Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Leroy Patterson
Date: 02/14/2022
Your Host: James Walsh
Leroy Patterson appeared on TBS’ The Go Big Show to perform hardcore wrestling stunts. Cody Rhodes hated it… I mean, he really did not like it! But, he brought Leroy to AEW Dark to wrestle. So, he must not have hated it as much as he said he did!
Here is a fun chat with a mwn who was involved during the early days of XPW with Rob Black all the way through to AEW. He’s a heck of a nice guy and we think you’ll enjoy this chat.
To listen, visit www.WrestlingEpicenter.com.
LEROY PATTERSON:
On performing hardcore wrestling moves on The Go Big Show:
“Oh, it was awesome. I have done a lot of reality shows over the years. I’ve done America’s Got Talent. I’ve done similar shows in Germany, France, Romania… I’ve done the Gong Show. So, I’m used to performing stunts in front of a live crowd. But, this was the first time I’ve done a full-on wrestling performance in front of a legendary professional wrestler. So, I was nervous. Because, in those situations, it could go either way. They could go, “Oh my Gosh, wrestling. I love this.” Or, they’re going to hate it! It really could go either way. So, seeing Cody’s response to it, I completely understood and was half expecting it.”
On how the other judges felt about his act:
“I think they dug it but I think they followed Cody’s lead on it. You don’t want to be too outspoken when it is someone else’s profession. Leave it to the professionals! They kind of went with what he was feeling. They actually cut some out for time but some of the other judges said some nice things to me that didn’t make it. They actually also cut out a scene where Howdy Price (his manager) hit me with a chair and I was kind of sad that got cut out because that one hurt the most. (laughs)”
On why they cut so much out:
“I think it was just time. I gave a 6 minute performance and they needed 3. So, it was easy just to cut out parts of it. It is unfortunate, but, I get it.”
On Cody inviting him to AEW Dark after railing on his performance:
“It was kind of out of the blue! (laughs) I’ve never had someone be so incredibly angry and mean to me and then do something so incredibly kind one right after the other. (laughs) He did kind of rail on me for a good 3, 4 minutes. We talked about it. He said, “The shape you’re in is not traditional wrestling shape. But, my father wasn’t traditional wrestling shape.” He did talk about how I had the charisma to get the people behind me after not doing very much. He did say he thinks there might be something there. But, a lot of that got cut. But, even so, it was a little bit out of the blue.”
On what it was like working AEW Dark:
“Yeah, they flew us (he and Price) out to Universal for that. I was so nervous! I had not wrestled since 2016 because the promotion I worked for, Freakshow, closed at that time. I hate backstage politics. I hate the drama. I hate the egos. I wanted to be in an environment where everyone gets along and wanted to put on the best show and have fun. And, I felt that in AEW! It was so nice! I had not felt that in a lot of years. To be in a place where everyone is being nice, goofy… I knew a few people there. Afterwards, I spoke to 10 and we talked about what we were going to do and I was like, “Oh yeah, I remember how to do this.” It was fun from there!”
On how the AEW locker room felt about him coming in off a reality show appearance:
“I don’t think they knew…. And I tried to keep it that way! (laughs) So many of them were there and had driven in from Georgia the night before where they wrestled and didn’t get much sleep… So many dedicate their whole life to this and I felt bad because it felt like I was taking a spot away from them and they possibly deserve it more than I but just because I was an idiot on a reality show, I got a opportunity. So, I was going to make the most of it and go out there and do the best I could. I may not have done the most technical or high flying stuff that everyone else was doing. But, I wanted to go out and put on the best performance I could and I feel like I did do that.”
On Tony Khan’s reaction to his match:
“After the match, Tony Khan came out and said, “I don’t care what Dave Melzer says – That was a 5 star match!” I thought he was making fun of us. (laughs) I thought he was ripping on us. But, when I got backstage, he was showering us with praise. Everyone said he’s not at all like that. They said he was super excited during the match and got really into it.”
On if he’ll be back in AEW:
“It seemed like they might bring us back. I thought they would when Go Big Show aired a few weeks ago. But, it hasn’t. I have no idea. It still is possible.”
On working in XPW:
“Oh man, it was definitely a wild and crazy time. If you saw the Dark Side of the Ring episode, it was pretty much legit. I started training there when I was 17. I had been backyard wrestling before that and I was desperate to become a pro wrestler. It was some of the best times in my life and some of the worst.”
On Rob Black, owner of XPW:
“I am super appreciative of Rob Black for the place he created and the opportunity I had to work there but he is also a horrible human being. (laughs) It was really tough working for him. So, when I was eventually let go, I was very happy. I was fine with that. I got my jaw cracked by Sabu. I got thrown off the stage by Abdullah the Butcher! I got to hand Terry Funk the gimmick he uses to throw fireballs. I got to fight Vic Grimes! I got to fight for the World Title! I had so many great opportunities and experiences there. But, Rob kind of tained all of it with what a terrible person he is.”
On what Rob Black did that was so bad:
“He was just mean. I mean, he was mean to everyone. But, he would be like, “All right, you fucking idiot. Go get me the green notebook from my car.” So, I’d go get it and he’d be like, “No! I don’t want the green notebook from the passenger seat. I need the green notebook from the backseat you fucking moron! You piece of shit!” It was like, “All right, dude. I’m paying to be here. I paid for the wrestling school. I’m not being paid.” Or, I’d show up and he’d be like, “Why the fuck are you here? Who the fuck invited you!” Just nonstop! The three years I was there, he said one nice thing to me. He said, “Good match, Leroy. That was a good one.” I was like, “Who are you and what have you done with Rob Black?” So, I totally appreciate all the fun stuff. But, yeah, he’s garbage.”
On working with the Extreme Associates porn girls backstage:
“They were all incredibly nice. All the people who worked for Extreme Associates were incredibly nice. I never really saw much super sexual stuff backstage. I saw a lot of stuff….. Even drugs! But, not much sexual stuff. Lizzy Borden was so cool. I remember one time, it was Kristi Myst, Kevin Kelinrock, and me posting flyers in Bakersfield for our first show out there. I remember Josh Lazy lifted up Kristi Myst and shouted, “Kleinrock, 3D!” and he came and did the 3D to her on the bed.Everyone was fully clothed. But, those were the fun times!”