RF Video Shoot Interview with Paul Roma

This was filmed in 2013. It runs at one hour and fifty-seven minutes long.

Roma said he never watched wrestling growing up. He knew of Bruno Sammartino but didn’t know anyone else. He said that he started out in bodybuilding and invited to the USA tournament but did not want to turn pro.

He got into wrestling due to his father, who had a friend that was an former pro-boxer and knew some promoters and a guy at a wrestling school. At first, he was trained by Tony Altimore then Mr. Fuji took him under his wing. He was training before the WWF shows were Fuji was at the time and he would fine-tune him on the basics then when he went on the road, he started to learn about the psychology. He has a ton of respect of Mr. Fuji then says in wrestling, people either fear or respect you. Roma said that he respected everyone.

Roma said that psychology was the hardest thing to learn. He said that at no point did he ever get discouraged about wrestling, stating that he has never failed at anything in his life.

Once again, Roma puts over Fuji. He said that how he was really green to the business at the time, Fuji helped him out in that aspect.

He talks about how when he grew up, your word was your bond and he meant what he said but in wrestling, Roma talks about people stabbing you in the back constantly. He said there was a chosen few that you could trust.

Roma said that after a few years in the WWF, Orndorff gave him the best advice he ever received in wrestling. Orndorff told him that he looked great and was a good worker but that Vince would never promote you and the only way to get over is to promote yourself, so whatever type of person you are, give that to the people.

He talks about after a few years as an enhancement guy, he said fuck this and wanted to quit. He talked with Fuji, who said that he would go talk to “Caesar,” which is what he called Vince McMahon. Roma said that he had no connections and if was someone like Lanny Poffo, he could have been over big with his looks and ability. Anyway, Fuji said to hang in and they gave him a little bit of a push.

On his earliest memories as an enhancement guy, he said there were guys like Ken Patera that respected him but others like Brutus Beefcake, who were jealous of his body.

Roma said that he was never intimidated and that he knew the person that he was and how much he struggled in life. He did not get into detail on his life struggle. Roma said his body was great and after time, his ability got better.

When asked about Hogan, Roma said that at the beginning he thought he was a nice guy. On a few occasions, Hogan would go to the gym with him but after a while, that stopped due to Hogan’s ego increasing.

On the locker room in the 80’s, Roma said that it was superficially friendly. There were a few who were genuinely nice though.

His first big break was against Big John Studd. Before their match in Toronto, Studd asked him what he could do in the ring. Roma, who said he was green at the time, suggested that he dropkick him and that caused Studd to laugh, which pissed off Roma who told Studd he could “dropkick him off the top of his fucking head.” Studd told him to try that and in the match, Roma got his foot to reach the head of Studd and after that, he was told to use that move in every single one of his matches.

When asked how he dealt with pressure, he said that he just grinded away. He says the first time he went to TV, he looked at Hogan and asked the guy next to him who he was and he couldn’t believe him. Again, Roma stresses how he never followed wrestling prior to training.

Roma said he really liked Andre. He was introduced to him by Mr. Fuji, who told Andre that he was his guy. From there, Andre taught him how to play cribbage and they became friends. Roma confirms that Andre either liked or hated you and if he did indeed hate you, get out of his way. He recalls one instance when he stiffed someone in the ring. It was during a battle royal and the instructions were to rush at Andre and eliminate him as soon as he stepped into the ring but Koko B Ware did this prematurely and Andre swatted him like a fly. Feinstein then brings up how Roma and Koko fought in the locker room but that they will get to that later.

He said that Piper was a good guy but crazy. He also helped show him how to do a few things at the gym. He said he had no issues at all with the Ultimate Warrior and that he gave him no reasons to dislike him. He said that Randy Savage was a funny character and recalls how they became friendly when he brought his kid to one of the shows in Florida and Elizabeth took a liking to his son. He was then asked about how Randy was protective of his wife and Roma said that while he was very anal about it and locked her down at times but now that he is out of the business and sees what goes on today, he gets why he was overprotective.

When asked if he was content with his role in the early 80’s WWF, Roma said that he was never content and how only losers are content. He also said how he never failed at anything at his life. He talks about Power & Glory for a bit and how since Vince did not create the gimmick, he did nothing at all to promote them. He even said at the time, everyone in the locker room said they should have been the champions. He said that the Hart Foundation and Legion of Doom put them over, with the Hart Foundation calling them the best team in the company.

