RON SIMMONS DISCUSSES A POSSIBLE A.P.A. REUNION, HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH BUTCH REED AND JBL, BEING INDUCTED INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, AND MORE By WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
James Guttman RON SIMMONS DISCUSSES A POSSIBLE A.P.A. REUNION, HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH BUTCH REED AND JBL, BEING INDUCTED INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, AND MORE 12:36 PM 27 KB uperstars, few have come close to achieving success in both wrestling and football as this week’s ClubWWI.com guest. That’s right. The man who has made wrestling and football fans alike stand up and say, “DAMN,” Ron Simmons has come to the Club for an uncut shoot that looks at his entire career.
A longtime WWE star, Ron’s successes were piling up long before he ever came to New York. Ron discusses many of those successes with James Guttman including his records at Florida State, being the only defensive lineman to be nominated for the Heisman Trophy, being the first defensive player to have his number retired at Florida State, incorporating football into his wrestling style, transitioning from football to wrestling, and more. One topic that’s still on the minds of many ClubWWI.com listeners is the recent Simmons induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Just last weekend, the induction is a huge honor and it’s importance mean a lot to Ron.
“Oh yeah, man. I tell you. It was quite an honor and like I told when I was at the induction ceremony, it was such a thrill and I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to it. Because what other way to be told you’re the best you20can be than to be honored by the National Football Foundation and be in the Hall of Fame with other great athletes that have already been in there. I tell you what, man. I am thrilled to death.”
Simmons goes on to talk about his time after football and his wrestling training under Hiro Matsuda. Ron talks about Matsuda’s techniques, waiting a full year before getting in the ring, learning to go from full-contact to pro wrestling, and more. One thing Simmons picked up from his football days is importance of teamwork. JG points out that Ron has had a great deal of tag success with Doom and the APA in his career. He asks if learning to be part of a team early on played a part in that. Simmons says it did.
“Oh yeah. I mean, you don’t even have to think about it. Sometimes you’re on the road, man, four to five days out of the week and believe me, you can get under each other’s skin. And if you have a dislike for each other, it’s not gonna work. That’s just the bottom line. It won’t work and I’m sure you and the other fans out there have seen some guys who get introduced together and then they just fade away and sometimes it’s not due to their in-ring work. Sometimes it’s due just to their out-of-the-ring that the characters couldn’t get along with each other. But with my experience with both the successful tag teams I’ve been in with both Butch (Reed) and Bradshaw, I can tell you that we genuinely like each other and we got along very well outside the ring. Still, we’re very good friends. That goes beyond the ring. We’ll just be friends forever.”
Ron goes into detail about the importance of tag team chemistry and getting along with the people you’re teamed with. He also speaks about some early partners in his career and why those pairings never worked out. While those didn’t pan out, there’s one that stands out as being the most successful of his career – The APA with John “Bradshaw” Layfield. James asks the question that all ClubWWI.com members have been wondering. Is there a chance of a possible APA reunion at some point?
“That might be somewhere down the line. You know, there might be some form of a reunion. A slight and very brief reunion, you know. (laughs) If that did happen, I’d be looking forward to it. I miss those days myself.”
The shoot didn’t end there, Ron speaks about a ton of topics including The Origin of The “Faarooq” Name, Misconceptions About The Nation of Domination’s Real Enemy, How The “DAMN” Gimmick Started, How He Developed His Wrestling Style, Training Under Hiro Matsuda, Helping To Springboard The Rock’s Career, Getting Nominated For The Heisman Trophy, Going From WCW Hero To WWF Villain, a “DAMN” for Club listeners, and More. The only place to hear it all right now is on ClubWWI.com – DAMN!
Ron is only one of tons of stars you can hear right now on ClubWWI.com. With over 180, you’ll have plenty of superstars to put on your Ipod, Phone, burn to CD, or just listen through your computer. Stars you can hear the minute you sign up include: Kevin Sullivan, Vince Russo, Mr. Fuji, The Iron Sheik, Rory McAllister, Jesse Ventura, Bobby Lashley, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Tully Blanchard, Ken Patera, Bobby Heenan, Terri Runnels, Kevin Nash, Kenny Dykstra, Outback Jack, Paul Orndorff, Terry Funk, Jerry Lawler, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Eric Bischoff, Nikita Koloff, Nunzio , John Cena Sr., Kizarny, Armando Estrada, Dangerous Danny Davis, Ronnie Garvin, Dave Taylor Colin Delaney, Jim Mitchell, Chris Harris, Ahmed Johnson, Glacier, Balls Mahoney, Francine, Sid Vicious, Paul Bearer, Brian Knobbs, Bruno Sammartino, Bryan Clark, Sean Mooney, Scott D’Amore, Tito Santana, Al Snow, Tod Gordon, JJ Dillon, Charlie Haas, Tom Prichard, Jacques Rougeau, Paul Roma, Jim Powers, Tammy Sytch, Too Cold Scorpio, The Honky Tonk Man, Ole Anderson, Kid Kash, Ivan Koloff, Jackie Gayda, Mr. Hughes, Scotty 2 Hotty, Dawn Marie, John Heidenreich, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Valiant, Rick Martel, Manny Fernandez, Bad News Brown, Nick Bockwinkel, Dory Funk Jr, Diamond Dallas Page, Rob Conway, Sylvain Grenier, Mike Bucci, Samu, Erik Watts, Buff Bagwell, Christian Cage, Jazz, Demolition Ax and Smash, Koko B. Ware, Ricky Morton, Lance Russell, Bruce Hart, Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes, Damian Demento, Fred “Shockmaster” Ottman, Justin Credible, Cpl. Kirchner, One Man Gang, Scott Steiner, Shawn Stasiak, Ted DiBiase, Ivory, Chris Masters, Elix Skipper, Kamala, Samoa Joe, Giant Bernard, Bil l DeMott, Juvi “Juice” Guerrera, Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald, Nick Dinsmore, Harley Race, Bull Buchanan, D-Lo Brown, Road Warrior A nimal, Missing Link, Rikishi, Slick, Nidia, George Steele, Christy Hemme, Disco Inferno, Paul Ellering, Vito, Steve Black man, Bushwhacker Lu ke, AJ Styles, Chris Daniels, Dennis Stamp, Shawn Daivari, B.G. James, Ron Killings, Zach Gowan, D-Ray 3000, Dan Severn, Earl and Dave Hebner, Sivi Afi, Baron Von Raschke, Spike Dudley, Rodney Mack, Downtown Bruno, Larry Zybszko, Rick Steiner, Mae Young, Sam Houston, and many, more.