Tiger Ali Singh Q&A
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Tiger Ali Singh at the press conference announcing his signing with the WWF in January 1997 at Toronto SkyDome. -- Ken Kerr, Toronto Sun
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On Wednesday, November 11, 1998, SLAM! Wrestling talked to Tiger Ali Singh from his mansion west of Toronto. He was candid and opinionated, as one might expect from Asian royalty. There's no question that he still values his fans, but his priorities have changed over the last year.
Now, on to the fan question and answer with Tiger Ali Singh, one of many rising Canadian stars in the World Wrestling Federation.
Q: Who came up with the current gimmick you are instituting on
Raw and
other WWF wrestling programs? It is very interesting.
Cynthia Denny
A: It was the World Wrestling Federation. It was totally
their idea. This was back in January, they had come up with this idea.
Q: What was it like being trained by the legendary Dory Funk, Jr.
and Dr.
Tom Pritchard in the Funking Dojo?
Jason Davoodi, Chicago, IL
A: How can I put it into words? First of all, it was an
honour because I had heard great things through my father about Dory
Funk Jr. and Pat Patterson, and I'd had the priviledge of getting to
know Tom Pritchard a year before that. And all three of them were very
instrumental with the new Tiger that you see on the TV screens today.
The Americanized version of Tiger Ali Singh.
Q: Was it a conscious decision to be the next Million Dollar Man
or did
your part just work out that way? I love the fact that there is a
character that
is interacting and playing off of the crowd again, it's been awhile
since
we've seen it in pro wrestling.
Chris, Philadelphia, PA
A: First, it was a concious decision to come out and be a
Million Dollar Man. That was the furthest thing from the mind. First and
foremost, the Tiger Ali Singh is a lot more closer to the reality of who
I am. I do come from a very wealthy background, and very rich culture,
and we really do have servants. Whereas the Million Dollar Man was a
total fabrication, trying to give his a gimmick. So that way, if you're
looking at it, with other similarities to other wrestlers nowadays, the
gimmicks are getting more to the shoot-style, more closely related to
what the wrestler himself is. That seems to be what the fans are wanting
nowadays. They no longer want the superheroes of the past, where you eat
your vitamins and count your blessings, this and that, and say your
prayers. The fans are a lot smarter, let's face it. That's the reason
you'll see the Tiger Ali Singh gimmick, it comes a lot easier. Obviously
I'm not that overbearing in real-life, and not very abusive. But once
again, fans dictate and that's what they want. That's what you're seeing
evolving out of Tiger Ali Singh.
Q: Tiger you are a great wrestler, but when will you start to
appear on RAW
on a regular basis, because we at the University of Waterloo love then
angle of Asian Royalty?
B Dandiwal
A: Well, I appreciate that, that they appreciate watching the
Asian Royalty gimmick. It's a long time due, and you have to give the
WWF full-credit for acknowledging that there is a great mass of Asian
population out there. Secondly, they should watch RAW more often,
because I'm on RAW on a very regular basis now. And I think the most
that has passed by without me being on RAW was probably a week. So,
worst-case scenario, I'm on every other week on RAW. And I think we had
three or four weeks going there running in a row that I was on RAW.
Q: What's your take on TSN's censorship on occasion of RAW?
Greg Oliver
A: Well, I think personally that's kindof insulting the fans'
intelligence, kindof like what NBC did. We're not kids, especially if
they're playing it at late hours like they are doing. I think we're
living in a democratic society and don't dictate what we should watch
and what we shouldn't be watching. But I do fully appreciate the TSN
censorship when it comes to playing it in the afternoons or during the
early morning hours where the kids have access to a television.
Q: What attributes do you think you have over the other WWF
superstars?
Shawn
A: First of all, second generation. Secondly, shoot-style
background. Thirdly, my size and presence in the ring. Putting it all
together, it's very natural for me.
Q: What is your most memorable event in the WWF so far?
Shawn
A: The signing at SkyDome back in January of '97, infront of
my hometown crowd and having been honoured having my whole family in the
ring as well with George Chuvalo, Bret Hart and all the other guests,
Carl De Marco.
Q: What is your most memorable event when you fought
overseas?
Shawn
A: It would be a combination of two. First of all, my debut
in Japan, which was a tag team championship match where I was partnered
with my father. That was the greatest thrill. And secondly, when I
fought in my dad's home country of India, infront of about 70,000 people
and I was honoured by the chief minister and acknowledged as the
ambassador to India for sports.
Q: Why did you sign with the WWF if you already had a successful
career overseas?
