Brian Christopher: You're welcome, I don't mind doing it at all.
Rajah: Okay, well let's get started. Tell us briefly when and how you got into the wrestling business and was being a professional wrestler what you ultimately wanted from childhood?
Brian Christopher: Growing up, being in a wrestling household...I wasn't actually in a wrestling household all my life because Mom and Dad got divorced when I was in second grade. I hardly saw my dad at all, except when me and my brother would go to the wrestling events. But, I think everyone wants to be what they see on T.V., everyone wants to be a rock singer, or everyone wants to be a professional football player. Everyone wants to be a wrestler. But did I ever think I was gonna become a professional wrestler, no. I was actually playing football. Started out of high school, then started college and that's when I realized that I wasn't gonna be a football player. When I was in high school, it was great, I was actually wrestling professionally but I was under a mask and stuff. I was on TV down there in Memphis, Tennessee and I did that on weekends for about a year and a half. It wasn't until I graduated from high school and started college and that's when I started wrestling more on the weekend nights and everything. Jeff Jarrett's father, Jerry Jarrett, said he had a full-time position for me if I wanted take up wrestling after college.
Rajah: In this day and age with wrestling fans seemingly knowing all about the "ins" and "outs" of wrestling, virtually everyone knows that you are the son of Jerry "The King" Lawler. How difficult has it been to create your own identity, especially early in the early stages? I mean, right now the world knows you as "Grand Master Sexay".
Brian Christopher: In reality, throughout my entire career, I have never once said that he was my father.
Rajah: Exactly, I've noticed that.
Brian Christopher: I made a name for myself when I first started as Brian Christopher. And that's when I made my own name. And there's still people here in Memphis where I live and they don't think that I am his son. Because we've told them for so long that I wasn't. I've never, you know, banked on the Lawler name in my career at all.
Rajah: I think everyone can remember the original "Too Much" gimmick, the one which you and Scotty Too Hotty, well he wasn't Scotty Too Hotty back then, just Scotty Taylor...
Brian Christopher: Well, the Too Much gimmick, there was never really a gimmick. It was just me and him and we were a tag team. And that's all there was to it.
Rajah: Well, the question that I had here was there was a rumor on the internet, as far as the internet goes, where you and Scotty were supposed to get married. Supposedly at the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre", I think that was in Memphis or somewhere around there. Well, the rumor was that Vince Russo came up with this idea but...ummm...Jerry nixed it. And I was wondering if that was true at all?
Brian Christopher: Yeah, Russo came up with it but Jerry didn't nix it. He had nothing to do with it.
Rajah: After that died down, you and Scotty were both repackaged and presented as a semi-similar version of the team we see today in front of us. However, if memory serves me correct, you were abruptly injured and the plan was put on hold. How difficult was it to sit on the sidelines while recuperating knowing full well that this gimmick was a great chance to put you two over? Cause I think you had one little Sunday Night Heat appearance and then you got hurt.
Brian Christopher: Right. It didn't matter whether it was the gimmick or whether it was Too Much, it didn't matter. As long as we had air time, you can't keep talent down. And I know full well that we have talent. There really is nothing we can't do. We can be the consumate baby face, or one of the best heels in the business. We just didn't get any airtime. And I believe it was because we didn't go for that angle. We were just wrestling on the house shows. And if you're not put in the spotlight then you're looked as uh....oh they're second rate or job guys or whatever. But we were having some of the best matches on the card so it was only a matter of time. If you put us in there, we're always gonna have a good match.
Rajah: How did Scotty react to the injury? At all did you feel kinda bummed out or ever a reason to think that when you did come back that they would start over again or what have you.
Brian Christopher: Well you're always bummed out when you're not in the ring. But umm...well, yeah I was kinda worried that they wouldn't go ahead and let us do the gimmick that we started with. But I did my very best to rehab the injury and when all the doctors said I would be out of action for about a year, I rehabbed really vigorously and was back in about three months. I was just very eager to get back in the lineup.
Rajah: Okay, moving on. Looking at your current situation here, many of your critics naturally claim that the reason Too Cool is so over is because of Rikishi Phatu and his rise to stardom. Do you agree and if not, how do you tackle or explain such issues to your detractors?
