Exclusive: Jessie Godderz Opens Up About WWE Offers, Major Show Coming Soon, OVW, His Comic Book, Impact Wrestling

By
T.J. Stephens
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(Photo Credit: Jessie Godderz)

“Mr. Pec-Tacular” Jessie Godderz recently joined PWMania.com’s T.J. Stephens for an exclusive interview. Godderz discussed his comic book with Al Snow, OVW, and Impact Wrestling. He also revealed offers he had from WWE, major new projects coming soon, and much more.

Below is the complete exclusive PWMania.com interview with “Mr. Pec-Tacular” Jessie Godderz:

I recently had the chance to talk to Al Snow and I wanted to ask you some follow-up questions on some things discussed since you are directly involved. The first is the Al Snow comic book series, which you are a part of. How were you first approached about participating in the comic book which is titled “The Adventures of Al Snow and Head”?

“Sure thing! Thank you for the opportunity.

“Al told me all about his comic book series called The Adventures of Al Snow and Head and asked me if I’d like to be featured in the next installment. He said that Chavo Gerrero was the star of his last comic and wanted me to be the star of his next one. I was incredibly honored to be asked and I immediately said yes. Al then connected me with his good friend Eric Watkins from Broken Icon Comics. Eric told me his ideas about the story he had in mind for the comic and I was actually mesmerized. It was truly incredible. Then when I was first shown the artwork, I was in awe. It was absolutely amazing. Like a true masterpiece.

“Then when the first photos of the comic were shown to the public, all of the fans agreed. I am beyond thrilled with the result. Our comic book is written by the aforementioned Eric Watkins, with art by Rob Dumo (Robyn Hood, KCNA), colors by Nick Wentland (GI Joe, TMNT) and letters by Justin Birch (Birds of Prey, Miraculous).

“I have been a huge fan of comics ever since I was a kid. Especially superhero comics. From Superman and Batman to Power Rangers, you name it, I always loved reading them. To now be a part of one of my own is a dream come true. Seeing myself for the first time in comic book form in The Adventures of Al Snow and Head Comic Book series was so much fun!

“But this wasn’t the first time I was in comic book form however. I had my own comic made when I starred on CBS’ Big Brother for a segment called BB Comics.

“But that was just a comic book cover. The Adventures of Al Snow and Head is a whole comic book so it’s completely different and I couldn’t be more stoked or privileged for the opportunity!”

Another thing that Al has done is getting Ohio Valley Wrestling accredited in a number of different fields; wrestling, camera work, lighting, television editing, and so on, you’ve seen this first hand being a member of OVW, how is this experience different than the rest of the wrestling schools available?

“The OVW wrestling school is like none other. It has the best teachers, the best equipment, the best facility…the best of everything. In fact, it’s where I initially trained when IMPACT Wrestling first sent me here to get ready for my IMPACT debut. OVW also became the world’s only state-accredited professional wrestling trade school in 2019 and Al has made it a world-renowned facility ever since. And, of course, this is the school where John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and many other top superstars trained to ultimately become WWE Legends. And the newly installed education program has made the program even more appealing to students nationwide so they can improve their education while refining their craft. It’s a win-win situation for everyone who attends. It’s truly been a tremendous success all around. I, myself, haven’t had the time as of yet to take advantage of the program but I very well may in the near future.

“That being said, other than there still being a wrestling school at OVW, The new OVW is nothing like The old OVW. The new OVW has changed DRAMATICALLY and we are no longer considered a developmental brand. Very few people know that. That was The old OVW.

“The NEW OVW has now transformed into a major wrestling brand all our own that boasts many of the top Superstars in the industry led my myself (THEE FACE of OVW), Cowboy James Storm, and Mahabali Shera. In fact, The NEW OVW is the fastest-growing wrestling promotion in the world today and we now compete on the same level of the AEWs and WWEs of the world.

“We are also now seen on more major National TV Networks in the US than any other brand…FIVE. They are: Next Level Sports, YTA, Anthem Sports & Entertainment’s Game+, The Action Channel, and Astound TV Network. We are also seen on many CBS and FOX affiliates across the US. We also, of course, air LIVE every Thursday Night at 7/6c for 2 Hours on the awesome digital platform FITE TV. We are seen in hundreds of millions of homes around the world each week thanks to our international distribution family at Film Volt Group. So we are bigger and better than ever before.

“In fact, we now reach more homes in the US than any other wrestling show…second only to WWE Smackdown. And we’re just getting started.

“The awesome Al Snow, Matt Jones, Craig Greenberg, and Jeff Tuvlin, in particular, have truly transformed the entire promotion and have turned it into the fastest-growing and one of the most popular brands in the world today. What they have accomplished with OVW in such a short period of time is truly extraordinary and they are THEE BEST owners of any wrestling promotion in history in my opinion.”

Your experience both in wrestling and on television, in general, is very wide. I want to talk about your television appearances before wrestling which is when you appeared on Big Brother: Season 10 in 2008. You appear on the show and were eventually eliminated on Week 4 of the show, take us behind the scenes a bit. Big Brother is arguably one of the more popular reality shows ever, what is like being a contestant on a reality show? What’s it like interacting with the other contestants? Most importantly, what is it like inside of that house when the cameras are off?