Shawn
A: That's very simple. Tiger always tries to better himself
and he wanted to do that with the best company in the world. And the WWF
by far is the most talented, has the best talent roster and has the best
outlook on what the future holds.
Q: I remember watching a promo on you and it said that you got
"ALI" from Muhammad Ali can you explain in more detail?
Shawn
A: Yes, Tiger Ali Singh is a combination of my two greatest
heroes in life -- Muhammad Ali and Tiger Jeet Singh. I wasn't coming
from a religious or political sort of side at all. That's what I want to
make clear and what the WWF made clear as well. Ali was for Muhammad
Ali. I was blessed and endorsed by him to carry on his legacy as well as
by my father. It was a great honour, what can I say? That's how the
naming came to.
Q: I am a very big fan of yours it was about time that they
showed
you on T.V more often, what is going through your mind when you see the
audience
doing the things that you tell them...
Shawn
A: It only re-inforces what I've said before. There is no
limit to how low these peasants will go. I've said it before, and now,
slowly but surely, the people are coming on my side, saying 'hey, man,
you're speaking the truth.' It's sad to say, but that's what the world
has come to. In particular, the United States and North Americans, that
when you put money infront of them, they'll sell themselves. And that's
exactly what they're doing time in and time out on TV.
Q: Why does the WWF continue to push you using a gimmick that is
clearly
outdated, and to be totally honest with you is quite boring. Wrestling
fans have seen this act before with the Million Dollar Man back in the
late eighties.
Matt Rothwell
A: It just shows how ignorant these guys are because by
ratings alone, mine are one the highest rated segments on RAW. So, I
don't know, maybe he's like an ostrich with his head in the sand.
Q: I am proud to be a Tiger Ali Singh fan, and am wondering why
you do not get any title shots? The European title could be yours so
easily, you have the talent and charisma that Regal and many others do
not have.
CRAIG
A: Well, I appreciate that, and getting support from a fan
that has intelligence. First, I've got to say that. And secondly, time
is of the essence, and the time is slowly being shifted towards Tiger's
side. Momentum is carrying on, and hopefully look for next year.
Q: Who was your very first pro match against?
DR. PLACID LASRADO
A: Once again, that was my debut as a tag team with my father
and it was against Tarzan Goto and Onita, and that was in Frontier
Martial Arts Wrestling, FMW out of Japan. That would be late 1992.
Q: Who in the WWF are you most looking forward to facing?
DR. PLACID LASRADO
A: The guy who's got the gold, and I'm talking about the
world championship gold. Right now, none of them have it. After Survivor
Series, coming this weekend, we'll find out who has it and there's your
answer.
Q: You're not in the tournament though, are you upset about that?
Greg Oliver
A: No, I'm not upset. Like I said, everything has time. I'm a
great believer in everything happens for a reason, there's a purpose in
life. Right now, Tiger Ali Singh has his eye on other things that I
can't mention right now. And a WWF title shot in not my number one
priority. What I'm trying to get across to the world how Asian culture
is supreme when it comes to American culture. And that's my number one
thing that I'm doing right now.
Q: Can you verify that many wrestlers have called you a pain in
the ass in
the locker room?
Great Tengu
A: Only the ones that are jealous, and obviously he's jealous
as well.
Q: What's your thoughts on Ron Hutchison who trained you (Jay
Reso, Adam
Copeland) in Sully's Gym in Toronto?
Shujah Agha
A: Greatest respect in the world for people like Ron
Hutchison and Sweet Daddy Siki. They were my original coaches here in
Canada. And, the other gentlemen that you mentioned that came out of the
camp, I have the utmost respect because they had the intelligence enough
to seek advisement and council from these two great coaches.
Q: Were you in there with either of them at the time?
Greg Oliver
A: No, I was not.
Q: Are ya gonna win???
A Lam
A: Well, has he been watching TV? I've always won.
Q: Did you get your job because of your daddy?
Nicolas Izzi
A: Obviously, he is trying to be a smart-ass. He's envious.
Maybe if his dad worked a little bit harder too, he could be enjoying
the life that I'm enjoying. But obviously, his dad, his grandparents and
so forth and so forth were lazy, just as he is. Get off the shelf and do
some work!
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Tiger Ali Singh, with his valet Babu, with Lou Thesz at the Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet in October 1998. -- Greg Oliver, CANOE
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Q: Do you ever pack heat, when you go for an in-ring interview?
Are you ever scared in there?
Nicolas Izzi
A: No. Confidence.
