Lucha Underground star Famous B recently appeared on Interactive Wrestling Radio which you can watch in full in the video player below. The following are some interview highlights:
On 423-GET-FAME:
“Get-FAME! It is a phenomenon, isn’t it? I mean, everybody and their mama has been calling me at (423)GET-FAME, man. It has just been taking off since season 2. It is a fun and exciting thing. It is amazing. I’ve seen since mixed reactions online, on social media, saying “It can’t be a real number!” At first, I think a lot of people were really surprised that it is actually a real number! That is one of the things about Lucha Underground itself – The creativity is just off the charts!”
On how he got into wrestling:
“You know what? It is a funny story. I was actually fired from the Santino Brothers Wrestling Academy way back in 2007. At the time, I was unaware of independent wrestling out here. I was definitely unaware of wrestling schools. I have been a wrestling fan my whole life, since I was just a little pup growing up. I’ve always gravitated towards professional wrestling. When I got of age, I went to all the shows. One of those nights, man, I got a flyer. “This is cool, an actual wrestling accademy?” It sat around the house for a couple of months. Finally, I said I’d call and find out what this is about. I called and spoke to Joey Chaos over at the Santino’s Wrestling Academy. He invited me down to an orientation. Man, I’ve never looked back! I stumbled onto the school. Once I was there, I got it. It was just one of those things that I picked up on naturally. I just wanted it!”
On who influenced him:
“I look up to just about everyone. As a kid, you couldn’t tell me anything! I was definitely a fan of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior… The Macho Man! Larger than life characters. As I got a little older, I started to notice the business as far as work rate… That is when I started falling in love with guys like Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart. As I got even older, I loved the cruiserweights. Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Juvi and all the things they did when they came to the States in ECW and WCW. I’m a big fan of the business! I look up to everybody who laced up their boots and came before.”
On the evolution of the Famous B character:
“I was actually hired to play a different character on the show. For whatever reason, that character did not come into existence. The writers, at the beginning, made a lot of different changes to characters and ideas for storylines they had in mind. My character, for whatever reason, is not one that came into existence when we first started, season 1. What they did, they just used Famous B the independent pro wrestler they had as enhancement talent for the guys they were running with like your Mil Muertes, Pentagon, and guys of that nature. Eventually, it came to a point towards the end of season 1 that the writers to make Famous B a character on the show versus Famous B playing a character on the show. That is when they got the idea to have everybody call (423)GET-FAME! (laughs) It has allowed me to utilize other aspects of my abilities rather than just my in-ring talent. It has been fantastic for me to have that opportunity with Lucha Underground, just to have that stage. It has been incredibly fun to take the vision they saw and show everybody what Famous B can do.”
On the vignettes for Famous B’s talent agency:
“They were a lot of fun to make! It was fantastic. I was working with our director… His vision for it… He was very easy to work with in terms of my facial expressions, where to look when I hit certain lines. He’d do it and I’d get it right away. It was so easy to follow his lead. I took his vision and direction and ran with it. It was funny, funny stuff!”
On Beautiful Brenda:
“It has been a pleasure. We have great chemistry. We hit it off right away in terms of our characters. We play off each other very well. It was one of those things that was natural, it was meant to be! That has been the case with a lot of things… Going back to season 1, they had a lot of things that needed to be changed and adjustments that needed to be made. They made those adjustments! (laughs) Everything pretty much paid off. Everything fell into place. I think that is what makes the product what it is and makes the fans as excited as they get.”
On the Rick Martel “Arrogance” Can Used Against Mascarita Sagrada:
“When I pulled that thing out of the took box, that crowd exploded! The funny thing about it was, the crowd that had my back, and the funny thing was I got 2 pops! It was like, WOW! Then, I turned around and the crowd behind me, with an extra delay, it was like, “OH! That’s what that is!” That is one of the cool things about that match that really stands out in my head. Everything about that match was so much fun. Man, working with Mascarita… Everything that we did… That was money. It was gold, I like to say! Everything that Famous B touches turns to gold! (laughs) That storyline, that whole angle, it was pure genius! It was written beautifully, the story was fantastic, and Mascarita was great to work with. The culmination of our feud in that match… Man! Talk about putting the icing on the cake! It was one of those nights where it was just magic, nothing could go wrong. I’m glad it came off that way too! A lot of people enjoyed it and I enjoyed putting it together and performing it.”
On if it is difficult to work with a smaller wrestler like Mascarita Sagrada:
“Not at all. It is the same thing. As a professional, you’ve gotta be able to get in there and adapt to all different shapes, sizes, and move sets. It comes with the territory. It is one of the things you understand and you train for. It is not like MMA with different weight classes. Wrestling is not like that. It is just another match… Another day at the office!”
On the Lucha Underground approach of inter-gender matches:
“I think it is a mixed reaction. Nowadays, in today’s society, things have to be politically correct. But, if you’re watching it for entertainment value , you just have to sit back and understand that here, on this television show, that is what this television show does. Lucha Underground carries and has its own philosophies and ways of doings things. It is not your typical, standard way of doing things which is not the way society has become. Everybody is treated equally. I think it is a good thing. The women we have can very well hold their own! (laughs) The ones that are watching it purely for the entertainment value of it probably don’t have a problem with it. But, the ones who are judging it and comparing it to other federations are the ones who probably do have a problem with it.”
On chair shots to the head and Lucha Underground not backing down on them:
“We’re all professionals. This sport isn’t ballet. I know Lucha Underground is a television show but at the end of the day, we get in the ring and do what we do as professionals. I was trained old school, stiff and snug style of working. There is a technique to it. If you can do it, I don’t have a problem with it. We (Lucha Underground) are very different! (laughs)”
On the hiatus and how he feels about Lucha Underground’s mid-season break:
“As a professional wrestler, you are used to going week in and week out. There really is no off season in professional wrestling. That’s just what you do. It is the nature of the business. What I, as a talent, realize is this is a television show. It is a whole different ball game. These are the things that are going to happen. You have to roll with the punches. Lucky for me, as a talent, I’m able to do a lot of things outside of Lucha Underground and stay busy. As for Lucha Underground, we all love to work and film at the Temple. It is a tight knit group. We love filming! As the fans are waiting, we’re waiting as well! We’re eager to get back and film more of those matches in front of the Lucha click!”
On WWE’s expansion with NXT, 205, and the overseas tournaments:
“I think it is a good thing. I’m loving to see the business bloom and the business blossom. It is fun and it is challenging to look at the business, where it is at, and where everyone else is at.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
