NXT star Bobby Fish was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated ahead of his tag team title bout against Breezango on tonight’s NXT on USA. Highlights from the interview, including how he has a bond with fellow Undisputed Era member Roderick Strong, can be found below.
Says he and Roderick Strong worked together at Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan:
There is a lot of history predating this, and a lot of that was working with each other in Japan,” Fish says. “Then we worked against each other a lot, and we were opponents numerous times in Ring of Honor. That’s a big part of the Undisputed Era. Kyle and Adam Cole have history, too, when they teamed as Future Shock, and then me and Kyle with reDRagon. Our history together is a big part of who we are.
The bond he and Strong share:
One of the reasons me and Roddy are so close is that we’ve beat the hell out of each other,” Fish says. “That’s what my older brother and I did to each other as kids, and it bonded us. There is a chemistry between myself and Roddy, one that people are going to see.
How he was always told he was too small while playing football and using that to his advantage:
Throughout my football career, all I heard was guys say, ‘You’re too small,’” Fish says. “It’s the story of my life. I was the youngest of three siblings, so I was always chasing, and I’m not the tallest guy in the world. In football, that helped me realize the only way to truly be successful was to turn my body into a projectile and throw every bit of what I did have at you. Wrestling has been the same thing, and it’s a microcosm for life. There will always be an obstacle, or someone that brings up why you can’t, but there is no unwritten rule that says you have to listen to that. Don’t accept what you don’t want to accept.
How he and Kyle O’Reilly blend an MMA styles with their wrestling:
Our styles are different, but there is a common thread between what we both do,” Fish says. “There is a discipline to pro wrestling and martial arts, and there is no substitute for repetition. MMA has a strong influence on pro wrestling these days, but if you’re going to do that, you can’t fake it. You need to know your stuff. We’ve been sharpening that sword over two continents in multiple companies. A culmination of that was Kyle’s TakeOver match with Finn Balor. Kyle blends the two worlds, and that’s also what keeps my flame burning.
Talks about the Undisputed Era members doing individual things but always remaining a team:
Right now, this is a time of exploration for all four of us in The Undisputed Era. We’re seeing where this leads us. These are my best friends in wrestling, and my best friends, period. For Kyle and me, we will always be known as a team, but that doesn’t mean we’re not capable of doing individual things. You’re seeing that right now with Kyle.
Taking pride in using a physical style in the ring and responding to Chris Jericho:
I watched Jericho and Eddie Guerrero growing up,” Fish says. “Their style was physical as hell. And the viewer is supposed to lose themselves in what they’re watching. I’m sorry, but if you see a s—load of daylight in between things, you’re going to have a hard time losing yourself in what’s being presented to you. I’ll take that fat lip. I’m sure Finn’s jaw is killing him right now, but I would imagine he wouldn’t take much back from that match. That’s how we go. I would not feel like my body or my well-being was in danger in the ring with either Finn or Kyle. Both guys work a style that I like, one that I’m preferential to. The three of us all did some time in New Japan. Having come from football and college, I got into pro wrestling because it wasn’t ballet. I’m not looking to maim anybody, but the strikes I’m looking to throw, I take a certain level of pride in that.