Scotty on injuries, holidays, and underrated Superstars
by Phil Speer
Even if you were to ask around -- among Superstars, staff or anyone else -- you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would say a bad word about Scotty 2 Hotty. One of the legitimate good people in the sports-entertainment business, Scotty flew from Portland, Maine, to New York City on Monday night to host the RAW party at WWE's The World in Times Square. On the eve of New Year's Eve, Times Square was absolutely packed, and so was The World. And to think Scotty was afraid that no one would show up! Six months after having neck fusion surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood in San Antonio, Texas, the former Light Heavyweight Champion was apprehensive that the fans had forgotten about him. Instead, he was faced with the longest autograph lines since Shawn Michaels came to town. Before heading out to scribble his signature on assorted WWE paraphernalia, he chatted with WWE.com about a variety of topics.
WWE.com: How are you doing? How are you feeling?
Scotty: I feel good. I'm getting there. I still have about six months before I'm back in the ring full-time with WWE.
WWE.com: So around King of the Ring time.
Scotty: That's what I'm thinking. June. No sooner than May, (Dr. Youngblood) says. They won't release you in under a year. I was shooting for WrestleMania at first, but I think it's going to be tight to make WrestleMania. But I could make an appearance -- hint, hint. (Laughs) I can do a Worm or two.
WWE.com: Will you be able to do the Worm by then?
Scotty: I would think so. I would think probably February or so. (The doctor) said I could start rolling around the ring in February, and I guess the Worm is considered rolling.
WWE.com: When was the last time you went to the doctor? What did he say?
Scotty: Last Tuesday. He said everything looked on track. He gave me the go-ahead to start increasing my weight, because I was still limited to 10 pounds per arm. So I can start increasing; I've been doing that. I've been training about five or six days a week, which is a lot better than I had been doing -- doing cardio everyday and weights. So I feel a lot better than I did a month ago.
WWE.com: Recently there was a report that you may not be able to return to the ring. Are you definitely returning?
Scotty: That's the plan. I don't know where some of this stuff comes from, but supposedly from a reliable source. (Laughs) Never did I say that I wasn't coming back. I mean, what the hell am I going to do? (Laughs) Unless WWE.com is hiring, I'm coming back (to the ring).
WWE.com: But you've said your spinal cord won't be 100 percent even when you do return.
Scotty: Yeah. I have four bad discs altogether. It's just the two bottom ones are the worst, so those are the ones (the doctor repaired) in May. He said eventually I'd probably have to have all four done, but I don't know if I'd want to go through this again. It's been hard -- harder mentally I think than physically. You just feel useless. That's what everybody who had the surgery told me. (Stone Cold Steve) Austin and (Chris) Benoit both said, "You're better off not watching the show because it just makes you feel worse." I've watched quite a bit of the show still, but you go from being on the road 200 to 250 days a year to sitting at home and not doing anything pretty much. I do an appearance or two a month, but other than that I'm at home. I'm enjoying the family part, but work-wise you just feel a little bit ...
WWE.com: Which two discs was it that were surgically repaired?
Scotty: (The discs between) the 5-6 and 6-7 (vertebrae). Eventually I need 3 through 7 done, but like I said, I really don't think I'd ever have it done. I'd probably call it quits in the ring before I'd ever have all of them done. It's not that bad now.
WWE.com: You wrote an article in Raw Magazine a few months ago. Have you gotten any response from that? It was such a good article.
Scotty: Thanks. Not really. It was a lot of fun to do though. At first when they called me to do it, I didn't know what I was going to write about. Then I just started one night at midnight and finished it at 4:30 in the morning. I got to say a lot of stuff that I'd wanted to say for a long time.
WWE.com: How's the baby?
Scotty: She's great. She just turned 1 on the 20th. So we had the big birthday party with the whole family and everything, and then a couple of days later we did Christmas. She's kind of spoiled right around now, but I'm sure down the road she's going to get (cheated) -- get the combo birthday/Christmas gift from the cheap relatives. And you know who you are. (Laughs)
WWE.com: Christmas went well?
