In a wide ranging exclusive interview with BetIdeas.com, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) opened up about the future of The Hurt Syndicate in AEW and also touched on WWE and why he can’t respect Hulk Hogan or Triple H.
On Hurt Syndicate And AEW
Question: MJF recently joined The Hurt Syndicate, how important do you think he can be for the faction going forward?
Montel Vontavious Porter: I think he’s a very important cog in the wheel. As I was explaining to Bobby [Lashley] and Shelton [Benjamin], he knows the lay of the land. He’s been there for a while and I think people forget when they talk about how devious he is and not to trust him. I think people forget about 2007 MVP. I think they’ve forgotten that ‘07 MVP wasn’t a very nice person. He wasn’t somebody that you should particularly trust. He was willing to do whatever he needed to do to get what he wanted. So I can identify with MJF in a way that most people can’t. Bobby and Shelton have never been those guys. I have been that guy. So I see the value in a person like MJF because listen, many people say he’s a snake, but you can’t make snake anti-venom without a snake. So that’s the kind of snake you wanna keep real close rather than have it slithering around and you don’t know what it’s up to.
I mean, just look at what he’s accomplished. He’s only 26 years old. I met him when he was 18 or 19, and I saw when we first met many years ago when he was driving me around as a young boy as the term goes. I’ve said that I was always impressed by him. Not because he was asking questions, but by the questions that he asked. Very astute young man. And he understood things way ahead of guys that had been in the business 10 years beyond him. He’s a very sharp young man and he’s very ambitious. The ambitious part is the part we got to keep an eye on because let’s be honest, professional wrestling is an ego-driven business. Between me, Bobby and Shelton we have a wonderful balance between our egos and our accomplishments and a huge respect for each other. Now that we’ve allowed MJF to join us, we have to temper his youthful exuberance and teach him. I think if that goes well, then we’ll have a spectacular run with four members of The Hurt Syndicate and MJF will be that dude.
Q: With the faction going full speed ahead in AEW, how does it compare to how The Hurt Business was used in WWE?
A: It’s very, very different. And I’ll say the very first aspect that goes without saying is we’re in front of people. The Hurt Business was never in front of a live crowd. We got broken up before we got to experience a live audience. I always lamented that fact because we never, even though the ratings and the merch sales, everything pointed to us being the top faction. As a matter of fact, I recall specifically when The Hurt Business shirt came out, it was the second highest selling shirt behind Roman Reigns only.
Our quarter hours were consistently among the highest rated but we never got to perform in front of an audience. It really bothered us quite a bit, but at AEW, it’s a breath of fresh air because we’re allowed a lot more input into our creative direction. We get to work in front of a crowd that absolutely loves us. You see the shirt, they’re chanting it as we come out, you know? During the matches, as we’re beating people up, the crowd starts chanting “We hurt people!” Shout out to West Side Gun and Smoke DZA. I guess the most important part too is that we’re all elders in this business. You know, we’re all OGs. We’re the OG vets. We’re not just vets, we’re OG vets. I don’t have any qualms about telling you that I’m 51 years old, that Shelton’s 49 and Bobby’s 48, but we’re still in better shape than a lot of guys half our age, and we can still go, but we know the clock’s running down. This is the last ride. We know that we’re done after this. We’re not gonna be the old guys hanging around for no reason. And our mission statement, we said from day one is that on the way out, our goal is to make new talent. Yeah, to make guys, a lot of people don’t understand what that means. Sometimes AEW fans don’t, some of them don’t understand what our mission statement is, what our goal is. And our goal is on the way out to establish and make new stars. And if you don’t know what that means, then go figure that out. I’m not here going to old class and teach you.
Q: If you could choose any wrestler in the world to join The Hurt Syndicate past or present, alive or dead, who would it be?
