Former WWE Superstar Hornswoggle was the latest guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. He talks about being signed to a WWE nostalgia deal, the first time he met The Rock, his favourite WrestleMania memory and more!
On being signed to a WWE Nostalgia deal:
“Legitimately, [my son] Landon and I were on our way to see Blink-182. I get the call, I literally had to pull over, and I just froze. You know me, you know how I view me. Through these interviews, a lot of people know how I view me. I don’t view myself as very great in wrestling. So to have that recognition is the ultimate. This is pretty f*cking awesome. It just makes me feel like I mattered in WWE with this now, that it wasn’t a got rid of me, released me, which is okay. No one deserves a job. That’s my thing. Whenever people get released, internet goes crazy about ‘How could they do this?’ No one in any workforce deserves a job. You’re lucky to have that, especially that kind of job. So now to be back under a legends deal, it’s incredible. It’s just the coolest thing ever.”
On the first time he met The Rock:
“He thought I was a Make-A-Wish kid. [This was] going into the year he hosted [WrestleMania 27]. He cut a promo announcing he was gonna be the host. I was like I’m gonna meet my buddy Dwayne, I’m gonna be his best friend. So I am in a suit, a legit suit, not my leprechaun outfit, with my gear bag, and I’m gonna meet him behind the curtain as he comes through. In my mind, best friends. I see my buddy Dwayne come back through, oh boy here we go! I say, ‘Hey man, thank you so much for coming back. Thanks for what you’re gonna do for WrestleMania and what you’re gonna do for the company, and just glad to have you back. Good to meet you. My name is Dylan.’ He extends his arm out, goes, ‘Did you have a good time tonight buddy?’ Taps me on the shoulder, leaves. I go, Oh no, he doesn’t realize I work here. I was on the show before that. I told Kofi, thinking he would have my back and support me. He supported me by texting 97 people immediately while driving because he couldn’t wait on it. Within 30 seconds, I had so many people message me, ‘Rock thought you were a Make-A-Wish kid, huh?’ Big Show called him out the next week about this, because it got to Big Show. Rock goes, ‘No. Yeah, I did. Yeah, I did. I don’t watch the show.’ I approached him about it too and he said, ‘Yeah, Big Show already got on me about this.'”
On his favorite WrestleMania memory:
“I always go back between 23, the bump from Ken, and 24. 24, that match was because of me. That’s not an ego thing, it was written because of me, because of my role. It’s crazy. Having an entrance at WrestleMania and that was my first day back with WrestleMania. Insane. Love it.”
On a possible WWE return:
I would love to. The producing thing is probably my mindset more than in-ring, I’d love to do that. You never know. Never burn a bridge. They gave me 10 years living my absolute dream and paying me well, letting me provide for my son. No reason to burn that bridge.
