Ron Simmons on one mistake he often sees wrestlers make (Exclusive)
Ron Simmons cemented his status as a WCW and WWE legend during the 1990s. In an exclusive interview, the 66-year-old explained why wrestlers should watch shows from start to finish whenever they compete.
Modern-day wrestlers sometimes receive criticism for repeating the same moves as other in-ring competitors. When Simmons wrestled, he was told to watch his co-workers to ensure his offense did not look the same as anyone else.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Simmons made it clear how important it is to be unique in the wrestling industry:
"It [repeating moves] was almost a cardinal sin coming along when I did. I was trained by Hiro Matsuda. One of the requirements at the beginning stages of this was to sit there at that curtain and watch those matches before you, right? And even after you. And particularly before you, so you don't go out there and do the same thing as the other guys are." [3:00 – 3:22]
Watch the video above to hear Ron Simmons' thoughts on why AJ Styles is one of the world's best wrestlers.
Ron Simmons thinks old-school values should still exist
In 1992, Ron Simmons defeated Big Van Vader to become the first black WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He later achieved success in WWE as a Nation of Domination member before forming the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) tag team with Bradshaw.
Simmons added that current wrestlers should think of new ways to entertain fans instead of copying other people's moves:
"And people wonder how come the fans are sitting there bored, eating popcorn, twiddling their thumbs, going on the internet. Hell, they're seeing the same thing over and over! That's what I mean when I'm nostalgic and old school. You understand me? That's the things that I think about. Go out there, tell the story in the match, man, give the people something fresh in every match, and that's the way I was brought up and that's the way I think it should be." [3:22 – 3:48]
Simmons was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012, five years after his last match for the company. He still makes occasional appearances on WWE programming, usually during reunion episodes.
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Thanks to Tommy Fierro and Independent Superstars of Pro Wrestling (ISPW) for assisting with this interview. You can find out more about ISPW here.
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