He said that the only person who was difficult to work with at the beginning was Brutus Beefcake, but Roma said that it wasn’t his fault. He was teaming with Salvatore Bellomo, who was supposed to eat the pin from Brutus but he was bullshit and complained to the agent, Chief Jay Strongbow, but that Vince did not want Roma to lose. During the match, Roma grabbed a headlock and started to show off his body so Brutus dumped him with a back suplex but after that, everything was cool.

Next, they discuss the “Young Stallions.” He said that the rumor of Mr. T being their manager was true. However, he never showed up to the arenas and that changed their plans.

Feinstein brings up how in his shoot interview, Jim Powers claimed that Roma made him wait for him at his house. Roma brushes it off saying that must be his recollection of what happened then. Roma then tells the story of what happened. He said that they were put together as the result of the Can-Am Express leaving. Roma said that Powers was not a punctual person and he liked to change his flights. He said they were scheduled for a show in Los Angeles and he arrived early to the hotel they always stayed at and waited for Powers, who said he was taking a later flight. He said he kept waiting for Powers , despite the fact that he was going to be late, because he wouldn’t have a car to get to the arena. He even turned around a few times to go back to the hotel when he saw a shuttle bus, thinking that he was there. Anyway, he arrives to the arena late and apologizes to Gorilla Monsoon, saying that he was waiting for his partner when Gorilla informed in that he had been here for over an hour. Roma then storms to the trailer and sees Powers, who asked him what was going on as Roma cursed him out.

Roma then goes on to state how he didn’t want the aggravation of being with Powers any longer. He also said that he would come to the ring drunk almost all of the time and no one wanted to work with him so he had to do the majority of the matches. He said that he went to Pat Patterson and said that he was done with him and despite Patterson’s pleas, he would not budge on his stance. Roma then said that Powers was Patterson’s “candy ass,” but by this is not insinuating that Powers let Patterson suck his dick after Roma said he was not letting some guy blow him for a push. After that, the office was pissed at him.

Roma is asked if any of the wrestlers ever got ahead by performing sexual favors for Patterson and he said that they did. He then tells a story of when he was teaming with Hercules, he was in the locker room with the guys around and Hercules joked that if his partner (Roma) sucked Patterson’s dick, maybe they could get a push.

He is asked about going over the Hart Foundation at “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Roma said that they were professionals and Anvil was stiff but funny as hell to work with. He liked Jim Brunzell a lot, saying he was a professional and a nice guy but Blair was tough to work with and only about himself. Roma said that he put him in his place in the ring a few times when he started to get rough on him. He said that the Conquistadors were hard to work with but Demolition were great.

Roma said that whatever he did in the ring, Powers would copy him the following night and would use his spots in the matches. Roma said that one day, Barry Horowitz said that he was refusing to work with them because Powers reeked of booze and he was putting his life in his hands. Roma said he pleaded with Horowitz and promised to work the match himself.

After that, he worked in singles matches. He said that Boris Zhukov was lazy most of the time. He worked with Bad News Brown a few times and said he was a great guy and liked him because he was a real person. Roma then says that they were similar and says at the end of the day, he is not going to sugarcoat something because it might offend someone down the road. He is going to speak his mind. Roma puts over Rick Rude for having great psychology and said that they tore the house down one night just by punching each other in the stomach.

Roma is asked about him being critical of Ted DiBiase for going back to work for Vince after he said all of those bad things about Vince. Roma said that Vince is Satan and would get guys out of all sorts of trouble and if they did the same stuff today, they would shut the WWE down but it didn’t happen then because Vince swept everything under the rug. Roma said that after the fact that DiBiase said he went back to try to change the other wrestlers and says if he thinks that he was going to save guys who are “drugging and fucking” by saying a few bible verses then that is great but at the end of the day, he still worked for the devil.

He is asked about steroids in wrestling. Roma said he doesn’t have a problem with it, because they are not using it to make money as a bodybuilder and that they are just putting fluid into their joints to provide for the families. He said that they could probably shut down bodybuilding if they targeted it but they won’t. He denied taking steroids.

When asked about the WWE Wellness Policy, he said that it is horseshit. He says that they pick and choose who they want to help and that they offer no insurance or 401K and that Vince is getting rich off of the wrestlers while they don’t get shit. He then says HHH is there and not trying to change anything. He questions how much will it really cost Vince to offer medical benefits, especially after spending $100 million on a political campaign.

Roma said he first met Hercules in Australia while teaming with SD Jones. Hercules gave Roma the throat slash gesture and Jones told Roma that he meant it. Hercules never did anything to him but one day, they started to drive together despite Roma being a face and Hercules a heel but Vince got wind of this and they made an arrangement that they would drop off someone near the arena and they would walk in separately.

