No Punches Pulled with The Big O

[Robert Lotti]

Welcome to another edition of the No Punches Pulled interview series. It has been a long hiatus since the last time I did an interview, but the series is back in a big way(no pun intended). It is former 2 time NYWC heavyweight & fusion champion The Big O.

RL: Were you a wrestling fan growing up?
O: I was a fan of wrestling as a kid. I used to stay up late after my parents thought me and my brother were asleep and try to catch some of Monday Night Raw before she heard the TV and mase us go back to sleep. I remember losing my voice all the time trying to imitate Macho Man Randy Savage or stomping my feet around the house tapping my mouth and making Native American noises like Tatanka, again getting yelled at by my mother. It's funny though, because my mother is my biggest supporter and myvnumbwr one fan now!

RL: When did you decide you going to give wrestling a shot?
O: I first decided to give wrestling a shot in the summer of 2011 after I gained a huge social media following from being on YouTube series Z! TLIS! I had thought about learning how to wrestle for a few months and finally built up the courage Labor Day weekend 2011.

RL: How did you meet Zack Ryder?
O: I met Zack in the gym sometime in 2008. We has seen each other around before but in the fall of 2008 is when we started hanging out and I began to take an interest in wrestling again since I had a friend who actually did it.

RL: How did you find the NYWC academy?
O: I found the NYWC academy through a recommendation from Ryder. He told me this is where he started, his roots of wrestling. I figured hey-"if this is where he started and he made it-this is where I GOT TO BE to make it too."

[Robert Lotti]

RL: What were your initial impressions of Mikey Whipwreck?
O: My first impression of Whipwreck was kind of in awe. Never had I really sat and talked with a wrestllibg legend and had someone give me advice the way he did. He definitely made my decision to train an easy one and was reassuring I could make a real name for myself if I just listened, watched and gave it everything-just the way he did. Admiration is an understatement.

RL: How tough was the training?
O: Training wasn't necessarilybtough but it was different. Unlike anything In bad ever prepared for in my entire life. I played N.Y. state select soccer, college ice hockey and even two seasons playing semi pro football for the Long Island Panthers. But, learning how to navigate around a ring, safely slam the mat and cautiously put other men in wrestlling moves was the most challenging in sports I've ever endured. The athleticism, patience, endurance and skill needed to be at the top of your game as something I'm still ever developing and is a finite process. There were nights I didn't think I'd make it through, and sometimes I did cur out early. Physically, unlike anything I've ever done before but looking back 6 years later, it was worth every second, every drop of sweat, every headache and muscle ache and every mental breakdown as well. The finished product has to equal the sum in parts, and I this case-the sacrifice and pain

RL: Is it true you met "Man Of Steel" Mike Verna before he got in wrestling?
O: I met my long time friend and sometimes tag team partner Mike Verna at a WWE Raw SHOW in May of 2011, before either one of us were wrestlers in training. I remember him notice me from the YouTube series and asked for a picture. He was in great shape and young and lively and I was all for It! Fast forward a few months, I joined NYWC. And shortly after so did He!

RL: How did you develop your promo style?
O: I think my promo style is unique because It's actually just me, It's who I am everyday. MY nickname "Big O" I've carried since high school. MY catchphrase "Get out of my O-Zone" also comes from my high school days where I'd pump up my hockey and soccer teams by playing the role of the intense, vocal local to motivate our team to play hard and defend our house. So now when I speak in a wrestling setting I'm more or less just being myself. I let my competitors know whose toes they've stepped on and what will happen as a result! Unlike to be loud and energetic, and I think I get that from watching so many Macho Man promos. But I like to be clever and witty and a bit scandalous and I think some of that comes from studying Big Poppa Pump Scott Steiner promos too. I just want the fans to know who and what they got when they see me coming and hear my theme music, no hidden games, no bull, just Big O!