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An interview with Hunter Hearst-Helmsley
The Hunter and his prey
By
GREG OLIVER - Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
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Q: What has Chyna brought to your matches?
A: Chyna's brought a confidence to my matches because I don't
have to
worry about anybody coming in from behind or jumping me from behind or when
I'm down,
people attacking me or coming at me with a chair. She's there to basically
watch my back
and that has added a confidence to my match because when I don't have to
worry about that I
can focus on winning and on business at hand. And that's what I do.
Q: Why do you need her?
A: I just think in the World Wrestling Federation right now, if
you're
watching the show, gang warfare seems to be something that is very prevalent in
professional wrestling right now, in every organization. In the WWF
especially, you have the
NOD, Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation. You have all these different groups
of people,
there even seems to be forming some sort of alliance between Shawn Michaels
and Steve
Austin. You know, you have all these alliances with people going on and when
you have
more than one person to worry about in the ring you need to have somebody to
watch your
back so you can focus on the business at hand. That's what she's there for.
Q: Do you see yourself getting involved in any of these alliances?
A: If it comes to that, then that's what I will do. I've always
been kind of an
independent person and enjoy having success on my own, with just Chynna. If
it comes to
that, then I will find the people I need to be successful in this business,
but until that time, I
will continue to do what I do best and that's just go in the ring and win.
Q: Some people would say that you were part of a gang that apparently
running the
WWF. The Clique. How has that changed in the last little while since
everyone's left and
come and gone?
A: As far as the behind the scenes goes, and the Clique goes,
there's still a
Clique, but now we run two companies. We just divided and conquered. Half of
us went
south and half of us stayed in New York. As far as inside the ring goes,
when we're inside
the ring we're all business. If Shawn Michaels regains the WWF title then
he's what I want.
The WWF title is what I want and that's what I'll go after. ... As far as us
having the power
and running the wrestling business, anytime you have a group of wrestlers
who are on top of
the business they're going to be listened to, especially if their thoughts
and their viewpoints
are good they're going to be listened to. And that's what happened. It
wasn't like we
forcefully took over the business, it was that we were better than everyone
else.
Q: Do you ever see yourself heading back down south to WCW?
A: Well you never say never, but the World Wrestling Federation
right now
is my home. Vince McMahon has treated me very well. If I wanted to go to
WCW, I had the
opportunity a year ago when Kevin and Scott and The Kid left. But I didn't.
I chose to stay
where I was because I still feel in my heart that the World Wrestling
Federation is the better
organization, more oriented towards wrestling and giving the a better
product. I think there's
a war between WCW and the WWF and I think the WWF will run in the long run,
because
all WCW knows how to do is take what the WWF has made and try to use it to
their
advantage. They don't know how to create, they only know how to take. Most
of the people
that did go there, for example Hogan and Savage, they were at the end of
their ropes here. I
don't really think they could compete in the WWF anymore. As far as Kevin
and Scott go,
you know, WCW works a lot less than we do and quality of life what a big
concern to them.
They wanted to be home more. Kevin Nash just had a baby and he'd like to be
home with his
baby and his wife. That's a big factor to those guys and when the offer was
made they took
the opportunity to work less, go down there and try something new. And
that's what they did.
I can never say never because you can never know what's going to happen in
this business
but at the same I'm perfectly happen where I am. My goals are the same as
they were two
years ago when I walked in the door here and that's to be the WWF champion.
Q: You've been feuding with Goldust. Just this past week he's 'come
out of the
closet' as Dustin Rhodes or Dustin Runnels. How do you feel about that?
A: As far as I'm concerned, Goldust coming out of the closet, if
that's what
people want to say, he's not saying that he's a homosexual. He's saying that
he portrayed a
homosexual to try to make a name for himself. He preyed on people's worst
fears. Now he's
decided that all that time he had people hating him that he didn't really
like it now he's
going to bear his soul and hopefully people will like him ... I think that's
a waste of time and
he's a hypocrite. I think that he's doing whatever he can to play off the
fans, whether it's their
fears or their sympathies. That's what he's trying to do. Now is an
opportune time, with TV
shows like Ellen where coming out is a big thing. His character being of
that nature, it's the
perfect time to do it. I think he's just trying to capitalize off the point
that society's at. If it
works for him great. I had no problem with Goldust the character. I had a
problem with
Dustin Runnels. I think that we've settled that in the ring. I've shown the
world on more than
one occasion that I'm a better wrestler than he is.
