Pro wrestling veteran CW Anderson spoke with Fightful on a number of topics, including using the Anderson name and working with Arn Anderson.
CW Anderson said, “I’ve tried. When I first got the Anderson name back in ‘93, the stipulation was you can’t job it out, it’s disrespectful, the whole nine. Once I went to the power plant I kinda got scared because I hadn’t met Arn yet, nor Ole. I got permission through Gene to use it. In ECW, I tried my best to uphold the Anderson name with a little bit of extreme added to it. Once I got to meet Arn almost two years ago, I met him briefly with the ECW run at WWE, but not like I have now. Once he’s watched me work, been at ringside with me and one day after a match tagging with Brock—this has been a year and a half—going into a six man, he come up to me said, ‘It’s an honor to be ringside and watch you wrestle.’ I could have retired right then because Arn Anderson telling me that and then he told me not too long ago that he’s going to put Brock and trust him with me because he can’t be at every show and as a father, he’s very protective of Brock—as he should be. Every father would be in this especially in this business. He’s given me that to say, ‘Hey, I’m trusting Brock with you.’ He asked me one day, he said, ‘What’s your goal with tagging with Brock?’ I said, ‘To give Brock all the knowledge I’ve learned as an Anderson, because as being an Anderson, the respect I have for Arn and Ole and Gene and that Anderson name, I want to make Brock the best Anderson possible when I pass that off to him.’ It’s a running joke now that I’ve officially become Ole. I don’t think I’m quite bitter as only was, but Ole and I had a rough path. We’ve met one time and it was a rough encounter with Ole. This is early 2000s with that. But once he passed away and once I learned that I was going to be tagging with Brock, I’ve gone back and watched Ole and how he mentored Arn and just how good only was. It’s just been the absolute honor in my 31 year career to say that Arn Anderson is by my side with this.”
On getting pushback about not being a ‘real’ Anderson:
“I’ve always got ‘You’re not a real Anderson.’ Always. I’ve gotten that and I still get that to the day. My smart ass comeback is, ‘Well, none of us are, ass.’ In the end, yes—CW Anderson, Brock Anderson, Arn Anderson—yes, we’re Andersons. I understand. I’ve never wanted to walk in Arn Anderson’s shoes or try to fill his shoes. I’ve looked at it that I’ve brought my own. So I wanted to do that, still keep the Anderson name. Respectful, but just take it a little different route. I’ve told Brock several times, ‘I don’t want you to be your dad. You got to find your own path’ With his promos, we’ve talked about he’s trying to find—he has it doesn’t have the gruffiness of his dad yet. He’s got to find his own way to do his promos, just like I did. The very first time I did a promo live, Paul threw me in front of the crowd at the ECW Arena and I was terrified because I was terrified of talking on a microphone, but everybody, even people who compare us to the Four Horsemen now, people are comparing us to the Extreme Horsemen, and somebody said, ‘It’s like when you get the Four Horsemen off of Wish,’ calling us with the Rogue Horseman thing and that’s fine. We’re going to get those and it’s okay. We’re trying to make our own path and Brock’s trying to make his own path as well. Is he always going to be compared to Arn? Absolutely. He’s never going to outlive that. Am I always going to be compared to Arn? That’s fine. I will. I’ll, I’ll take that happily. So we’re just trying to make our own path with it and do the best we can with this Rogue Horseman and the Anderson thing.”
You can check out Anderson’s comments in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