Brian Christopher: Yeah, I think, it's all because of Rikishi. If it weren't for him, we'd be nothing. Do you really believe that? [Sarcastic tone]
Rajah: Me? Geez, put me on the spot here. Well, I can't say yes but I would say a little bit might be because...
Brian Christopher: But, but, yeah look at everybody. Look at every single wrestler there is. Who can you name that has just gone out there and right from the get go...has just got over?
Rajah: Umm...no one that comes to mind.
Brian Christopher: Without anyone helping them along? Everyone, everybody gets helped out. One way or another. In this business, people get put with valets and managers to help them along. The same thing goes for a title, or other wrestlers. With Rikishi coming out with us, I mean it helped us a lot but it also helped him. I mean when he comes out, this gives him some character to build on. Now he's a big, ol' guy who can wrestle but also he's a big guy that can wrestle AND dance. Without us, there is no dancing. We're the ones that get him to dance. We give him something, he gives us something in return. It's all about helping one another out.
Rajah: So was the pairing of you guys with Rikishi sort of a spontaneous thing? I can't remember how you guys actually got paired up.
Brian Christopher: He had a big huge reaction when he came out. It was a building process. We came him out with him, helped him along, he helped us. I don't understand why people want to criticize things. You can look us at and say we're pretty good wrestlers. It's not like we're horrible that you can say if it weren't for Rikishi, we wouldn't even be in the wrestling business. It wasn't really about Too Cool flopping without Rikishi or Rikishi flopping without Too Cool. Together we're what the fans love.
Rajah: Okay, well this next one is a little bit personal. I don't know if you want to answer it, but, tell us a little bit about the three of you outside the ring. Do you guys travel together or hang around together or what?
Brian Christopher: Well, me and Rikishi travel together everywhere we go. Scotty does his own thing.
Rajah: Yeah, I just read in the RAW magazine, they had a little article about the grueling WWF schedule and it mentioned how you and Scotty travelled together once and then didn't after that. It had a little quote in there from you.
Brian Christopher: (laughs). We travel...you know if me and Scotty have to go in and do a personal appearance a day early or something like that, we travel together. But the whole time we've been in the WWF together, we've never really travelled together. I always travel with the Rock because I had a relationship with him from the days out here in Memphis with USWA. We got along then and when we came up to the WWF, we hooked up and travelled together for almost two years. In that time, we're riding partners. It has nothing to do with if guys like each other outside of the ring, we do like each other outside of the ring (Scotty & myself), I don't know. Everyone travels with everyone else at one time or another but it just depends on what we're going to be doing later that day or whatever. It's just the way it works out.
Rajah: Many fans and analysts think that Too Cool isn't world champion material as a tag team, owing mainly to the fact that your team provides a lot of comic relief on RAW or Smackdown. So the question is do you feel for Too Cool to be put over the top and be considered one of the elite teams that a slight tweaking of your characters is necessary?
Brian Christopher: (laughs again).
Rajah: Let me put the question another way: do you guys see yourself as tag team champs with the characters you currently portray? Cause right now the tag team division is booming with Edge, Christian, the Hardys...
Brian Christopher: No, I don't think it has anything to do with who's being funny and who's not. It's all about putting up good matches for the fans. I guess the Rock goes out there and does his ten minute interviews before his match and try to make everyone laugh before his match with the poontang pie stuff. Just because we might throw a little bit of comedy in the match itself, doesn't mean we should be champs. I tell you what, the name of the game is entertainment and when you watch us, you're gonna get entertainment. It will never be a boring chant.
Rajah: Well I guess you can say the reason you've never been champs is because in the past titles have been given to performers to help them get or stay over. Do you think that has something to do with it because here you guys are roaring by without titles...
Brian Christopher: Right. I got a little secret for you. You don't get paid any more to have a belt. So if anybody ever thought that, it doesn't matter whether we have the belts or not.
Rajah: Yeah, I know. It's irrevelvant cause you still get popped without it.
Brian Christopher: Right, I don't think if we have the titles when we walked out, the people are gonna cheer any louder. If they like us, they like us.