“Big Brother was truly one of the best experiences of my entire life. I was cast on the show shortly after I moved to California (from Iowa). I had a ton of fun and I became one of the most legendary cast members in the show’s illustrious history. It was an incredible honor to be part of the show’s cast. In fact, I was the one that caused the most memorable moment in reality show history in my opinion (on Big Brother Season 10) with the legendary “KEESHA’S BIRTHDAY’. It basically became like an SNL farce with everybody getting involved and starting side fights on their own.

“In fact, CBS told me that I was so entertaining that they brought me back again and again…and I still hold the title of having more annual appearances on the series than any other Houseguest in the show’s history. Basically, while I was there to win a 1/2 million dollars, I also always wanted to entertain the houseguests (and the millions watching around the country) as much as possible so I had a lot of fun.

“Interacting with the other contestants was also really cool. You’re secluded for months on end with only those folks so you’re forced to get along and adapt. And in many cases, you do make friendships. But remember, while it is a game, there is a HUGE life-changing prize at stake so it’s difficult to get very close to a lot of people because you don’t know who may be plotting against you mere minutes after they plot WITH you! Haha

“I can’t thank CBS Big Brother Executives Chris Roach, Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan, Robyn Kass, Shawn Laws O’Neil, Jordan Kranis, and Curtis Colden enough for the opportunity. They are THEE BEST.

“When they brought me back for Big Brother Season 11, I did try a slightly different tactic (of being less confrontational) and it worked really well and I was even on track to win the season when the dreaded coup d’etat was used on me and sent me packing out of the blue. So 2 seasons in a row, the audience banded together and voted to send me packing. That was the only way they could get rid of me…and it worked!! Haha

“The experience didn’t change much as I got further in the show in Season 11 though. The only real difference was that I made it to jury in Season 11 (so I was sequestered until the end of the season) and I didn’t make it to jury in Season 10.”

The following year you begin your wrestling career appearing for WFX Wrestling in Canada, did your interest in wrestling team from The Big Brother experience or were you already a fan before that?

“I was a wrestling fan long before I appeared on Big Brother. I always wanted to be a wrestler ever since I was a kid. My heroes included Chris Jericho (who I looked up to more than anyone else), Ric Flair, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan.

“The thing that changed my life was that I met The Nature Boy Ric Flair one day in a restaurant out in California and he told me that if I wanted to become a Pro Wrestler, I should move to Florida and enroll in WWE’s developmental program FCW (the precursor to WWE’s NXT). So I did just that!

“Then in 2009, when I returned for Season 11 of CBS’ Big Brother, I announced to the whole world on the CBS feeds on the very first day of my return that I wanted to be a WWE Superstar!

“That brings me to a story that almost nobody knows about… As soon as I mentioned on CBS that I wanted to become a WWE Superstar, the WWE Talent Relations Department tried reaching out to me to offer me a contract!

“Apparently Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis liked my look, my charisma, and liked the fact that I was promoting WWE to a huge mainstream audience. I later found out that they had an idea to have me start a Reality Show Rivalry with The Miz (who had come off of MTV’s The Real World years earlier).

“Unfortunately though, on Big Brother, you’re locked away for several months during the summer with no telephone and no communication with the outside world so they were not able to get a hold of me at the time. So after a few weeks, their interest waned, they gave up and moved on. That was in July of 2009 I believe. Then when the season ended in September and I got out of the house, I had no idea that WWE had been frantically trying to reach me months earlier! I only found out about it 10 YEARS later when I ran into another member of the WWE Talent Relations Department at an OVW Combine where I was making a Guest Appearance at (in 2019) and he told me the whole story. To say the least, I was in shock. Oh well! Haha

“Anyhow, back to 2009…Once I left the Big Brother house for Season 11, that’s when Dixie Carter and Terry Taylor reached out to me to join IMPACT Wrestling and I was honored and went in a heartbeat. It became one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. TMZ and the Big Brother executives, by the way, helped make that happen. Dixie’s mom was also apparently a big fan of mine from Big Brother.

“By the way, here’s another factoid that nobody knows about… I also had a second opportunity to join WWE after I left IMPACT in 2017. Triple H and Canyon Ceman invited me to an NXT tryout in 2018 but I was doing other projects for CBS at the time so the timing didn’t work out. It’s all about timing.

“Now though, as THEE FACE of OVW, I am THEE FACE of another world-renowned wrestling brand and I couldn’t be happier. Yet ANOTHER one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. I’ve been very, very fortunate.

“As for the differences appearing on a reality television show vs. a wrestling show, yes, there are indeed many. On a reality show, everybody’s working against you to try to win the same prize, whereas when you’re part of a wrestling brand, you’re all one big family working towards the same goal of entertaining the fans (at least theoretically). In addition, on a reality television show, there are tons of cameras but no live audience, whereas, at a wrestling show, there are always live audiences so you get immediate feedback and have them react to every move.