Scotty: Yeah. It was great. I'm a big fan of Christmas anyway. We had the house decorated like the Griswolds. We started ripping everything down yesterday; it's going to be a month-long process. (Laughs)
WWE.com: Is the baby old enough to understand and appreciate Christmas yet?
Scotty: Not really. Not yet. She knows something's going on, but she's not sure what. She likes all the singing and the dancing -- we have an animated Mickey Mouse where if you press the button he sings and dances. She likes the tree.
WWE.com: Is she pulling stuff off the tree?
Scotty: Yeah. (The decorations) started out all the way to the bottom, and then by Christmas, the tree was decorated just from the middle up.
WWE.com: How does it feel being here -- being out in front of the fans, now that you don't get the opportunity as much as you did before?
Scotty: It's scarier now because you're afraid that they forgot you. You're always afraid that nobody's going to show up. I did an appearance in Toronto during Armageddon. They wanted me to walk into these dark theaters while the pay-per-view was on -- unadvertised like, "Here I am!" I'm not a real recognizable guy anyway without the Scotty 2 Hotty gear on. So it was pretty nerve-wracking. So I said, "Why don't we do it before the pay-per-view goes on the air?" We did it while the lights were still on. It was still just an awful feeling. (Laughs)
WWE.com: Your former tag team partner, A-Train, is getting a little bit of an opportunity. How do you think he's doing?
Scotty: From what I've seen, everything looks good. I talked to him and he was really excited about it. I think the name change was a good thing; it was a long time coming! (Laughs) I know they've been talking about it for a while. He'll do well. He's one of the biggest guys there. And he's young. A lot of people don't realize that, even for myself -- I feel like I've been doing this forever. But most guys, with the exception of The Rock really -- you look at Undertaker and Austin and even (Hulk) Hogan -- they were closer to 30 than they were to 20 when they got their big break. For a lot of guys who are with the company now, there's a lot left. I'll be 30 in July; who knows what's left in me?
WWE.com: I guess Brock Lesnar is another exception to that rule.
Scotty: Yeah. What is he? 16? (Laughs) Randy Orton too. I feel old now, with some of these guys.
WWE.com: Who else has impressed you on the shows?
Scotty: Last time I talked to you, I told you Goldust. And that stuff is still funny as hell. That's the part that I love. I can remember a long time ago -- I was probably 16 years old. I did an interview with this magazine. At the time I said if I had a choice between going to WCW -- and they had just changed to WCW from NWA -- or WWE, I would definitely go to WCW because I'm a wrestler, and I want to be a serious wrestler. Almost 15 years later, I'm so different. Back then, I said WWE just makes cartoon characters. I just want to be a cartoon character now. (Laughs) I like that stuff; I like the entertainment. You can call me a sports-entertainer any day over a wrestler.
WWE.com: That's what's cool about the show is that there's something for everyone, whether you prefer wrestling or entertainment.
Scotty: Yeah. That's why Shawn Michaels was so great; he was so good at both of them. He was the best at both of them. Same thing with The Rock really. He's excellent at both. But I like the Booker T and Goldust stuff. Christian and (Chris) Jericho's stuff has been awesome. I think Christian is one of the most underrated guys. I used to say Billy Gunn. Christian, when you work with him, you realize how good he is. If you watch him, you go, "He's good at what he does." But when you work with him, he'll come up with some really good ideas. When they let him do his thing, he's great. He's probably the most underrated guy there, I'd say.
WWE.com: Who do you keep in touch with?
Scotty: Mostly Lita and Albert and Kane. I talk to everybody else every once in a while. I saw everybody at SmackDown! in Manchester, which was really overwhelming to walk in there and see everybody all at once. You realize how much you miss everything. Everything was cool up until about 4 or 5 p.m. when everybody started going out to the ring and going over their stuff. Then it was hard. It was like, "OK, it's time for me to leave! I'm not a part of this!" (Laughs) Pretty much I've talked to everybody. Bradshaw called me. You don't realize how bad it sucks to sit at home and watch all your friends do what you love, until you're sitting at home. And I promised myself last time I was out that I would be sure to call guys when they're out, because it means a lot to you. But you just get busy when you're on the road, and then when you go home, the last thing you want to do is call one of the guys.
