SLAM! Wrestling chats with Rick Martel
SLAM! Wrestling's Greg Oliver interviewed Rick Martel over the phone from his Quebec City home on Wednesday, April 1, 1998.
He's on the shelf at the moment due to injury, but enjoying the time
off.
Below is the transcript of the 45-minute interview. The interview came a little out of the blue, so we didn't get a chance to solicit more than a couple of readers' questions. As always, we welcome
your comments at
goliver@canoemail.com.
Q: What is the status of your injury?
A: Well, I'm going to be off until at least the middle of June. What happened? I have a tear in my ligament, inside ligament on my right knee. And also cartilage damage, and I have a fracture on my bone.
Q: So how did this happen?
A: It happened at SuperBrawl against Booker T. He threw me from the corner, and I landed, my back in the ring and my legs hit the ropes. And as you know the ropes are steel cable, and they didn't move at all so my knee went completely sideways.
Q: Did you know immediately that you were injured?
A: Oh yes, I knew immediately. I didn't know the extent of the injury but when I got up and I turned around, I felt my knee real loose. So Booker T charged me at the time, and then I kind of backed dropped him over the ropes. So he gave me a minute or two to evaluate what I could and couldn't do on it. I decided to keep going.
Q: Is this among the worst injuries you've ever had?
A: Oh yes, this is the worst injury. Definitely.
Q: You were off for a couple of years before you came to WCW. What were you doing during those years?
A: Commercial real estate. I've been in wrestling 20 some years, so I could feel the last couple of years my body starting to, after all those years of wrestling it's hard on your body. I felt that I needed a rest. And also a lot of travelling on the road. So I decided to take a couple of years off. I went into commercial real estate and I did real well. I liked it. And then finally, after a couple of years, WCW started to, as everybody could see it, was starting to take off and all the guys that I wrestled with in the past few years, like Hulk, Macho Man, everybody, start being with them. Then once I went to see them in Montreal and I decided to give it another go -- this time with WCW.
Q: Some have said that your career is over [because of the knee injury]. But you are coming back?
A: Oh yes. I intend to. I following physiotherapy everyday, five days a week. I'm working really hard. I definitely planning on coming back.
Q: What are your goals when you come back?
A: Before the injury, I was really happy with my progress. After two years of being off, I was really happy with how things were going. Of course, the television title, in fact my last match I walked in as the television champion. So of course, my immediate goal is to take that title back.
Q: When you first came to WCW, there was a story circulated that you were supposed to win the belt the first night, but you forgot your trunks. Was there any legitimacy to that?
A: [Laughing] No. Well, I didn't have my gear. Part of that is true. That I forgot isn't. What happened was that I was called the night before Starrcade [in Baltimore] and I was in Montreal -- I live in Quebec City -- I was in Montreal to see the Montreal Canadiens play. So my wife called me at my hotel on Sunday morning and told me that someone had called to be at the show that night. So they called me in Montreal, WCW did. So I told them I was in Montreal. I said if you want me to I can go back to Quebec and get my gear and fly in that night. But I said it's going to be tight to make it that night, but I'll have my gear for the next day. So they called me back and told me, it's alright, we don't need you with your gear. Just come as you are and that's fine. So I took the flight out of Montreal and went in.
So they knew I didn't have my gear before I left. 'Cause I asked them - I can go and drive to Quebec and get my gear and go. So they said, no it's alright. [Laughing] So I didn't forget my gear.
I've been wrestling a long time. I know that when I'm wrestling I have to take my wrestling gear.
Q: When you were in WCW, you were matched up mainly with Saturn and Booker T. Now these are relative newcomers to this sport. Do you approach a match like that differently?
A: Well, yes. Because as you said, they're new. What they lack in experience they definitely have in strength and athletic ability. So of course, they're younger than I am, they're in good shape, both of them. Their style is pretty aggressive. They do a lot of great moves. Definitely when I went into the ring against those guys, all I had to do, I wrestled a lot defensive against those guys. I'm going to wait until I have the opportunity to make my moves. I did that, and it worked out real good. I was really happy with the results.
Q: When you came back, you were in fabulous shape. You were a lot more buff than we remembered you. What kind of training regimen were you, are you on?
A: What happened also, in my last year, before I retired, I was involved in commercial real estate. And that was a mistake of mine, really. I got involved in commercial real estate and I couldn't do both at the same. Concentrate on wrestling and also concentrate on my business. That's why I quit wrestling, because I couldn't do both. I couldn't train the way I wanted to, I couldn't diet the way I wanted to. So that's why it hurt my career, my last year. So then when I came back, I sold all my commercial real estate, I sold everything. I could concentrate 100% on my training, dieting. I really did a lot of cardio. I really wanted to come back right, the way I like to be. When I came back, I was ready.
That's it for part one of our interview with Rick Martel.
Click here for Part Two!
