"I was trying to decide whether I was going to do it (leap off the top of the cage) or not going to do it. At the last moment, with 20,000 fans screaming their heads off, I had to do it."
"I used to dance down Fisherman's Wharf...My parents didn't have good jobs, so we were trying to make ends meet. It was my way of trying to help put food on the table."
One of the top stars in the wrestling world opens up about his career and his heritage to IGN.
August 8, 2000
Blake Norton: How important for you is it to stay in touch with your heritage?
Rikishi Phatu: You know what, coming here for Samoan Flag Day, I didn't really expect to get the love and affection I got. It was overwhelming. I can't explain how I feel about my people. It goes beyond wrestling. Samoan Flag Day has been a tradition, and it was very touching for me. Good feeling, very good feeling. Samoan people are very open and caring people. There are hundreds, almost thousands of people here. If you watched the ceremony earlier... I'm not trying to put myself as the main guy, but doing what I do, representing my people on TV, Smackdown and Raw. I set the record straight in Raw Magazine. Through the years, I've grown sick of people thinking that Samoans were wild, didn't understand English and such. They're very loving, caring people; intelligent. You can see. If you look around you, there's nothing but love around here. For these people to come out and show their love tonight was overwhelming. My Grandfather was the first preacher here in San Francisco. He went around the Bay area, building churches. My goal was to come down here and raise money for the church, do charity work around the Bay Area, and I'm down with that. If I can help my people, or not just Samoans, the cancer society or make a wish... My Grandfather, God bless his heart, always said to me "if you make it big, I want you to come home and help your people." For me to come back here to San Francisco, there's nothing but love.
Norton: I want to ask you about some recent events in wrestling; first of all your incredible dive from the top of the cage at Fully Loaded a la Jimmy Snuka. What inspired you to do that?
Rikishi: I wasn't trying to top Jimmy Snuka at all. He's in a class of his own. I can't explain it. If you watch the cage match...
Norton: You had that crazed look, like you were ready to go...
Rikishi: Yeah, I was trying to decide whether I was going to do it or not going to do it. At the last moment, with 20,000 fans screaming their heads off, I had to do it or I'd leave everybody down, and I damn sure wasn't going to do that.
Norton: You're one of the biggest stars in the world now. You've played different gimmicks before, did you think that Rikishi the character could turn you into the top star you are?
Rikishi: Nobody could have predicted that. I came back at the right time with the right look, and let's not forget that there's different fans nowdays. For me and Too Cool coming out and doing what we do best, dancing, the kids can relate to it. It's all good. I'm blessed, and I want to thank God for everything in my career and for being able to come home and help my people.
Norton: Your family is one of the strongest in pro wrestling. Did it put pressure on you when you were young to get into the business and follow in their footsteps?
Rikishi: Undoubtedly. Any time you have wrestling greats like Afa and Sika, and you turn around and I tag up with my partner Samu, you're stepping into their shoes. That's big pressure. But I always wanted to break loose and really do my own thing. I didn't like to portray Samoans as not speaking English and... being crazy. If you look around, you can see they're happy-go-lucky, everyone's having a good time. That's what this is about. I'm proud to be an American Samoan.
Norton: When you first came into the WWF, you were a Headshrinker, where you just grunted and headbutted... from there you moved on to your hip "Make A Difference" look. Was that a conscious effort to show a different side of yourself and your heritage?
Rikishi: When I came back with that gimmick, it was a shoot. It was something that really happened to me. I got shot in Sunnydale, California, right down the street by the Cow Palace. My message was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I was at home, doing work for my parents, a curfew, I wouldn't have gotten shot. I think God gave me a second chance. To me, that was a wakeup call.
Norton: Probably the most popular move in wrestling is now the Stinkface. Where on earth did that come from?
Rikishi: (Laughs and strokes his chin) Right... Well, man.... (laughs). It was a combination of me and the fans. Everybody knows I'm probably the only wrestler out there who has this little ring attire. I figured, hey, if I'm out there showing it, I might as well use it! The Stinkface has been a popular move for me and the people. I'm an entertainer. That's what it's all about, knowing what the people want. My people and my fans live through me. You could see earlier how they kept honoring me and mentioning my name. It meant a lot.
