MMA legend Josh Barnett spoke with SHAK Wrestling on a number of topics, including his relationship with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Barnett said, “I think part of it comes from [the fact] that I’m not a carny dude, to use a pro wrestling term. I hate that kind of way of doing things. I know that there’s a reason why it exists, I mean if you’ve ever worked in Hollywood, it’s the most carny place you’ve ever met in your entire life. To a degree, this is how a lot of these agents and different folks get things done. They’ll take 60% possibility of something and BS everyone that it’s 100 to get them all on board and then they can make the thing happen. It won’t happen if you can’t get everyone to buy in, but if you can’t convince them it’s really going to happen, then they probably won’t. It’s an awful circle and I hate it. When it comes to pro wrestling, I think of it like MMA. These people’s bodies and health are on the line. Their time — You know, you could be an actor, I can go back into film and go back and start doing auditions again and I’m 47. But I can really look at going back to MMA and to go make a title run somewhere in the same vein at 47. The thing that a wrestler, a fighter, any combat athlete has the least of is time. You don’t know when yours is going to be up, you don’t know what your body is going to be able to handle or what particular injury may follow you that you didn’t foresee. So, having a wrestler’s time wasted to me is just unacceptable. I always try to be as straight up and try to make things work as realistically as possible. I think people like Paul can respect that kind of the thing and you know, I want myself to be represented that my word is my bond and that I’ll do good business by everyone and that I don’t approach these things as if people owe me. That makes it a lot easier and it just is a lot easier to put these sort of things together.”
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(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