Q: Where do you get your suits, ties and shoes from....there are
very nice.....are they
custom made for you?
dsdandiw@julian.uwo.ca
A: All custom made, head to toe at Fazari's Design right on
Brown's Line, right here in good old Toronto.
Q: What type of cars do you drive..
dsdandiw@julian.uwo.ca
A: Ah. Depends on the day of the week. Five days, seven days
in a week. And depending on how I feel, I take one car over another.
Anywhere from a Lamborguine to a Ferrari. Today, it happens to be a
little bit chilly outside, I'm going to be taking the Lincoln Navigator.
Q: I was reading a report on the internet that you a personal
private jet
is this true?
dsdandiw@julian.uwo.ca
A: My father does. But it will one day be mine. One day.
Q: Is it true that you can lift 500 pounds?
kday2@julian.uwo.ca
A: Easy. No problem.
Q: Who is your most feared opponent?
kday2@julian.uwo.ca
A: I have no fear.
Q: Which opponent fears you the most?
kday2@julian.uwo.ca
A: All of them, if they had any intelligence.
Q: I hope you win the European Title, and not Regal, do you think
the WWF
will give you a huge push like Goldust or Shamrock?
dwilliams7@home.com
A: Well, time will only tell. Right now, like I said, I
wouldn't be in the World Wrestling Federation if I didn't think I had a
future. So, I leave that in the WWF's hands. I have full confidence that
they'll take advantage of the situation and the timing. That's the key,
the timing.
Q: I live in the same town as you, and attend the same high
school, that
you did. Now my question for you. All of the bios we read these days,
except for the one here at CANOE, they all claim that you grew up going
to private schools, and things such as that. Is this for publicity
reasons, or do most people just not know "Mick" aka Tiger Ali Singh?
Jay Fendley, Milton, Ontario
A: That's a good question. Obviously, there's a lot to do
with the character, as I mentioned before. It is sports entertainment. A
lot of people say I live in Toronto which is not the case. I was born in
Toronto, but I've always lived in the suburbs. Once again, the private
schools, posh hotels and all that, that is part of the norm now for
Tiger Ali Singh but when I was growing up, my parents and I, really
fortunate to say once again, parents brought us up with the grass roots
in mind. So yes, he is correct, I went to Milton District High School
right here in Milton.
Q: Hey Tiger, do you see yourself getting more hardcore like your
father?
Black Dragon
A: Time will only tell. But if you've noticed anything, the
entertainment, the Americanized, that's the new version of Tiger. It's
gotten a lot of attention and a lot of people are watching. Time will
tell that in the ring I'm still a Tiger.
Q: Tiger, your father, the legendary Tiger Jeet Singh, is perhaps
one of the
all-time greats. Do you feel pressure because you're his son?
Chris Brody
A: In the start, I did feel pressure but I now I no longer
look at it as pressure. I look at it as an asset because every time I
come back I have the great opportunity of seeking advice from, as he
said, the legendary Tiger Jeet Singh. So I'm very fortunate to have him
and I look at him as an asset and as a power.
Q: How often does he get to see your matches?
Greg Oliver
A: He's very busy right now. He's also international
ambassador for the WWF and he's doing a lot on the side. But whenever he
does get an opportunity to sit down and talk about it, he critiques me
quite a bit about it, on what he thinks could be improved.
Q: What are your thoughts on WWF's adult approach these days?
graham@canoemail.com
A: Once again, it's the changing of the times. If you look at
most of the programming on television today, you could sit here and
critique it, cut up a bunch of programming, but the bottom line is
ratings. By far, it's showing that the masses out there want to watch
what the WWF has to offer. If they didn't, WWF wouldn't be catering to
those wants and needs. So, I look at it that way. Vince McMahon, he's
not a copier, he's not an imitator. He's an innovator and he's a
creator. And what you're seeing basically is what the people want. And
what you're seeing down south is already what Vince McMahon provided
back in the eighties.
Q: Would you rather go WCW?
graham@canoemail.com
A: No.
Q: If you don't like Canada so much, why have or did you live
here so long?
Brandon
A: First of all, you've got to take a chill pill and sit down
and relax. Once again, you supposedly say that you are a smart fan, but
obviously it just shows how ignorant you are. Once again, it is sports
entertainment and the character you see on the television has nothing to
do with the private life. Get off that shelf and smell the roses.
Q: Does your new royal peasant guy, Babu, have any wrestling
experience? I heard he was in the ECW, also I saw him wrestle against Al
Snow and Goldust, and he showed some
experience, surprisingly. Of course, he couldn't get the job done
against Al, so you had to do all the work.