A: Past or present? Alive or Dead? The very first name that comes to mind is Masahiro Chono because he was the epitome of cool. Chono, if you don’t know about Japanese wrestling and you don’t know who he is, go Google Chono because he’s the definition of cool. Boss. I’m a big fan of Bad News Brown. Bad News is that he was that guy and I believe he would’ve fitted in with us perfectly. Those are the first two that come to mind.
Q: A name that we’ve heard mentioned around the Hurt syndicate is Cedric Alexander. Are there any rumors out there?
A: The only thing I can say about Cedric is that I absolutely love Cedric. He’s a little brother. He was a part of the founding group. I know that his contract is up, but I don’t know what his status is. And unfortunately, I can’t speak for him or his career choices. I don’t do the hiring. So I can’t say anything about that other than he’s an awesome human being. A tremendously talented young man. I’d love to have him back. But anybody that has him would be lucky to have him.
Q: Can you give us a prediction for someone you think will be the next first-time AEW champion?
A: It’s hard to say because in AEW, that roster is stacked with so many incredibly talented young men and women. It’s hard to say. As far as a prediction for a new AEW champion, I’m gonna put my money on Kyle Fletcher being a future AEW world champion and then being somebody that’s gonna carry that title and be the man. I can definitely see Fletcher in that role.
Q: You obviously yourself have always been known for your charisma and skills on the mic. Musically as well as just in the ring, but how do you see your role evolving now in this stage of your career and do you look at the younger talent coming through and feel like they could improve their skills on the mic, learning from you?
A: All the time and I recognize where I’m at in my career and I have the pleasure and honor of being respected by a lot of the young guys. So, young guys like Will Ospreay, who I met when he was a skinny little kid in the UK. And look what he’s blossomed into and he’ll come and ask me for insight sometimes, or he’ll ask for feedback and he just cut a promo recently with Adam Page and I said to him, ‘bro, that was spectacular. You did a great job. I don’t have any feedback for you. You did everything you needed to do.’ And it’s cool when the young guys come to me and ask me for some insight.
And as my career is winding down, I do quite a bit behind the scenes. I’m constantly directing backstage segments and I’m helping to produce and these things aren’t in my job description, but it just kind of happens like a natural occurrence. I love just being a leader in a leadership role. I do it all the time and I think when the time comes for me to retire as an in ring wrestler, because I haven’t officially retired yet. I love the role that I’ve fallen into as a manager. I never aspired to be one. It wasn’t planned for me to be one, but it just happened and I love the role. I could see myself being a Paul Heyman-esque character for the next decade.
Q: Booker T said something similar when bigging you up recently..
A: Booker T was an early mentor of mine and he’s the reason that I live in Houston, Texas. I learned so much from Booker T. Like he took the time to teach me a lot, would pull me to the side and talk to me and help me to progress in a number of ways. So I appreciate those words from Booker T, but that’s one thing that I try to tell the young guys, young men and women, and I try to give them advice, don’t get so caught up in just the wrestling, just your match and having the best match. Yes, by all means, you wanna do that because that’s what’s on the marquee – wrestling.
But I think too many of them focus on, ‘oh, this is my art, this is my craft.’ And they forget that it’s a business. A whole lot of commerce has to take place for you to get your rolling bag and walk in that building and do your 10-15 minutes of wrestling that a lot of talent are oblivious to. They don’t understand the permits involved and the insurance and renting a ring and hiring people to work the building and then securing a building. Then once you get past that, then the booking of talent and a lot of people think, ‘oh, I know how to do that.
I’ve been watching wrestling for years’. No, man, that’s not how it works. You can watch a doctor do brain surgery, but that doesn’t mean that you’re skilled to be a brain surgeon. So I guess my biggest advice to any young talented wrestlers that are listening is – yes, hone your craft in the ring, but educate yourself about the business, all facets of it. Directing, backstage, vignettes, producing matches. There’s so much more that goes into the business, and if you wanna have longevity and if you want to really be good, then you have to understand all facets of the business.
Q: Let me tie that in with Will Ospreay who you mentioned earlier. Do you think he has all of those elements in his locker with the wrestling and the business and is that what’s going to send him clear of his colleagues?