Q: But he's still coming out of the stands on national TV to attack you.
A: Well, he comes out of the stands to attack me. How many times
does he
have to go on a pay-per-view or on national TV and be embarrassed by me
before he realizes
that enough is enough. And I think he's finally realized that and that's why
he's changed
directions and had a go at this whole coming out of the closet thing. I
embarrassed him at
the Royal Rumble. I beat him right in the middle of the ring with the
Pedigree. We went to
WrestleMania. Same exact thing. I beat him right in the middle of the ring
with the
Pedigree. Sooner or later he's going to realize that I'm just better than he
is. I'm in better
shape than he is, a better athlete than he is and a better wrestler than he is.
Q: This weekend you're facing Flash Funk on In Your House PPV. Is
this a step
down for you?
A: It's step back towards where I want to go. I was involved in
something
with Goldust that did nothing for me. When I lost the Intercontinental
title, I never really
faced Rocky Maivia to try and get it back in any serious fashion. He did me
a favor. He took
a burden off of me, because all the Intercontinental title was doing to me
was holding me
back from my real goal which was the WWF championship. I wasn't going to get
a fair shot
at that while I had the Intercontinental belt. But in the meantime, I got
caught up in a feud
with Dustin Runnels or Goldust or whatever he wants to call himself today.
Now is the time
for me to start proving myself again. Any time you start back after a goal
you start back at
the bottom. Flash Funk is my first step. Flash Funk, when everyone sees me
Pedigree him in
the middle of the ring, easily they're going to give the next step. I'm
going to take that step
until I get to whoever is the champion, whether it's the Undertaker, whether
it's Steve
Austin, whether it's Bret Hart, whether it's Shawn Michaels. It doesn't
matter to me who it is
because I feel in my heart that in that ring I have no equal. I'm better
than all those wrestlers.
Q: Do you feel you match up better against some of them?
A: I would much more enjoy a match with wrestlers the style of Shawn
Michaels or Steve Austin. The Undertaker's champion, that's where I need to
go and that's
who I will face. Although the Undertaker's a lot different in style and a
lot more difficult to
wrestle, when I say I have no equal in the ring, I mean everybody. So I feel
I can be WWF
champion.
Q: To shift gears a little bit. Can I just get a little bit of
background. Where did you
grow up?
A: In Connecticut. In Greenwich, Connecticut.
Q: You were born there?
A: Yes.
Q: You have a very French [real] name [Jean-Paul Lesveque]. Did you
grow up in a
French family?
A: Yeah.
Q: How did you get involved in pro wrestling?
A: Basically I was a big fan growing up, and it was something
that I always
wanted to do. I had the ability to do what I wanted to do in life, and
that's what I did. When
other kids were watching football, baseball and basketball I was watching
professional
wrestling. My heroes growing up were different than everyone else's that
weren't wrestling
fans. Ric Flairs, and people like that. It's just what I wanted to do, and
when the time came
that I was able to, I did. I enlisted the help of Killer Kowalski, who
trained me, and went
from there.
Q: So you've been wrestling about five years now?
A: About five years, yeah.
.... brief talk about the
Canadian Pro Wrestling
Hall of
Fame. ...
Q: What kind of things will you be talking about at the Boys and
Girls Club
tonight?
A: Won't know until I get there. I'm just going to wing it. If
they're brats, I'm
going to tell them to quit school and talk back to their mothers.
Q: Is this something you do a lot?
A: Whenever the WWF needs me to do it. I work for the World
Wrestling
Federation and if we need to come in and spread our name around, or get
promotion for our
towns, then that's what we do. I enjoy doing this kind of thing, going in
and talking to kids.
When I'm wrestling, I'm a 'bad guy' so-to-speak. That's all part of our game
that we do. I
enjoy going in and talking to kids. If they want to do something with their
lives, all they
have to do is do it.
Q: Do you consider this a night off from wrestling?
A: Well, it's a night off from wrestling, but it's not really a
night off. I night
off would be me being home. It's a night off from wrestling. I don't have to
go get punched
by anybody, or have a 400-pound person land on me, so that's kind of nice.
It's a night of
work nonetheless.
Q: Thanks for your time.
A: Thank you.
RELATED LINKS
Triple H bio and story archive