WWE.com: And in arenas, half the time cell phones don't work.
Scotty: Yeah. Or you're busy. But it's cool when everybody calls you.
WWE.com: What are you doing for New Year's?
Scotty: We're going to see a friend of mine down in Massachusetts -- a buddy of mine named Rick Fuller. He used to wrestle for WCW. We'll just hang out for a couple of days really -- not leaving the house probably. We'll put our pajamas and slippers on and sing karaoke. (Laughs)
WWE.com: Any chance you might come to the Royal Rumble, since it's not that far away from home for you?
Scotty: Definitely. I plan on coming down. I haven't seen most of the RAW guys since the split happened. Even when the split happened, you'd be at TV (like for a pay-per-view), and you'd think, "OK, I'm on the road for two more days." But the guys who went RAW, went to the RAW shows and the guys who went to SmackDown!, went to the SmackDown! shows. You weren't thinking, "OK, today's the last day I'm going to see everybody." So a lot of guys I haven't seen since the split. It'll be fun -- overwhelming again. And a few guys I haven't really met. I haven't met (Eric) Bischoff or (Scott) Steiner or Nunzio.
WWE.com: You haven't met Bischoff? Is that weird for you meeting guys who once were the competition?
Scotty: Not really. That was so long ago. It'll be cool.
Interview with Scotty 2 Hotty
by Phil Speer
NEW YORK -- For a guy who had three of the vertebrae in his spinal cord fused, Scotty 2 Hotty is in remarkably good spirits. A week ago, he made a surprise appearance at a World Wrestling Entertainment live event in his hometown of Portland, Maine, dancing at the end of the show. On Monday, he hosted RAW in front of a smaller but just-as-passionate crowd at The World, WWE's entertainment complex and restaurant in Times Square. So Scotty's ecstatic to be able to appear in front of fans again -- even if it's just for a question-and-answer session at The World. And even if he has to wait several more months before he'll be able to even attempt the Worm with his surgically repaired neck -- operated on by San Antonio's Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, WWE's unofficial "neck doctor." When fans at the restaurant chanted "Worm! Worm! Worm!", Scotty slyly picked a gentleman out of the audience to do it for him. The guy failed miserably, and everyone had a good laugh.
After the Q&A session, after one fan had won tickets to the Vengeance Pay-Per-View, and after another fan proposed to his girlfriend (she said yes), Scotty returned to The World's green room. As his wife and sister munched on salad, and as his baby daughter, Taylor, bounced on his lap, Scotty answered WWE.com's questions about his condition and much more.
WWE.com: I heard that you're not going home after this -- that you were actually making this into a little getaway.
Scotty: Yeah, this is the first part of the "Amusement Park Tour 2002." We started last night here (in New York). My sister had never been to the city. So she saw the Naked Cowboy (a street performer who is seen frequently in Times Square) today. He's on the Naked Cowboy Tour 2002 (laughs). We did all the sights around here today. And tomorrow we're going to finish up, and then drive over to Hersheypark, do Hersheypark on Wednesday, then do Dutch Wonderland on Thursday, and then drive down to Washington, D.C. for the weekend. I haven't really been to D.C. since I was a little kid. I mean, I've been there, but on work, so I haven't really seen anything. And then on the way home we're going to hit Lake Compounce. I've never been there.
WWE.com: But I heard you're not allowed to go on roller coasters.
Scotty: Yeah, that's the tough part. I've done Hersheypark a million times, working there (with WWE). So (my family is) going to do that, and I'll baby-sit.
WWE.com: Can you go on any rides at all?
Scotty: No. I can't do anything. I can't even lift anything more than (Taylor) right now.
WWE.com: What have you been up to since you've been away?