A: Right now he’s still just wrestler, wrestler, wrestler, wrestler. He just loves wrestling. His passion for wrestling is unmatched. Like he’s so passionate about wrestling. But I understand that and I feel like his aptitude is off the charts. He’s a very sharp young man and I think as he gets a little bit longer in the tooth and he’s around, he’ll start to absorb other aspects and focus on other aspects of the business for his own longevity. And he just loves it. Like I tell him all the time when I talk to him, I’m like, ‘Will, you don’t have to go all out every match, save some for the pay-per-view, bro. Make them pay to see it, you know?’ But I understand his passion and desire every time he goes out there. He just wants to give his absolute best all the time, which is good.
But there’s also the proverbial bump card and the bump card is what they talk about. Everybody has a card. And you get a little stamp every time you take a bump. And eventually that card fills up, and there’s no room left. So we talk about in our business, the bump card. Like ‘hey man, save some room on your bump card.’ I always say my bump card is like a passport. I had to add extra pitches to it because it’s so full. And Will’s that guy, he’s so passionate. I talk to him about it and I tell him, ‘hey man, I’m not telling you how to wrestle. I’m just trying to give you some veteran experience for your body and your longevity.’ Because he’s so incredibly gifted. It comes so easy to him. For him, it’s almost effortless. I want him to have a very, very long career because he’s brilliant to watch, man. And he’s just a genuinely wonderful person.
Q: You cut your teeth during the Ruthless Aggression Era – which of today’s AEW wrestlers would’ve thrived back then (well it wasn’t that long ago, but it’s a different era now)?
A: Well, to be fair, a lot of today’s stars were children during that era. So you can say back then, because I’m reminded all the time by grown men with full beards that come up to me and tell me, ‘oh, I watched you as a kid, man.’ But, to answer your question, it was a different time in the ruthless aggression era, the wrestling business was different back then. You didn’t have what you have today, the inclusiveness and the human resources department and then the protection. And there were a lot of talent who were incredibly gifted that were driven out by the old school gatekeepers because they weren’t tough enough or they weren’t one of the boys! And I have to wonder, how many box office stars got run off in the old days? And there’s no way to tell. So I see a lot of talent today that wouldn’t have made it back then, just because of how the environment was. It was just very aggressive, very rough, and there was nobody protecting you. You had to hold your own. So I believe a guy like Will Ospreay, just because he’s so talented, likable and just very respectful, I think he’d be great. I think guys like Hangman Adam Page, I think he’d be a guy that would do well too. Thinking to younger guys who would have done well, Brody King. I think he’d be a guy that would hold his own in the locker room back then and be okay. It was just a very different time. You’ve heard the stories through the years of guys that quit. You make it to your dream. And then you find your dream isn’t what you thought it was, and they quit, you know? It was a different time. Now it’s not that way anymore, and it is more inclusive and protective and, and nobody’s getting run off anymore. So I’m very happy for that evolution of the business.
Q: Talking about women’s wrestling a little bit now from a manager’s point of view, are there any women’s wrestlers that you would love to represent at this point in time?
A: Wow, man. It’s funny because the women that I’m most impressed by don’t need my representation. Tony Storm doesn’t need me. Maybe somebody like Kris Statlander is somebody that I could represent. Or maybe Megan Bayne? I’m probably best suited for those that aren’t as comfortable on the mic. Most of the women at AEW that are really performing well, that are some of my favorites, don’t really need me. But a few that stand out, like I said, Kris Statlander. She’s impressive. Megan Bayne. Red Velvet from Ring Of Honor is somebody, her charisma, her persona, her presence. She’s so impressive. She’s somebody else that I think possibly could do well with me. There are a lot of very hungry, intelligent women in the AEW women’s division. That’s what is so good about it.
On General Wrestling (WWE) and Career
Q: WWE just removed marijuana from their banned substances list – I know you used to pay the $12,000 up front. Do you think they owe you some money back? If so, how much?
