"Well, (joking) I just had a few bills I needed to pay--nah. Over in Windsor, there was a school. I thought this was something that I wanted to do--it was a dream. I was a fan. So, I went over and did the footwork. Found the school and started training. It was a really good school, Can-Am Wrestling School, and I learned a lot.

Trained for about two and a half years. Six months after training I had my first match, but I was wrestling and training at the same time. Then I went over to Germany and we were working every night, so that was your training right there. A lot of fun.

Did the independents for a little bit, then went to WWE--for a dojo, a camp. Didn't get hired, went back to Germany for about five months. Then in '99, after the second trip to Germany, Paul Heyman--got a tryout with him, with ECW. And Paul Heyman just loved me. I was 23 at the time and he hired me right there on the spot. Well, I had to wait around until 3 o'clock in the morning...For him to get off of the cell phone?...Yeah. Well, no. They were doing the pretape stuff and all the vignettes after the show.

In WWE, they do them before the show. In ECW, we were kicked out of buildings because we were there til like 3 o'clock in the morning, they'd say 'you guys gotta go. Wrap this up and you guys gotta get out of here.'

On walking down to K-Mart as a kid to watch wrestling on television...

"Yeah, you know what, I was just a loser (laughs). No, where did you hear that from? Well, I try to dig around and find out a few things...Well, you did your homework. Yeah, I used to. There was a K-Mart, actually it's still there--a Super K-Mart. I brought a lot of business their way, see (laughs). I'd get up earlier then my friends who'd sleep in and I go down there and watch "Superstars". Get out of the house and I like to walk. Walk, go down there, watch the show.

After the show, I remember grabbing the Big Slurpee and they'd have those wrestling cups. I'd get like a big Slurpee at their eatery and then have the wrestling cup. And I had a ton of Andre the Giant cups. A ton of Hacksaw Jim Duggan, a couple Macho Man's--I think my mom still has them over at her house. They're little collector cups. And I'd just sit there, drink that down, and watch the wrestling.

That seems to me like a Confidential piece where Mean Gene needs to go and find someone who still works at the Super K and has since you were a little kid there and pretends to remember you...

"Yeah, pretends to remember. There's a couple of people who still work there, believe it or not. The guy who collects the carts has worked there ever since the store opened. I think like 30-something years ago. I'm sure he doesn't remember a lot, though. He would have to pretend to remember me--'He's a good kid, that Jerry'.

On having a more defined role in the storylines since turning on Benoit...

"Yeah, you know, I think you hit the nail right on the head. After I go to Summer Slam, and take the US Title, I think me and Chris will work down the road. I still see--there's an unwritten chapter between him and me, even after Summer Slam. A cage match. A submission match. I'll tell you guys now--I'm gonna slap on him the Sharpshooter and make him tap. What do you think about that?

I think it's great and part of the reason is that you have the height and build to use the Sharpshooter properly. A lot of guys try to use that and it doesn't look right.

Yeah, plus the legs and I work the mid-section. All the signs point in that direction for a submission hold...Will that perhaps take a little bit of pressure off of using the gore, which will save your neck?

You know what, as long as I don't hit the guy head first, as long as I hit him with the shoulder, I'm pretty good. But, I think everyone needs a submission hold to make, there's more things you can do in the match. It's more exciting. If you can't beat them with one move, you can use the other. Like Kurt Angle--he's got the Angle Slam, although he's never beat me with it (laughs). Talking smack will get you in trouble...(laughs) yeah, I think he has beat me with it. Anyways, he's got the ankle lock and all that stuff.

Sixteen months of rehab after neck surgery, if Kurt Angle's procedure would have been available, would that have been an option...

"Yeah, but looking back, that was the worst time of my life but I got a beautiful daughter out of it. So, looking back I wouldn't change a thing. At the time, I would have been like 'yeah, sure' same doctor, same procedure as Kurt--but nobody knew of him. Hopefully it holds up for Kurt. He says his neck feels fine, but he hasn't got in the ring with me yet (laughs). So hopefully, everything will hold up and work out for Kurt and if I ever have to have another surgery then I'd go with that.

Predictions for Summer Slam (besides him winning the US Title)...

Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar: "I'm going with Kurt, he'll remain champion."
Undertaker vs. A-Train: "A-Train, I think it's his time to shine."

Elimination Chamber: "Oh, I'm thinking...I'm thinking I'll do a run-in. Why not? Why stop at one title?...You know we saw that before, it was the last ECW ppv, but that was one heck of a night...Yeah, actually I have the title right over here in my house. Actually in my cellar, I don't have it hanging on the wall.

Um, I'd have to say I'm leaning towards Goldberg, but then again, you know what--I'm gonna say Goldberg. What do you think?...My two guesses are Shawn Michaels or Chris Jericho...If I was a bettin' man, I bet on Goldberg. And then I'd look for Goldberg vs. Kane at the following ppv. I think that would draw some really good buyrates.

Especially with what Kane has been up to lately. He battles, I guess one of your old friends, Rob Van Dam. I think most people are picking Kane to win that one, despite how much they love RVD...Yeah, I think Kane's gonna win, beat RVD. I would like to see Kane beat Goldberg for the Heavyweight Title a month from now and then RVD come back and beat Kane.

On the criticism that a lot of ECW guys haven't been in position for title shots or it's taken longer to pay any necessary dues:

"No, I think it all has to do with who's going to draw, who's going to be interesting.
Van Dam should've been Heavyweight Champion by now. I think he's really over where some guys need the title if you're really, really over. I think we need to see the Heavyweight Title on Rob Van Dam. And then he can turn bad.

You could give him pointers on that. Which role are you most comfortable in?

As a heel. I like working as a heel. You know, I think we could've done a little bit more as a babyface, I think I should've come out and gored people for a good six months up until Summer Slam for the first match. But things are done for a reason. I don't know the reasons, but I never pitched that idea.

Look at Sting, for a year he didn't wrestle. Paul had a great idea. There was a picture, taken right before my neck surgery, when Shane suspended me--you know, storyline. He (Paul) said there was a great picture floating around in the office of me with my back's to the corner and you can see everybody in the ring.

All of a sudden, when I come back, I can gore people--like the Dudleys. Then after a couple weeks of doing that, replay the tape so it's like my revenge. There's the story, now we're off and running. That was a good idea, but that was only like five months out of surgery and I had ten months to go.