Scotty: Hanging out with my wife and the baby. My family all lives real close. Just hanging out, going to the lake and the ocean. It's cool to be with the baby because she's changing so much right now.
WWE.com: So it's like, if your injury had to happen ...
Scotty: Oh, it's the perfect time, if you have to pick a time. But then on the other hand, I'm missed the Hawaii show, I missed Portland last week, and I'm missing the Australian tour. I didn't get to wrestle in Portland, but I did get to dance at the end of the show, so that was cool. I've started doing personal appearances. I did a couple of appearances last week, and I did (a radio show hosted by) Dee Snyder, and I did an autograph thing in Connecticut, and I've got a couple of other things coming up.
WWE.com: How are you feeling?
Scotty: Well, I got out of the soft collar on Tuesday. And now it's just healing. It's feeling pretty good. It's still sore towards the end of the day. But the hardest part is out of the way; the surgery is the hardest part, and then the hard collar for five weeks was just horrible. The soft collar wasn't too bad, because I actually wore the hard collar a week more than I had to, and I didn't know that. I showed up at the doctor's office, and they're like, "What are you still doing with that on?" So they said just kind of wear the soft collar, and that I could start taking it off during the day. I slept in it at night. Now I have nothing. It's just healing.
WWE.com: Did they take a bone out of your hip when they fused your neck?
Scotty: Yep. I had the same exact surgery as Benoit -- 5, 6, 7 (vertebrae) fused together, three screws and a steel plate. I can send you the X-rays if you want to put that with the article.
WWE.com: I've heard from others who had the surgery that that the hip is actually sorer than the neck after the surgery.
Scotty: Yeah. Now it's fine. But sneezing is the worse part because of that muscle, and I sneeze really hard. You tense up trying to make it not hurt, and I think it makes it hurt even worse.
WWE.com: When's the last time you saw the doctor?
Scotty: It was the 11th of June, and I go back on the 25th of September. I'm looking at returning right around WrestleMania next year. (Chris) Benoit just came back last Monday for his first match, and his last match was King of the Ring last year, so I'm looking at at least a year.
WWE.com: When you return, do you anticipate being 100 percent or close to it, like Steve Austin and Benoit were? Scotty: I think I'll be just as good if not better than I was when I went out. When I came back after taking four months off last year, until the time I went out this year, I wasn't even close to 100 percent. I thought I was when I went back, and then a few shows in I realized it would flame up. And then there were certain nights when the disc would just get so inflamed that I couldn't even drive. I couldn't turn my head either way, there was so much pain. And then the last two nights, we were in Hattiesburg, Miss., (on April 14) and then we were in Denton, Texas. I was tagging up with Randy Orton (in Hattiesburg) and he just took all the bumps. I came in and did the Worm, and that was it. And then I got to TV on Tuesday and they said, "We're pulling you off all the shows until we find out what's going on." Which was cool. I think it's a sense of pride in what we do -- nobody wants to go to them and say, "I can't do this." You want to say something, but on the other hand you don't. And then they just did it for me.
WWE.com: If I'm not mistaken, the first time you experienced severe pain in your neck was one night while you were sleeping. Did you ever figure out what actually caused the injury?
Scotty: No, I really don't know why it just went out in the middle of the night like that. At like 4 o'clock in the morning, I just woke up. It felt like somebody had stuck a knife in me.
WWE.com: And before that you were pretty much pain free?
Scotty: Well, I've always had neck problems, it seems like since I've been doing this. It's just over almost 13 years now, just bumping.
WWE.com: What does the doctor say you can and can't do? How much weight are you allowed to pick up? Scotty: Twenty pounds supposedly. I can do a little bit of cardio. We ended up buying a cardio machine for the house. The doctor said just to walk right now. No weights. Chris told me it was like six months before he could start working out.
WWE.com: Actually, when you first get the surgery, you're not supposed to pick up anything heavier than five pounds, right?
Scotty: He said 10 to 15.
WWE.com: Oh, so you could pick up your little girl.