Rajah: Exactly, I was just going to say that. Okay, well I'm sure a lot of fans are interested in this one, but would it take for you to go to WCW? What are your general feelings towards the other team and do you follow their programming?
Brian Christopher: Well, I do follow their programming. I'm friends with obviously some of them. Basically, almost every wrestler in both companies have come through Memphis at one time or another. And I've wrestled in Memphis for well over ten years. I've met a lot of guys and am friends with some of them but that's not anything that would lure me away from the WWF. I'm happy here and the WWF is without a doubt the greatest company there is. If something were to happen and I weren't in the WWF, I don't know if WCW would even be my first choice.
Rajah: Alright, the next couple questions are straight from the fans. So answer them as you wish. So the first question is who makes up the dance moves, who choreographs them and how much do you practice?
Brian Christopher: Well, we've practiced about ten minutes before we went on air for the first time me, Scotty and Rikishi went out together. I came up with something that we all three can do. Scotty is lacking a little bit in the rhythym department when it comes to his individual things like the moonwalk and the worm, but when it comes to dancing to the beat of a song, it's hard for him. So I try to come up with something that all three of us can do and I came up with that dance and we don't practice at all. We got it down.
Rajah: Do you have any aspirations of going singles after reaching the top with Too Cool?
Brian Christopher: It's nothing like that, I'm not interested in the glory of being a singles competitor. Once again, it doesn't matter pay wise. It's just our job so there's nothing different in the money aspect of it. A singles wrestler does not make any more than a tag team wrestler.
Rajah: Right. Earlier in your career, you were a singles wrestler. Drawing on experience, do you like the singles scene better or tag team?
Brian Christopher: Well right now...it just depends. When I first started out, yeah, I enjoyed the singles competition because I was able to work with Tom Pritchard, Danny Davis, and all those tough guys. But right now, I'm having a lot of fun with Too Cool. I'm very happy being a part of the tag team.
Rajah: Okay, the last little section I have is the name game. If you've never heard of it or seen it online, I just mention a name and you say a couple words that pop into your mind.
Brian Christopher: Okay.
Rajah: First one is Vince McMahon
Brian Christopher: Genius.
Rajah: Vince Russo.
Brian Christopher: (laughs). I would say...a fraud.
Rajah: (laughs). Okay..."Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It doesn't have to be a word. It can be a sentence or something, whatever.
Brian Christopher: What you see is what you get.
Rajah: The Rock.
Brian Christopher: Money.
Rajah: Next one is Triple H.
Brian Christopher: Hardest working man in the business.
Rajah: (Okay, the next guy is retired. When I made these up, he was still wrestling, but oh well). Mick Foley.
Brian Christopher: Family man, unpredictable.
Rajah: Undertaker.
Brian Christopher: Down to earth, great guy.
Rajah: Chyna.
Brian Christopher: I respect her a lot. And every guy in that lockerroom should respect her just as much.
Rajah: Last two are WCW guys. Hulk Hogan.
Brian Christopher: Everyone knocks him, but they still watch him.
Rajah: Bret Hart.
Brian Christopher: (pause)
Rajah: Will we ever see him back in the WWF...(laughs).
Brian Christopher: No. Prototypical wrestler.
Rajah: Okay, and the very last question I have is do you like so many wrestlers before you have any further goals outside of wrestling, like acting and stuff like that?
Brian Christopher: (laughs). I dunno about that. I just did an episode of Shasta and it took about...nine hours. For a little fifteen minute segment. If that's any indication of what it will be like, umm...doing movies...
Rajah: (laughs). You'll leave it alone for now?
Brian Christopher: Yeah.
Rajah: Do you have words or messages for all your fans reading this right now? Anything you want to say.
Brian Christopher: Tell them I'm down with the whole internet. I do what I can when it comes to please but sometimes you just can't do it. I'd also like to say that we've opened up a website, wwftoocool.com. It features a lot of cool stuff on Scotty, Rikishi and me. It's run by the WWF. If any of the fans ever get to meet me, you'll realize that I am a good guy.
Rajah: Sure thing. Thanks for doing this for us Brian. We all appreciate it.
Brian Christopher: No problem, Raj.