Roma said that he went to the office one day and asked to be paired with Hercules, stating they both were doing nothing at the time, and to be called “Power and Glory.” Roma then said that the whole reason behind the team is that he will score the pin, no matter what and in return, he would always get pinned because he wanted to protect Hercules, who was the big guy of the team.

He calls the Rockers two of the best workers in the business. When asked if he ever had problems with Shawn, he said he was not there when he was getting his singles push. He then tells a story about Marty Jannetty. They were on a flight and there was a guy acting like a complete dick, stating how he just got released from prison. He sees Marty walk out of the bathroom and drop something and it turned out to be a turd. Marty ends up dropping the turd behind the guys back and he squishes it against the seat and flips out. He yells at Hercules, thinking he did this, and starts to threaten everyone on the plane, claiming that he had a gun in his bag that was underneath the plane. Roma said when they got off the plane, he told the stewardess to get the cops because he was threatening everyone and the cops grabbed him and sure enough, he ended up having a gun in his bag

Roma then tells a story about Shawn Michaels. They were at a show in Rhode Island and Roma had his son with him who was crying because he lost. Roma told his son that he let them beat him and tomorrow, they would let him beat them. He then asked Shawn if he could tell his son the same thing and he refused. Roma then sat his son down and went up to Shawn and told him his kid was upset and that they were working tomorrow and he would “fucking make him pay” so Shawn finally went over to his son. Roma jokes about how Shawn couldn’t tell a four year old that it was a work and was mad because Roma stood up for Shawn before in the past.

Roma said that Vince never got behind the team because it was not his idea .

He puts over Slick for being not only a great mouthpiece but a great guy as well.

Roma said he approached Vince about selling T-Shirts and was told that only faces sold shirts. Vince then joked that they could put up the money themselves and Roma said he would so Vince said that he would think about that. Roma was confident that they could have made some money selling those shirts.

He is asked about the Legion of Doom. He said that Animal was tough to work with. At one show in MSG, Roma said that Hercules was scheduled to lose to Animal and Roma did not want him to lose, because it would hurt the team, so he went to Vince and asked to take his place in the match to lose against Animal. Roma liked Hawk.

Roma said that he respected Vince because he was his boss but you could not believe most of what he said and that he was probably worse than most businessman. He said that Vince never associated with the wrestlers but they would see him with his associates at diner’s after shows on occasion.

He is then asked about working with Ricky Steamboat and a past interview in which he said that Ricky had a huge ego. Roma said that he never saw the big deal with Steamboat, stating maybe he saw him when he was past his prime, and makes fun of his chops that he used and says that you should make it look real like you are “knocking someone’s dick off.” He brings up a match they had at MSG when Steamboat asked him if he could take an armdrag off of the top rope and he said sure, then asked what Roma wanted to do and he said something and Steamboat was fine. The armdrag spot goes off without a hitch and when it was turn for Roma’s spot, Steamboat made the tag. That pissed off Roma so when they were back together in the ring, Roma said that he straightened him out with a snap suplex that cracked his spine, stating that isn’t how it works with him.

Roma talks about how awesome it was to wrestle at MSG, stating he had to try to keep his dick soft because he was so excited and amped up.

Now, Roma is asked about is fight with Koko B. Ware. They were backstage at the Rosemont Horizon and Koko came into the locker room with all of the boys around and told Roma that he heard he was saying something about him then he punched Roma in the face and followed it up with two more punches. Roma said he didn’t budge and goes on how if you hit someone in the face three times and they do not budge, you shake his hand because you cannot hurt him. Roma said that Koko was all fucked up on drugs at the time anyway then he hooked him but Koko starts to bite him. Roma then brings him to the floor but Koko’s head slips out so Roma shakes off Koko then Blackjack Lanza gets between them and Koko goes downstairs to his locker room, as he had a separate room with his bird, Frankie. Bobby Heenan then went to him and asked why he didn’t fight back and Roma said that Koko was a star at the time and he was “shit” so he would get fired. Heenan told him that he had his back and to go after him. Roma then claims that he ran with guys who “owned” Chicago and if he wanted something done, it could happen then tells a story of how they were backstage once and Lanza told them to leave but Roma said he could tell them to leave so Lanza said it was fine and they ended up walking him out to the ring. Back to the Koko story, Roma went to his locker room and told Koko to open up the door because he was going to kick his ass. Roma said that he said everything possible to get him to come out and he wouldn’t. The next day, the fly to TV and Patterson takes him aside and said he heard he was in a fight and yells at him for fighting Koko. Roma said that there was not a fight as Koko punched him three times and he did not throw a punch and that he couldn’t fire him for that, which left Patterson speechless. Koko then walked by him at TV and apologized and Roma told him it was fine because he couldn’t hurt him anyway.