A: I’m glad you asked me that question. My YouTube show is called Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze. Dwayne Swayze is a Houston based rapper, extremely talented guy. We’ve done a lot of music together. We’ve become good friends and over time it was just funny when we’re in the studio with some downtime, he’d always say, ‘Hey, P, let me ask you about…’ and then I’d be answering wrestling questions. And one day I thought, man, this would be a great show. Just you and me sitting talking about wrestling. So it’s available on YouTube. And it’s also streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.
But to answer your question, I saw the other day that after the clip, some idiot from some ridiculous little dirt sheet, accused me of being a liar because I said I could have bought a new car with the fines that I paid. And this idiot, whoever he is, I don’t even know his name, he was under the impression that you only got fined a thousand dollars a year. That’s why I hate the dirt sheets so much because his fool had no idea what he was talking about. If you tested positive for cannabis once, then you were on the every month test list instead of being randomly tested four times a year.
You would get retested every single month. Every month. And you had to have one year completely clean before you got off the list of being tested monthly. So that meant you were gonna be fined, in the case of someone like me who smokes regularly, a thousand dollars a month. So in a year that’s $12,000. But then they upped the fine because so many of us were like, yeah, it’s a luxury tax, I’ll pay it. They then upped the fine to $2500. So if you, if you figure the thousands that I paid, and then the 25 hundreds that I paid over the course of a year.
Yes. I could absolutely buy a new car. Of course, that’s money that’s gone. I don’t ever expect to get it back. But I often wonder what they did with that money, because I don’t remember them donating it to any charities or doing any good work with that money. I think it just went back to the shareholders or something.
Q: What’s your view on the Hall of Fame?
A: My view on it is, my picture is on the wall at Ribera Steakhouse. I’m already in the Hall of Fame and I’m good with that. Listen, let’s be real. I don’t say this with any malice. I have no malice towards the WWE at all. You know, I had a great time there. There’s only one person that I ever had any problem with, that’s another conversation. I don’t have any animosity towards the company, but as far as the Hall of Fame goes, I mean, there’s no rhyme or reason for who’s in or who’s not in. Did they induct the Macho Man yet? I don’t believe Randy Savage was inducted yet. So Randy Savage isn’t, but you can go down the list of who’s who that are. You’d be saying, why are they in, you know?
I think it’s a wonderful celebration. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to give people their flowers and then to honor them and to allow them an opportunity to be really respected and praised by the fans and for their family. I think it’s a great thing. But in terms of, you know, who should be in and who shouldn’t be in, it’s just a feel-good thing. There’s no real criteria to be in it. In some cases, if they wanna buy your library, that’s part of the deal. They’ll buy your library and dump you in a non-existent hall of fame. I think there’s no brick and mortar Hall of Fame. It’s just an idea of a Hall of Fame. I would have a different opinion of if there was actually a brick and mortar building, with Hall of Fame inductees listed in it. Then I might have a different opinion, but now it’s just a psychological Hall of Fame, if you will. Like I said, if Macho Mayor Randy Savage isn’t in the Hall of Fame, then does anybody deserve to be in it?
Q: Is Macho Man on your wrestling Mt. Rushmore? If so, who else is up there for you?
A: Oh man, I hate these hypotheticals. Because there are so many greats, you know? There are some people that I think should be on it. It’s a personal preference. It’s all a matter of taste. Would I say Macho Man should be on it, in my opinion? Absolutely, he should be on it. There are many people that would make the case that Hulk Hogan should be on it…I think he’s disqualified in my opinion, because…he’s who he is. Self-admitted, unapologetic, so that’s that.
But because I’m also such a huge fan of Japanese wrestling, as well. And in terms of building up the business domestically, there are some absolute greats globally. You’ve had some huge stars that helped build up the business in England and Japan and in Mexico. So if you’re putting together a Mount Rushmore, is it just American wrestlers? Is it all wrestlers of all time? So there are these questions that you have to ask, to kind of formulate it. It’s like, when people ask me, who are your all time favorite top five rappers. I’m like, well, I can tell you Rakim is number one. Ghostface Killah is number two, and three, four, and five depends on who I’ve been listening to lately and how high I am and what conversation we’re having, you know? It moves around.
