Dan Severn On Brock Lesnar Comparisons, Vince McMahon, Choosing WWE Over WCW, Leaving WWE, UFC Sale

I recently interviewed former WWE Superstar and UFC Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn, whose new book The Realest Guy in the Room: The Life and Times of Dan Severn is available at Amazon.com. You can check out Severn’s official website at DanSevern.com. Below is the full interview, in its entirety:

* * *

I wanted to ask you about having your first fight at UFC 4 and winning the tournament. Were you ever approached to fight at any of the other UFC fights before that from the first three?

“No; no, you have to go back to a time, and just understand, pay per views in general were just not available back then as they are today. Today with all the mobile devices, the laptops, the I-Pads, computers, Smart TV’s, smart phones, you can watch a pay per view virtually any day and anywhere. For example, I live in the state of Michigan. You might have three or four major metropolitan areas where they play pay per views. It may be at a Detroit Metropolitan area; it might be around the Lansing Metropolitan area. So, I lived in an outline area. I had no idea that this thing even existed. A buddy of mine watched the first two UFC’s, copies them on an old VHS tape, and shows them to us and says, hey you ought to think about doing this. I’m seeing people being soccer kicked in the face, teeth are flying out and I’m looking at him I go, you know, these aren’t exactly skills that I possess. He goes, well look at this skinny little guy doing Jiu-Jitsu. Of course, he was referring to Royce Gracie. I really had not been exposed to Jiu-Jitsu before, I thought, well it looks like wrestling with pajamas on to me. All I can do is stay outside of reach of an arm to be struck with, or a leg, and that simple little principle served me very well for basically a twenty-year career; because I have been the least struck fighter, period. Especially when you look at the sheer number of matches that I’ve had, and when you talk to me or visually see me, I don’t look worn and torn like most of my younger mentors that of had a mere fraction of the matches that I’ve had.

Being at UFC 200 [last month], what are your thoughts on just how much MMA has grown?

“Well, I knew there was something to this. When I was first exposed to it, I thought, wow, you can do this type of competition in the United States? It just blew me away. Even as an experiment, on a couple of occasions, I would have one of my buddies had stopped by my place real quick, who would be stopping by at my place real quick, whether he’s picking something off or dropping off. I would basically slap in a VHS tape and they were just supposed to stop by real quick or pick something up, well, an hour and hour and a half later, they were still on the edge of my couch screaming and howling, twisting and contorting their bodies like they were in the fight themselves. I was watching them more than what was on television, and I kept thinking, there is something there, something magical about violence that people like to watch. That was what UFC really was in the beginning, it was controlled violence. Still that is what it is today. Still controlled violence with more rules, that’s all.”

It was also announced that UFC was sold for 4 billion. Were you at all surprised by that?

“Um, No, I know that the eventuality, the only concept back to Raj is change, whether we like it or not, so does it surprise me that it sold? Well, it may have surprised me that it sold at this point in time, but I think inevitability it would have sold.”

You’re one of the first athletes to fight at the UFC at the highest level and also do pro wrestling. Of course, there is Brock Lesnar. Have you had any interaction with him?

“No, I saw him speak once at a one of the important events I happen to be at, but in the beginning he went out there to say a few words and I’ll just say it was interesting.”

It’s just very interesting if you look back at footage during your WWF days, you had the mouthpiece, and Jim Cornette, you were the silent killer with all the belts and everything, and it was very similar to what Brock Lesnar is doing now. He’s the silent killer, he’s the beast, you were the silent killer, you were the beast. He has Paul Heyman, you had Jim Cornette. Do you think WWF missed an opportunity with your character and seeing how well it’s worked with Lesnar today?

“Oh, without a doubt. You know, I can’t go back in time, they can’t go back in time, but without a doubt they missed out on an opportunity with me. You tell people that I was ahead of my time and a lot of different aspects, but you also have to realize Raj, when did I actually start competing in the cage, at what age? I defied age barriers, on my way up. I basically on my way up in the amateur sport. In 1976 at 17 years of age, I’m going for my first Olympic berth, so, I was always defying my age since a young barrier, now, that was 76′, 86′, 96′ jump into two decades and then jumping into the cage for the first time, in a short order I am one of the number one cage fighters in the world so I was WWF’s oldest rookie ever at 48 years of age, and then I just came back out of retirement for a bout that was supposed to take place on March 20th of this year against Ken Shamrock; of course he bows out nine days before. He was trying to be sought out, and they located Tank Abbott, he doesn’t pass the medical basically three days before the event and basically I’m out. I’m still hoping for two more matches and then I will call it quits.”

Now, is Shamrock, given everything that has happened, with that fight falling through this year because of the failed drug test, is that a fight you would still want?

“I would still do it, but I don’t know what a company can do to make certain that match, that he shows up, that he doesn’t scapegoat out of it once again. I wasted five months of my life preparing for him.”

Did they compensate you in any way?

“Well, let’s just say that is kind of an on-going issue right now that. I am speaking to the CEO, we will find out if his word is truly honorable.”

Kind of back to when you worked with WWF/WWE, was it WWF, because at that time in a pretty nasty war with WCW, was WCW trying to sign you at the same time?

“They were actually the first person to contact me.”

What made you choose WWF over WCW?

“I think WWF contacted me first, and WCW contacted me. I went to both visitations, but WWF agreed to my terms. That’s what it boiled it down to. The biggest aspect I’d say that came out of it all was the sheer fact that I still believe I am the only non-exclusive wrestler ever. Everyone else was Undertaker, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, all these guys were basically bought and paid for by Vince McMahon. Whereas, at the time, I was working for the NWA company, I was working for over thirty-five promoters, and that organization wanted me to be exclusive to them. I said, well, are you …

continue reading in source www.WrestlingInc.com