Roma is asked about several other wrestlers. He never saw Kerry Von Erich act crazy and said he was cool and respectful. He said that Haku was the biggest badass in the locker room but also one of the nicest guys around.

When asked about the piss tests in the WWF, Roma said that it was easy and that everyone was waiting for him to show up and he would give them a little bit of his piss so they would all pass, as he was clean. Roma said that most of the tests were for cocaine at that time and one of the only wrestlers who were routinely scheduled for tests and could miss a test and no one would care because they knew he was clean and Roma said they all knew who was dirty or clean. Roma said that it wasn’t his thing and said one time they were at a party in one of the wrestler’s rooms and that someone dumped a bunch of pills on the bed and they pressured him to take some but Hercules stood up for him and said he wasn’t into that shit, he was into pussy. Roma said that he would go to clubs and buy a few drinks for people but would just have cranberry juice for himself.

Roma talks about his injury at WrestleMania VII. Hercules tore his groin the night before the show and Roma hurt his elbow. He got to the arena a few hours before the show and the doctor told him that his elbow looked like he had been smashing concrete walls. The doctor told him that if he hit his elbow, there was a chance that he could lose his arm. He went to Vince, who was in a meeting, with his arm in a sling and Vince was worried. Roma told him what the doctor said and Vince said he had to perform. Roma asked who would care for his family if something happened to his arm and Vince told him of course he would care for his family. Roma bought a brace and Vince cut their match from twenty minutes to about two, adding time to other matches. The match finished and after that, the doctors drained 33cc’s of fluid from the elbow, to which he replied that he hadn’t even taken that much out of a knee before. He said that he was the fool for doing that.

He is then asked about the SummerSlam match against Marty Jannetty. Shawn blew out his knee the night before so Marty worked the whole thing. Roma said that USA Today called it the match of the night.

Roma said that he ended up leaving the WWF after they split him up from Hercules during a tour of France. Patterson told him that he was getting a push and that they would take care of Hercules, which he thought was bullshit and Roma told him “fuck this, I quit” and Vince was pissed. Roma told him how he almost lost his arm for the company at WrestleMania and that he and other teams were the blood and guts of the company and Vince was irate and blew up at him. Roma said he grew up with his father saying you do not kiss anyone’s ass and that you can always find another job and if you can’t, family will take care of you. He then said that his father stressed respect all of the time.

He wound up in WCW after working in a gym. He flipped the channel and saw “two jabronis” on TV and said that was were he belonged so he called WCW for a job. They called him back and said he was going to be part of the Four Horsemen. Looking back, Roma said that he probably should have done a bit of brushing up on the history of the Horsemen. They told him they wanted someone who looked great and could put women in the seats. He said that Flair would tell him after matches that they did things a certain way and Roma said that is fine but tell him that beforehand. He was not allowed to clap to get his partner going he had to bang against the turnbuckle.

He thought that Eric Bischoff was trying to make business thrive but unsure of what he was doing and more of a mark than a businessman.

Roma then said that Ole Anderson took him aside and told him how he didn’t know much about him or what he could do. Roma then said how he was either “jerking his dick” or was a complete fucking idiot because why do you bring someone in for a job if you do not know what they can do

When asked about splitting from the Horsemen, Roma said that he thought Flair was pissed because he took his shine away, stating that he did not need to dance on tables or woooooo and he commanded respect when he walked into the room. He also said that he was more popular with the ladies.

Roma was asked about the smart marks and said that he didn’t hear about how awful of a choice he was to be part of the group then just laughs and says who gives a fuck what they say and despite the fact you want people to like you, he gave everything he had when he stepped into the ring and that if knocking him helps you get through the day, then that is fine.

He said that he knew Steve Austin was a special talent and that they told him to go to the WWF so they could make a superstar out of him.

Roma is asked about HHH in WCW. He was paired with him first so HHH could learn from him. Roma said that he was a nice guy but a bit of a joker in the ring. He then brings up how after a little bit of a push, he started to knock him in an interview. Roma then said if HHH “didn’t take it in the ass” and marry the boss’s daughter, he wouldn’t be where he was today. Roma then goes on to say that he isn’t a great worker and that he will never be as big as Hogan, Savage, or the Ultimate Warrior, no matter how many WrestleMania’s he writes himself in and at the end of the day, you are never going to be a draw like them because he lacks the attributes the major stars have.

