NJPW star Fredd Rosser recently spoke with Forbes about all things pro-wrestling, including why he decided to root for Japan in the 2020 Olympics, his thoughts on Ren Narita, and what he thinks about WWE cutting NXT talents. Highlights from the interview are below.
Thoughts on Ren Narita:
“He’s 22 or 23. I’m 37, going to be 38 November 2. He’s young. He’s young and he’s dumb and he’s got a lot to learn and he’s going to find out at Resurgence and beyond that ‘Mr. No Days Off’ isn’t a gimmick it’s a lifestyle. A constant grind and struggle. It’s gonna be a dog fight.”
Why he chose to root for Japan in the Olympics:
“I was watching the Olympics with my family and they were always rooting for the U.S.—I was always rooting for Japan. My family would always say ‘why are you rooting for Japan?’ Because Japan was the first to put me on the marquee before WWE did. So it’s me, myself and I at this point in my career. New Japan brought me in so I must deliver, I’m going to deliver and the best is yet to come for me.”
Thoughts on the recent NXT releases:
“There’s so much that I’ve done after WWE. It’s not fun when you get that call, it’s just the nature of the business,” said Rosser of the recent NXT releases. I always say Michael Jordan can’t play basketball forever, and I’m never comparing myself to Michael Jordan, maybe his work ethic, but Michael Jordan can’t play basketball forever. Things come to an end with WWE. You have to understand that you beat your body up with WWE so you have to utilize what you’ve made of yourself with WWE and use that on a resume. I’ve been lucky enough to have many great sponsorships, I’ve been lucky enough to still continue to do what I love. I was denied by AEW—not once, but twice—but AEW wasn’t my all-in goal, it was New Japan and I pursued it with laser-like focus.”
Discusses the diversity issues among top stars in the industry:
“There’s a lot of work to go. We need more reps, we need more reps at representation, we need more athletes speaking out. Being the first openly gay WWE Superstar, I have a duty to instill confidence in our youth and to lead by example. I’m not a social media type of person where I just talk about it, I go to the school before the pandemic, I speak to fifth graders, I speak to organizations like Viacom , I work with organizations like the Covenant House in LA that deals with LGBTQ homeless youth—42% of it—so I’m always grinding away. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a psychiatrist but I am a friend. That’s why I call myself the Suntan Superman. I’ve got to be a support system, a beacon of hope for not only the LGBTQ, not only the African-American, not only the Asian community but all communities.”