Ringside Radio with Savio Vega
Hosts: Scott Fishman and Nathan Starling
Airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST at
Full interview available at RingsideRadio.com.

Before returning stateside for his first convention appearance at WrestleReunion, Savio Vega granted an interview with Ringside Radio’s Scott Fishman, Nathan Starling and Josh Gotti. For more than hour the Puerto Rican superstar was candid about many topics during his illustrious career.

On his big break after wrestling for years and gaining experience in Puerto Rico: "When I worked in Puerto Rico you got guys coming in to Puerto Rico every week or every two weeks sometimes. You have Scott Hall coming to Puerto Rico many times. I did a few runs with him. You got Yokozuna coming to Puerto and many others Fatu, Samu, the Samoans, you got Afa and Sika. You could name names of a bunch of people in the states who were coming to wrestle here.

"Then I went to Japan. I was with Scott Hall, Yokozuna and Bam Bam Bigelow. One day Scott Hall was with me and I can’t remember who it was. JJ Dillon I believe and I met and six months later, maybe less I was already [at WWF]. They put me with the name Kwang and put me under the mask. It was the T.N.T. gimmick with a wrestling mask. Kwang was good.

"People loved the gimmick and the way the stuff happened and the way I did a couple of things there. I’m very proud that I wrestled Bret Hart on one Monday Night Raw taping. That match I did with him for the title, he was the champion at that time. It was Bret for the WWF title. We break the ratings at the time. We were the highest rated and break the ratings. I don’t know who had that position. I feel good that I put something in that company. I worked hard for that position too. I don’t know why they didn’t want to continue doing stuff with me, but I learned a lot from them, and I’m proud that I worked for them."

On his release from TNA: "I work there a year ago and a few months for TNA. TNA didn’t let me go. They fired me because the situation between Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle’s ex-wife and now Jarrett’s wife. I didn’t have nothing to do with that s—t, but they fired me because they got together and we are friends with Jeff Jarrett…"

"When I was over there Mr. Dutch Mantel was there. He was taking care of the business big time over there. When they called me on board, he gave me the position of being in charge of the girls. So I do the best I can with those girls, a few of the girls. They don’t know how to do crossbodies, elbows. I’m like, ‘who the hell taught you?’ How are you going to be in a company and you don’t know how to jump off the second rope to throw a crossbody. So I would start training those girls in the morning when I was at TV tapings. I would take my time at least three more hours or four more hours and went to the gym. They don’t pay me for that. I did it because I wanted my team to be number one. [They let me go] one year later or whatever time later because of b---s--t between Jeff Jarrett and Karen Angle."

"Terry Taylor called me and said we are cutting personnel, and we have to let you go. I said, ‘That’s because of Jeff Jarrett’. He said, ‘No. No, that’s not what it is.’ I said, ‘Come on. I didn’t just start yesterday in this business.’ That’s b---s--- anyway. Dutch Mantell was driving from the office too. The only two guys they fired were Dutch and me because that situation, and we were friends with Jeff. Between Jeff and Dutch, they gave me the job over there…"

On working with Steve Austin: "When he get the big time push after the Caribbean strap and then the King of the Ring he was just being him and Vince loved it. It was from there to the sky. I talked to him by text message about a month ago. He is in LA. We just say hello to each other and a couple stuff. He is a big huge superstar, movie star, and he is tough. I call him Primo, meaning cousin in Spanish.

"We had great matches. Steve and me, the first time we worked in San Antonio Pat Patterson comes down says, "Savio come on. I want you to work with him.’…I said ‘Okay. Steve I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. Let’s go inside and see what happens.’

"Man we had that chemistry since the first match and we had matches sometimes nonstop action 25 minutes on house shows. I’m talking about house shows. The boys in the back got mad saying, ‘Hey, we want to get out of here.’ Well, we were enjoying what we were doing and performing for the fans and doing whatever we can. One time we were LA or in California somewhere, we did 25 minutes. The next day we worked again and almost did the same match in 10-12 minutes, and we got the same reaction. We worked and worked hard."

On working with Goldust: "With Goldust it was the same. Goldust, Dustin, was in that character for two months and didn’t come out of TV. They didn’t show him on TV because they didn’t know what to do with him. The same thing happened with Patterson. He said, ‘Savio you are working with this guy. I don’t know do something with him.’ I realized I was the tester here. I said, ‘Well, let’s do it.’ Dustin and me, it was the same thing. Good chemistry and doing matches with his character and putting his character over. They making big time money, and I’m at home with my kids, and I love it, but I’d like to make some money."

Other topics Vega touches on include:

Los Boricuas

No-holds barred thoughts on Dixie Carter

Who he thinks has the potential to be an even bigger superstar than he already is?

His appearance on WrestleReunion.

The potential of a WWE comeback.

His family and whether he thinks his children will enter the business and more.

Ringside Radio airs 8 p.m. on Wednesdays on Blog Talk Radio. Visit www.ringsideradio.com or www.blogtalkradio.com/ringsideradio to listen.

Scheduled upcoming guests include: Scott Hall (Nov. 3), Stone Cold Steve Austin at a special date and time (11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9) and Katie Lea Burchill on her birthday (Nov. 10). Plus listen for a chance to win a copy of Mick Foley’s new book "Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal".

Twitter: smFISHMAN

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