He is then asked about HHH knocking him in the Four Horsemen DVD (HHH said that he couldn’t believe the “job guy from the WWF” got into the group) and said that at the end of the day, what is HHH famous for, other than what he “made up.” Roma said he is an athlete and lists off the sports he played and asks HHH what the fuck is he able to do and if HHH is still talking about him, that must mean that he is still a thorn in his ass. He finishes by telling HHH to go fuck himself.

When asked about the passing of Hercules, Roma said that it felt like he lost his brother then says that he talks to him while he is at the gym today, apparently before he does a set he says it is for him. He plays Guns ‘n’ Roses in his honor.

Next, he is asked about teaming with Orndorff. Roma said that he came up with the Pretty Wonderful name.

He liked Too Cold Scorpio but thought Marcus Bagwell sucked and said how Orndorff hated him. Roma then said how Bagwell got his job because someone in his family knew a member of the office.

Up next is his match at SuperBrawl against Alex Wright. They had an angle over who was better looking. Roma had an agreement with WCW in that he would go around with Wright and make him look good but that he would not do the job on the PPV. Flair said that was fine. Roma said he didn’t want to do the job because Wright was a “fucking jabroni” who couldn’t work and constantly blew up in the matches. At the show, he was told how they want Wright over. He mentioned the prior agreement and they didn’t care so in his mind, Roma knew that they couldn’t edit the PPV because it was live so he made an ass out of Wright. He said that Wright fucked up one of his spots and at the finish, he kicked out before the finish and pulled Wright up. Flair told him that the match wasn’t good and Roma fired back that he was told different by others and shortly after that, WCW sent him a letter stating he was no longer needed.

He is asked if he developed a passion for the business or just in it for a paycheck. Roma said that he wants to get paid but he always has the passion to be the best. He strived to be the best when he was a jobber for his first three years in the WWF. Roma said that now he sells technology and strives to be the best at that.

Roma is asked about the tryout with Alex Roma, who was a student of Mr. Fuji. They had a few dark matches. One day, Alex said that he couldn’t believe that he didn’t take the deal. Roma said no one ever called him to make the offer and how Vince never works like that, insinuating that Alex believed someone’s bullshit.

He is asked if he watches wrestling today. He says he cannot stand to watch TNA and cannot believe how they let the same people fuck up the company continue to make decisions.

Roma talks about the death of Louie Spiccoli. He believes that some of the people he was with drugged him and that he tried to get the case investigated as he talked to him two days prior his death and how he was extremely happy over signing a contract .

When asked about the biggest misconception of himself, he says that people might think he is arrogant but do they know that he is a spokesman for St. Jude’s Hospital and speaks to little children who were sick and dying in the hospital. Roma said that you have to make those kids feel good about tomorrow. At the end of the day, he doesn’t give a fuck what people think about him.

Roma talks about Chris Benoit. He said that Benoit welcomed him with open arms in WCW. When he heard about the tragedy, he said that he originally told people  at his work that he was a great guy but told them he was wrong when he found out about him murdering his son. Roma says you shouldn’t take anyone’s life and he gets it that someone would kill their spouse over cheating but taking the life of a kid is inexcusable. Roma says a combination of drugs is what he believes throws him over the edge.

He never visits house shows when they roll into town. He watches TV on rare occasions and says that out of the guys today they could make Orton into a superstar if they promoted him right. He doesn’t get why they like Cena and wouldn’t want his kid to be like CM Punk.

The greatest rib he has ever seen was when they landed in Texas after flying from California, someone cut a girl’s hair while she was sleeping then pulled down her shirt, exposing her tits and shaved a racing stripe in the head of the guy next to her and pissed all over the guy too. When they got off of the plane, the guy and girl got arrested. He did not say who was behind the prank.

Roma closes by thanking the fans.

Final Thoughts: Oh, this was good. Roma didn’t dodge a single question, which is what made it such an awesome shoot. He said it himself that he was not going to hold back on anything and is not worried about upsetting someone down the road. Sure, you can see parts of Roma’s personality that would rub people the wrong way and that he probably goes overboard at times but this is what makes a great shoot interview. Some of this might read like Roma is bitter but he did not come across that way at all, he just answered every question in a straight forward manner. Physically, he still looks great today so I believe him 100% perecent when he said he never drank or did any drugs. I would seek this one out if you are looking for a shoot interview. It is under two hours long and he says a lot without beating around the bush.