?’ Because that’s what we do as performers: we make that emotional connection, and we make people feel something.”
Mike Mondo on being a focal point of RAW for nearly a year
The Spirit Squad was treated like a punchline during their feud with DX, but they were still a focal point of WWE RAW for the majority of their run. Mondo still looks back on the opportunity in a positive light, noting how the group not only won the WWE World Tag Team Championship, but also shared the ring with legends like ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper and Dusty Rhodes.
As much as he accomplished as a tag team wrestler, now Mondo is focused on becoming a great singles wrestler. He won the NWA National Heavyweight Championship months after joining the NWA. The company is also on the upswing with its broadcast deal with the Roku Sports Channel. Now, he wants to show everyone exactly what he’s capable on the biggest stage possible.
“I really want to see what I can do on my own. I’ve always said I wanted to be a world champion on a mainstream level. That’s something I’ve never achieved as a singles competitor,” Mondo explained. “I can rest my head at night knowing what I did as a tag wrestler. But I still have goals I want to accomplish on my own. I plan on climbing the ladder.
“I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve been training like a beast in the gym. I’m mentally ready, I’m motivated, and I’m hungry. I want to show everyone why I’m one of the best today — and that I am exactly who I say I am.”
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