Norton: Do your opponents mind taking the move?
Rikishi: No, not really. You know, I'll tell you this, though. I've got four different pairs of tights. If I don't like a guy, I'll wear the one pair I don't wash. So I've got my little categories (grins).
Norton: You're a former tag team champion, have you ever thought about going back to tag team wrestling at any point in the future?
Rikishi: Well, no... I'm at a point right now in my career... I'm thirty four. Things are going well for me in the World Wrestling Federation. I don't see myself being tagged up with anyone as of now. It's not that I don't want to tag up with any member of my family, but this is the biggest success of my career. If you've been following, it's been a rollercoaster ride. For me right now, it would be a set back. It's easier for me to worry about me right now.
Norton: What's left for you to accomplish?
Rikishi: As long as I can go out there and perform, healthy enough, time is no limit for me. I love wrestling. It's not that I like it, I love it. It's something that's in my blood. As long as I can walk to the ring and I'm able to perform and make my fans happy, I'll do it. These people here make Rikishi. Rikishi doesn't make the fans. You know yourself, if the fans don't agree with you, you're going downhill. The fans call the shots. While we're here taping this, I want to send a shout-out to my fans who have been following my whole career and believed in me, particularly my Samoan brothers and sisters. I want to thank everyone who believed in Rikishi. It's been fun, and I hope to keep it fun, and that it lasts for a while.
Norton: I think the moment where I knew you'd hit true superstar status was during this year's Royal Rumble, when you and Too Cool took a time out in the middle of the battle royal to dance. Where did the whole routine come from?
Rikishi: I used to dance down Fisherman's Wharf. I was raised up here in the Bay Area. As a little kid, fourteen, fifteen years old, my mother thought I was going to school. We didn't have the good things. My parents didn't have good jobs, so we were trying to make ends meet. It was my way of trying to help put food on the table. I was lying to them, they thought I was going to school, I was going to dance. All the moves you see now are the moves I used to do way back.
Norton: When you were teaming in the Headshrinkers, how would you contrast working with Samu compared to Sionne, who came in when Samu left?
Rikishi: Being with Samu was a little different. We were very close. We set records here and there, of course there were different things him and me didn't agree on, but as far as tag team perfection, my cousin and I were one of, if not the, best. I miss my cousin, and I wish that one day he could come back as another character just to have him around. I've been with him for fifteen years. He's like my brother. My love goes out to him and his family, I hope he's doing well, I hope to see him soon.
Norton: What are the highlights of your career?
Rikishi: (Pauses)... that's a tough question... the highlights of my career...
Norton: Yeah; first you have the titles you've won, but then you have personal victories.
Rikishi: Wrestling wise, it's coming off the cage. That was something that... I'd probably never do again! (laughs). It was suicidal. I could have either ended my career... it was make or break. I think the Lord I didn't get hurt. But it put me on a different level.
Norton: There's so many hours of wrestling on TV these days, that stuck out as a rare moment nobody will forget.
Rikishi: Definitely... No matter what Rikishi does now, they will always remember when I came off that cage. I'm not taking away from Jimmy Snuka, more power to him. But it took a guy like him to inspire me to jump off the cage like that. If I recall, after I did that, the next interview I said "now I can go down in history as the second person after Jimmy who did the splash from the cage."
Norton: How are you physically after doing that? You've had a bad knee...
Rikishi: Right. Again, when you hear the crowd roaring, and you've got that vibe...
Norton: Adrenaline...
Rikishi: ...The adrenaline is flowing, you don't think about getting hurt. You just do it. That move, I'll never forget that. But like I said, I'm not going to do it once a year... I'm not doing that again! (laughs).
Norton: Rikishi vs. The Rock for the WWF title on pay per view; who would win?
Rikishi: Me versus The Rock? (grins) I really can't say. The Rock is my family, so... (grins warmly as if he's thinking "...so I really can't say I'd flatten him!") I'm pretty sure the people wouldn't want to see that. They'd rather see us team up than go against each other. If you're talking distance, it's The Rock. If you're talking about size and power, it's all Rikishi!
I just want to say thank you to you and IGN for coming out here and supporting Samoan Flag Day. Come on back here and we'll take some pictures.
End of interview.