Scotty: Yeah, (the doctor) said, "Hold her as much as you want." She was with me when I had the surgery.
WWE.com: Can you watch WWE shows?
Scotty: Yeah, I catch most of them. It's hard. I'm sure everybody (that's had surgery has) told you that. At the same time, you see these guys taking all these bumps, and God, everything hurts! My favorite part of RAW is Goldust, and my favorite part of SmackDown! has got to be Jamie Noble. It's just new. And it's entertaining. I think that's the kind of stuff that made WWE what it is -- when it's really hot, that's the kind of stuff that was happening. Just entertaining stuff -- all the DX stuff, and Austin at the time. It was all new and entertaining.
WWE.com: What was your reaction when you found out about Steve Austin leaving the company?
Scotty: Sad. I think it's sad for him and I think it's sad for the company. He's such a major part, not just of this company but of the entire industry. He was always cool with me. He went with me to my first appointment. He set me up with Youngblood and then he went with me. That wasn't something he had to do; he offered to do it, and it was in his hometown. We flew into San Antonio on Wednesday after SmackDown! We were on separate flights, and he met me there an hour later. He looked at my X-rays, and told me my neck looked like a piece of s*** (laughs). So I think it sucks for everybody, all the way around.
WWE.com: It took the crowd here about 45 seconds before they chanted for the Worm tonight.
Scotty: Yeah. It's hard because that's what I'm known for and that's what they want to see me do. They don't care if I do anything else out there. I can light myself on fire, and they still want to see the Worm (laughs). I can't. I won't be able to do it for probably close to a year. We joke about it. It's not like this hardcore move. But when you do it 200 days a year for almost two years straight -- Chris Brennan, the (WWE) trainer, says that might be part of what happened to my neck. When you do it once in a while, it's fine. But when you do it at least once a night, maybe (it's part of the reason it got hurt). I was afraid the same thing was going to happen last week in Portland when I ended up dancing. "What are we going to do if they start chanting for the Worm? How do you get out of that without them booing you out of the building?" Thank God they didn't.
WWE.com: Are you tired of answering questions about the Worm?
Scotty: Not really. I actually look forward to it now. I'm glad somebody asks about it.
WWE.com: And reuniting Too Cool, that's the other thing that people always ask you about, and tonight was no exception.
Scotty: I think it'd be cool to do. I don't know if you could redo it. I would love to do it at some point. Like I said out there, it was a magical thing. The whole thing was hot. I never expected to be that huge, which we were when that thing was as hot as it was. I think you could do it again, but if you did it again, it'd have to be short-term.
WWE.com: Are you sick of talking about it yet? I imagine that's not the first time the fans have asked you about it. Scotty: I don't get mad at the fans. I get mad at the radio DJs when I get called by the office to do promotional things. This happened to me last week. You could tell the guy wasn't a wrestling fan, and the first thing he asked me is, "Hey, what happened to Grand Master Sexay?" So you know somebody told him to ask that, and he's just being a smart-ass. And you're on live radio. That's what makes me angry, when they're just trying to be smart asses. But that was me when I was a kid too, so ... I almost got beat up by (former wrestler) Sam Houston.
WWE.com: Wait a minute. Now you have to tell that story.
Scotty: Me and the guy I used to go with (to WWE shows in Portland) -- we had front-row seats. I was probably 13 or 14 at the time. And it wasn't me actually, but I was close enough where he was going to kick my ass. Sam Houston comes out and he's slapping everybody's hand as he's going around. And he gets to us, which is three-quarters of the way around, and my friend jumps up and flips off his hat. So (Houston) jumps over the railing, at my friend. But I was right there. It's enough to scare the hell out of you when you're 13 years old and you've got this 230-pound guy jumping at you.
WWE.com: Anybody ever try to flip off your hat while you were walking to the ring?
Scotty: I've never had my hat flipped off. I've been punched -- which I don't understand. I guess if you were drunk or something, that would be the reason that you would do that. But why did my friend flip off Sam Houston's hat?