Ron Simmons provides some insight into a few of the moments and stories from his career.
Although WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons is known for his humorous "Damn" catchphrase that he shouts whenever he is featured on WWE programming, he also has had a successful career in the sport of pro wrestling winning numerous championships and his friends and those who have worked with him have stated on various occasions that Simmons has garnered a great deal of respect throughout his 24-years in the business.
Ron Simmons recently joined the 'Canadian Wrestling Elite' promotion for their tour of the "Great White North" and along the way, 'paNOW''s Nigel Maxwell had the opportunity to speak with Simmons about a variety of different subjects including Simmons' time as a leader/member of 'The Nation Of Domination' and how the group went about not rubbing the crowd the wrong way.
"When you are doing things of that magnitude you have to be a little careful and not step on too many peoples' toes." Simmons said. "I don't know if that would actually work in today's society where people have their emotions on their sleeves. People had an open mind back then about what we were doing, what the business was about, and they came to enjoy themselves."
Wrestlers who went on to become massive names in WWF/WWE such as The Rock and Mark Henry were a part of 'The Nation', but there is one member of the group that goes unrecalled and that man is a former two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, the late-great Owen Hart. Simmons shared that Owen was a dear friend of his and he praised Owen for being a great person to everyone that crossed his path.
"I was very fond of Owen and I still, to this day, miss him. He was a great friend to me and I can't think of anyone that had a dislike in any way for Owen. He was always friendly to everyone, kind to everyone. He was just an all-around great guy." He said.
Ron Simmons is a former three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with his long-time running mate and partner JBL. The two power-houses joined forces and renamed themselves the 'APA' and for years they brought their smash-mouth style to the ring with them to "greet" their opponents. Simmons was asked to speak on the stories that had to do with himself and Bradshaw being stiff with certain wrestlers who did not act professionally in the back.
"Some of it was yes, and some of it we didn’t have to be told," he continued, "Some people can handle success and some can't. When some people get before the cameras their personalities change and, you know, sometimes you have to be brought back to Earth. You're not in there as an individual to get all the fame yourself. When you get in there with people who don’t want to work and don't want to have the business flourish other than themselves, you have to find a way to bring them back around."
Simmons also touched on becoming the first African-American to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, his expectations of the 'Canadian Wrestling Elite' tour, and more. To read the full interview with the WWE Hall Of Famer, click here.