Q: What about other sportsmen crossing over into wrestling? What’s your take on boxes coming in and, and trying to have a go?
A: I’m not particularly a big fan of the crossovers. I know it puts a lot of eyes on it. But I’ve never been a big fan of the crossover stuff. I will tell you this, I was incredibly impressed with Bad Bunny. And for the work that he put in to turn in those performances. And for him to be one of the biggest stars on the planet! After WrestleMania, I remember going to his locker room and telling him, Hey, I want to be honest with you. I’ve never been a fan of other people coming into my world doing this, because I just didn’t have any respect for them. This was my craft, this was my career. This is what I do. And for you, this is just a fun weekend. You know, let me go have some fun. I was never a fan of those people doing that. But in his case, I went and shook his hand and told him, ‘not that you need to hear this, but you’ve earned my respect,’ and we hugged each other and I was like, ’Yo, you’re the man’.
And then afterwards, having been a guest of his at a Bad Bunny concert, I was blown away. This man is an incredible showman. I was off my feet, man. Afterwards, I went to the back and he confidently said, ‘welcome to my world’. I said, bro, my respect for you has gone up even more.So, there are some cases where people make that crossover and they do exceptionally well. But generally speaking, I’m not a fan of the influencers and whatnot coming into the world of wrestling and doing their thing.
Q: We’ve seen wrestlers go the other way – The Rock looks like he’s been cast in a psychological thriller. Do you think that kind of role works for him?
A: I have no idea. I couldn’t say. The guy’s talent speaks for itself. So the talent and the work ethic, you can’t deny those things. And when it comes to Hollywood, Dave Bautista and I are very good friends. I’ve been learning a lot about the business through him. There are so many factors that go into making a movie and what makes a movie successful that goes above and beyond the actors’ talent and ability? Sometimes movies don’t do well and it’s not because the actors did poorly, but it was because of the promotion or when it was released, there’s so many different factors that go into it.
So, you see. In the case of somebody like Dave Batista, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, they dipped into acting. But they made a career change and they actually went and trained and learned to become proper actors. And now they’re actors. They weren’t just doing bit roles here and there just for fun because it seemed cool, they had a goal to become actors. And Dave again, not just ’cause he’s my friend. But Dave made a great point and he told me that he could be in a big action blockbuster every few months if he wanted to, but that would be easy.
He wants to be a true thespian. So he really takes his acting seriously, the scripts that he takes, the roles that he looks at, and I think Cena has shown that as well. So if you are going to step into another arena, you’re gonna put your heart and soul into it, the same way you did in wrestling. Then you deserve all the success you can achieve.
Q: You’ve clarified that you never said HHH was racist, but that he views talent of colour in a certain way – how do you think he views them and why?
A: Let’s just say this, Bobby Lashley was a two-time WWE Champion, and after he took over, Bobby Lashley was reduced to the mid-card. Bobby Lashley is a bankable,marketable guy. And two time WWE Champion just got reduced to mid card, whatever. What I said, specifically in response to the person on my Instagram page, was that you see it. It’s my opinion of how he chooses to book certain talents. Some people say all the time that, ‘oh MVP’s just griping, MVP’s just crying’. Okay, well just watch the program. Who were the people in the top spots under his leadership? Who were given the opportunities? And I’m not talking about NXT. I’m talking about the main show. I have my opinions, based on my personal experiences. And at some point on my podcast and my YouTube show, I’ll talk about it and I’ll go in depth about what my issues are with that man.
And I’ll be honest with you, my issues with him have nothing to do with race. My issues have to do with him as a person and our personal interactions and things that he said and did that caused me to have zero respect for him. But I’ll get into that on my show. Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swaezey.
