At this autograph signing and photo event, he was joined by independent wrestling sensation Rage. He praised the pizza owner, Dan Romano, for being a “fantastic guy,” and shared his excitement to make some pizza later with Romano. “I used to work in Pizza Hut when I was in high school. That’s the last time I made a pizza. I want to see if my skills have been diminished at all,” he said.
“I used to live in Jersey City, so I just love New York and the fact that I am back here. This place is very special to me,” Mr. Anderson said.
When asked how he got into wrestling, he said, “As a little kid, I was always interested in acting and entertaining in general. I was involved in plays in high school and grade school, and I would make little movies with my buddies. I also played sports growing up. I first started watched wrestling when I was 20 or 21 years old, and it was a great blend of all the things that I loved. It had an entertainment aspect and an athleticism aspect. It was challenging, but I fell in love with the business.”
He revealed that one of his proudest moments in the business was when he entertained the troops in Iraq, and visiting some military bases in the Middle East as well. “To me, those men and women, are putting their lives at risk, and taking themselves from their families for long periods of time. To be able to put a smile on their face for a few hours is really important to me,” he said.
Regarding the key to longevity in wrestling, he said, “Being smart with what you do in the ring. A lot of the wrestlers take a lot of risks.”
Mr. Anderson was gracious enough to take the time to answer a question from a young wrestling fan, named Anthony. He told him that he “loves pizza,” and when Anthony asked him when is the next time he wrestling, he revealed that he will be in Staten Island wrestling tonight. “Tomorrow, I am flying back to Minneapolis and I have a show there tomorrow night,” Mr. Anderson added.
He noted that he is motivated by his failures in life, and he subsequently shared an inspirational quote by Thomas Edison.
For more information on acclaimed wrestler Mr. Anderson, follow him on Twitter.
