Interview: Cyrus

ECW's top heel tells IGN Wrestling what makes him so evil

June 2, 2000

Cyrus is one of the top names in ECW right now; as head of the evil TNN "Network" (or so the storylines say), he has been a thorn in the side of all ECW's top fan favorites, from Rob Van Dam to The Sandman. Since entering ECW after spending time in the WWF as "The Jackyl," leader of the "Truth Commission," he has succeeded in getting his dastardly character and sly interview skills over with the fans, becoming one of wrestling's strongest personalities. IGN's Blake Norton caught up with Cyrus during the E3 Video Games convention, where he did play by play for exhibition matches for the punters on hand.

Norton: There's a huge ECW presence here, a dozen wrestlers, a ring…

Cyrus: That was all my idea! (laughs)

Norton: In ECW right now, you're in a killer push, The Network vs. ECW. What spawned that idea?

Cyrus: For a long time we were throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick. For a long time I was doing the office thing where I had the boys swerved… Paul spun that into giving me the power to go out there and be "The Network," because I used to insinuate that I was, but then he decided that I actually would be "The Network," because TNN is a dispotic demonic network.

Norton: A lot of the guys in the back were staying stuff like that…

Cyrus: Oh, I love TNN. I'm probably going to be getting a series done. The time is great for a show with a wrestler. I have an acting background in college. They're talking about doing a show starring a couple of wrestlers, but it's not about wrestling.

Norton: What's it about then?

Cyrus: A Golf Pro and a rock star living together in L.A.

Norton: Are you serious?

Cyrus: Yup.

Norton: You've got to be kidding.

Cyrus: Nope.

(Editor's Note: He had to be kidding)

Originally it was going to be Lance Storm and I, but they looked at Storm's interview, he read for the interview, and he was terrible. Lance can't talk. (He's also WCW bound). So I'm playing the Golf Star, they don't know who's going to be the Golf Pro, maybe Tommy Dreamer.

Norton: He'd make a funny golf pro. Lance Storm is dead, where Tommy is dead-pan. I think you'd work well together.

Cyrus: Exactly. It's a bit odd, but I think they're going to go with it.

Simon Diamond walks by and jokes about a slingshot spot that went horribly wrong in his match a few minutes earlier. I had to inform him that even non-wrestling fans were chanting "you f***ed up!" "It happens" he said with a sheepish grin.

Cyrus: That was a tremendous, tremendous slingshot. I have to call Paul and tell him you blew a spot! (laughs)

Norton: There's a lot of talk that hypothetically, the TNN show could arrive on USA, if the WWF leaves for CBS. Is that a real chance, or is it too far fetched?

Cyrus: Obviously if the WWF winds up on TNN, then USA will be looking for a wrestling show, it's big ratings. We're the only alternative for them, so it could happen.

Norton: What do you think is the next step for ECW, past this network situation?

Cyrus: I think we could probably start running bigger buildings. We're selling out 2-3,000 seat buildings. I'd like to move up towards 6,000. With the right promotion we could do that. And of course, TNN is not a destination network.

Norton: RVD and Tommy Dreamer were talking to me about ECW going to Canada.

Cyrus: I think it might happen in the fall. I'd like to see us in California too. There's certain transportation problems, of course. You could spend a month just doing shows up and down the coast.

Norton: What are your aspirations here in ECW at this point? Have you ever thought of getting back in the ring?

Cyrus: When I think about it, I usually call it a nightmare (laughs). My goal in ECW is to be here a long time, help the company grow, I'd like to continue to be the top heel in the company, and continue to be on the same page as Paul. I'd eventually like to take my rightful place as the rightful commentator on our flagship show. We all know that I'm so much better than Joel Gertner it's ridiculous. The only reason I don't have the job now is because they need me in the spot I'm in. I'd like to see us go to a two-hour live show, maybe on the USA. If so, I'd like to do the color commentary there, continue doing it for the pay per views, and basically make as much money as possible.

Norton: There's been some hiccups around the ECW world title scene. Do you think bringing in Tazz was a good idea?

Cyrus: I don't think it was a bad thing. I think it was a negative situation, which they spun in such a way that it made people talk about Tazz coming instead of Mike Awesome leaving.

Norton: What are your thoughts on Mike Awesome?

Cyrus: I liked him personally. I didn't particularly care for how he did business.

Norton: The feeling I got from the ECW locker room was that they appreciate that he had to do what was best for him, but he should have done the honors on the way out.

Cyrus: Yeah, exactly. Who knows what Bischoff and Russo told him, I don't know.

Norton: Have you had any involvement in the ECW video game?

Cyrus: Nope, but having said that, Jay Andronaco did a lot with the WWF before Acclaim came over to us. I knew him when I was in the WWF. I'm very good at corporate schmoozing, cocktails and stuff. The corporate types don't get out much, they send me because they love to meet a wrestler, so I do that, I'm very eloquent, I don't try to beat them up. I talk to them about current affairs, and of course, I'm very good at drinking, so it works well.

Norton: Any thoughts of going back to the WWF, maybe WCW down the road?

Cyrus: Never say never. It's a business, it's a money business. I wouldn't rule it out, but having said that, I've made a lot of money here.

Norton: Are you on good terms with the WWF?

Cyrus: Just the other day one of my friends was telling me about having a meeting with Vince a month ago and he put me over. I never had a problem with them. I get along great with Vince, Matt, J.R…. I really didn't have a problem with anybody, contrary to reports The bottom line was that they were paying me a lot of money to sit home. From a business standpoint, that doesn't make sense. They thought they could release me, they told me the door was open for me to come back when they had something for me. I think they figured that because I was off TV for six months, they figured I wouldn't get a lot of offers, they could not pay me and still have me there if they needed me. But I didn't wait, I came here (to ECW).

Norton: In the ECW, you really flourished.

Cyrus: Paul's given me the opportunity to do what I want to do.

Norton: I loved the stuff with Tajiri. You defined evil, screaming "You slanty eyed son of a bitch!" and worse at him.

Cyrus: Yeah (grins). Tajiri is real good.

Norton: Do you come up with a lot of that yourself?

Cyrus: Oh yeah, Paul gives me a lot of creative freedom.

Norton: I notice that you're using a lot of the same personality in ECW that you did in the WWF, which leads me to believe that you came up with a lot of it.

Cyrus: Yeah, yeah. I like to come up with your own stuff.

Norton: Are you running your camp again this year? (A tuition camp about giving wrestling interviews etc.)

Cyrus: I'm probably going to run another one this summer to pay for my lectures.

Norton: Is it an annual thing?

Cyrus: I had one last year. I said I wasn't going to have another one, but I think I'm going to. Just to pay the bills (laughs)