Q: You once orchestrated a boxing match between Matt Hardy and Evander Holyfield, what was it like working with other athletes like that?
A: Yeah, it was great. I guess I should elaborate on that just a little bit. If you have Tyson Fury or Evander Holyfield, World Heavyweight Champion, a sportsman at that level. You bring ’em in for a special angle or something like that, that’s a pleasant surprise. That’s kind of cool. I just hate when they bring in an actor or a singer or an influencer, and now here you have trained athletes who put their bodies through the ringer day in, day out, and then all of a sudden, Austin Theory gets choke slammed by Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll can barely lift a Jelly Roll! And you’re gonna chokeslam Austin Theory? I’ve always hated it, and the guys in the locker room would talk about how you bring in these stars or actors who don’t have an athletic bone in their body, but we always have to put them over!
But when you get an Evander Holyfield come in, and from a wrestling angle he’s coming in to box, well that makes sense. And that’s a cool thing.I was very happy to be knocked out by Evander Holyfield and to be given that opportunity to be there. I thought it was brilliant, and he was lovely to work with. For many years, he was one of my favorite fighters. My friend used to call me crazy all the time when I said, and I’m a Tyson fan, but I said for many years, I believe Evander Holyfield’s style of boxing was capable of beating Mike Tyson.
People told me I was crazy. That I didn’t know what I was talking about. That I was a fool. I was an idiot. But I said, I believe that Evander Holyfield, once he moved from Cruiserweight to Heavyweight. His style of boxing, specifically because if you go back through Tyson’s career… many people have forgotten the name, Tony Tucker. Tony Tucker took Tyson 12 rounds and he thought that he’d won. He really believed that he won. He had his hands up. But he didn’t.
And I believe that Evander Holyfield is much better than Tony Tucker, with all due respect. His style of fighting would’ve frustrated Tyson a bit. I think he would’ve won. He moved well. He was a good boxer and he moved exceptionally well. And I don’t think he would’ve been afraid of Mike. I think that was part of the problem, that so many guys lost the fight before they stepped in the ring. Because of the intimidation factor, Mike was a juggernaut in his day. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not you’d win, it was just how long you could last. Psychologically, they were already lost.
Q: We’ve seen people like Becky Lynch and CM Punk being critical of Hulk Hogan on air, is that up to management or are they just allowed to say whatever they want?
A: They’re box office level, so they have the ability to say what they wanna say. People like Becky Lynch and CM Pumpk, they don’t have to ask for permission, if anything, they just have to ask for forgiveness after the fact.
Q: When MVP stepped in the ring, which opponent brought the best out of you and why?
A: I’ve been so fortunate that especially earlier in my career and the people that I was placed with. There was rhyme and reason that I, as a young talent, was placed with the people I was placed with, and that was so I could learn. Vince said to me directly when I first started my feud with Kane, he said, ‘I’m putting you in the ring with Glenn so that you can learn’. And Vince said, ‘if you can’t learn from Glenn…’ and I understood exactly what that meant. But fortunately for me, Glenn was a wonderful teacher and he was very patient and took the time to teach me and explain to me. People forget that for a while, me and Mr. Kennedy were paired up against the Brothers of Destruction, and we toured the UK doing main events every night across England and Europe. It was magnificent to be able to learn from the Brothers of Destruction.
The most demanding matches that I had in my career were with Chris Benoit. I’ve been in real fights that weren’t as tough as some of the matches that I had with Benoit. My time with Matt Hardy. I’ll never forget we were in Baltimore the first time me and Matt worked together and Matt was a guy that I’d watched on TV for years and I’d always known him to be a cool guy.But Matt took me to the side and he said, ‘Hey brother, we’re gonna do a little business’. And that was the beginning of the most memorable feud of my career, and what I learned from that specifically was his business acumen. His savvy for the business, right? I mean, Jeff is the artist. Jeff is the entertainer. Matt is the businessman. Matt is a brilliant guy and I don’t think he gets credit for how brilliant he really is. Yin and yang.