“The purpose of both shows is really the same…to entertain the audience and leave them wanting to come back for more. And I truly believe both CBS’ Big Brother and FITE TV’s OVW Wrestling does that better than anyone else.

“To that end, when I debuted at IMPACT Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV 2012 as TARA’s Surprise Hollywood Boyfriend, I came out to a packed crowd at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It was surreal. I’ll never forget that. I had performed in front of live audiences before (such as on CBS’ Big Brother) but never any that big. Not even close. It did take a few minutes to get accustomed to but by the end of the night, I did get used to it and I became much more at ease.”

You head from WFX to TNA in 2011 starting with OVW but then head to the big show in October of 2012 when you debut at Bound For Glory. You’re here right smack dab in the middle of the Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff regime which had a lot of legends working with the company as well, what was it like rubbing shoulders with some of these legends, and how helpful was it having those insights backstage?

“Yes, I did arrive probably at the height of TNA’s ascension as a legitimate competitor to WWE. Hogan and Bischoff were awesome to me. My interaction with Hulk was limited but I did work a lot with both Eric and his partner Jason Hervey, as well as with Vince Russo. They all had great and innovative ideas for me and for my Tag Team with Robbie E and DJZ…known as The BroMans.

“I absolutely loved working with Eric, Vince and Jason. They were (and still are) all geniuses. My primary interaction at that time, though, was with Bruce Prichard, Matt Conway, and Dave Lagana. They created many of our storylines and Bruce was in charge of me and my storylines quite a bit. I had an amazing time with all of them. Truly extraordinary. They were all incredible but Bruce, in particular, was AWESOME. He always took great care of me and always believed in me as a top main event level superstar who could lead an entire promotion.

“That being said, I owe 100% of my success at TNA to The One & Only Dixie Carter. She always looked after me and went out of her way to make my stay there successful and she is primarily the reason why I stayed there so long. She was INCREDIBLE to work with and I would do so again in a heartbeat. NOBODY is better than Dixie!

“I also loved working with Big when he took over Talent Relations…and the same with the 1 & ONLY Billy Corgan. In fact, I actually became really close friends with Billy, and here’s some more news nobody knows about… I learned that TNA created the IMPACT Grand Championship specifically with me in mind to become the inaugural champion. That, unfortunately, got changed at the last minute but I was still honored that they created the title with me in mind.

“Among all the folks I just named at TNA/IMPACT, Dixie and Billy were always my biggest supporters and I keep in touch with them to this day and would work with both of them again in a heartbeat. On ANY project.”

You hung around TNA until 2017 and you worked for Lucha Underground and now you’re back in OVW, I have to ask, what’s next for Jessie Godderz and where does he want to end up?

“I’m always open to offers (and I never say never) but I am VERY, VERY happy at The New OVW. We are on the same level as the AEW and WWEs of the world right now and I am THEE FACE of OVW so I don’t have any plans of leaving. I was The inaugural OVW National Heavyweight Champion for 522 days (which is the top title in the brand and equivalent to a World Championship) and I hope to get MY title back again!

“And I do hope to represent The New OVW in other promotions and would love to make appearances in WWE, AEW, NWA, MLW, and, of course, return to my other home of IMPACT as well if the right opportunity arises. Like I said. I’m open to everything and everything.

“Right now though, in addition to OVW Wrestling, I have a brand new TV series coming out where I will be Host of the legendary WHACKED OUT SPORTS franchise as the new face of the spinoff WHACKED OUT!

“We will be debuting on the FOX family in early 2023, as well as on ROKU, and on Byron’s Allen’s Local Now. All thanks to the AWESOME Anthony Hudson and Jason Wagers from Stream Go Media. I’m SUPER STOKED about this!

“The details are on TV Insider, Programming Insider, The Miami Herald, Muscle & Fitness and Soap Opera Network.

“I also have another major show coming out in the near future but I can’t talk about that as of yet. But it will be a game-changer. In addition, this Friday, December 2nd, you can catch me starring on Netflix! They are debuting Seasons 10 and 14 of my other show CBS’ Big Brother.

“Also, I’m currently Thee Face of Thee Best Sports Supplement Company in the world today, MuscleTech and you can catch me on the first two seasons of the 8x Emmy Nominated drama Tainted Dreams on Tubi.

“In fact, I just posted about this…as of 2 years ago, my friends at CBS informed me that I held the record for most Guest Appearances by any Pro Wrestler on any Network or Cable TV Show. Since then, The Miz & I have battled for the top spot. So yes, there’s A LOT going on. I’m very blessed.”

Final question as a follow up to that last one. Over the past year we have found out quite a bit about the backstage atmosphere and politics of both AEW and WWE, if both companies offered you the same offer, which one are you taking and why?

“Ooohh, another great question! That’s very tough. As I said, I am VERY, VERY happy at OVW as THEE FACE of OVW, and we’re now on the exact same level as AEW and WWE, so it would have to be a very good offer for me to consider it!

“That being said, I have the utmost respect for Triple H at WWE and Tony Khan at AEW and would be honored to join either promotion…to hopefully represent OVW in a cross-promotional rivalry. And I would always be privileged and thrilled to make a Guest Appearance in either one.”

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