Brandon
A: This is another fan that is very smart, and I appreciate
having these type of questions. As you saw with Al Snow this past Monday
night on RAW, the peasant there, my servant, man-servant Babu couldn't
get the job done so I had to go in there and get it done. Yes, what I've
heard is that he has had some past experience in wrestling. But right
now, he's catering to my needs and my needs only so I don't really care
what happened in the past. Once and for all, he's just my servant, just
like the rest of the American peasants.
Q: Where exactly are you from. I overheard you speaking Punjabi
on RAW. I was
just curious.
MMalik23@aol.com
Q: Well, we know you're from Toronto, so let's change that. What
languages do you speak?
Greg Oliver
A: I speak many languages. I depends on the country that I'm
in at that particular time. So if you ever get a chance to get to
Holland, Greece or Germany, you'll hear what Tiger's saying.
Q: Tiger is a very funny guy, with all these little skits that he
has, to see how
far people will go for money. I was wondering when he will be considered
for
any title opportunites? The European belt would be a good start. And
please
start wrestling, and leave your Babu out of the wrestling ring.
G Savic, Edmonton
A: [Laughs] He's my man-servant, so I can do whatever I want
to do. If I feel like wrestling, that's what I'll do. If I don't feel
like wrestling, you know, that's when I throw in my servant. When you
have guys like a deviant peasant like Goldust and you have this other
schizophrenic peasant like Al Snow, I don't think that you'd want to get
in the ring either to mix it up with these kind of barbaric animals. As
far as it goes for a title shot, time will tell. Once again I have full
confidence in the World Wrestling Federation. If I didn't, I would not
be here.
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Tiger Ali Singh waves the flag at a show at the Toronto SkyDome. --Toronto Sun photo
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Q: What do you think about the Bret Hart
incident in the WWF in last years' Survivor Series in Montreal?
Mohammad Powers
A: A big yawn. [yawns] It's old news. Let's get on with the
time at hand.
Q: I've seen him wrestle twice and I must
say he sucks. All he does is elbow drops, stomps,and restholds. Is
this part of his character
or is he really that bad?
Vijay Hhemanchalng
A: I'll tell you something. If I was really that bad, I
wouldn't be getting the millions that you dream about every night. Next
question.
Q: It was nice seeing you in Cherry Hill, NJ on 10/24. I was the
one and only Japanese fan there.
Your father Tiger Jeet Singh is one of the greatest gaijin (foreign)
wrestler in Japan.
He is not only tough, mean, powerfull but great technician. He is an
unique.
How did your father educate you as a son of Tiger ?
Masanori Horie, Tokyo, Japan
A: Bottom line, old-school tactics.
Q: How do you think about Japanese style wrestling.
Masanori Horie, Tokyo, Japan
A: I'm a great admirer of it. I don't really get the time
that I had in the past to watch it, but I still have a lot of respect
for the Japanese style. And it was kindof a downfall for me when I did
come to the States my first year, Americanizing myself, because I was so
much into the Japanese style. But that does not work, as everyone knows,
in the United States of America.
Q: Who do you hang around with backstage, on the road?
neil.harris@masoncom.com
A: I don't hang around anyone. People hang around Tiger.
Q: Who are some of your friends in the wrestling business?
Greg Oliver
A: I have a lot of friends, but I'd rather keep it private.
Q: Hey Tiger were big fans of you here at the University of
Waterloo, and
were just wondering do you hate everyone that is non-Asian or are
Canadians a exception, because we have always supported you at all the
house show in Toronto.
B Dandiwal
A: Well, I appreciate that once again. Don't mix up fact with
fiction. Sports entertainment. Tiger Ali Singh is a sports entertainer.
And my private life is my private life. And the private man loves
everyone. I'm not racist or biased towards any sort of creed or colour.
But Tiger Ali Singh, the WWF entertainer, obviously is biased and a
little prejudiced when it comes to non-Asians. Don't mix them both up.
And I really appreciate the support.
Q: That's it for the fan questions, but it does follow nicely
into another question. Have you ever experienced much racism on the
road?
Greg Oliver
A: Oh yes. The amount of racism, in particular even
recently in the States, a lot of derogitory remarks, a lot of death
threats. In Canada, though, because the heel side hasn't come through on
television, that I'm putting down Canadians, so it hasn't been that bad
in Canada. That the reason that I'm getting a lot of mixed reactions
because still, a lot of people consider me to be a babyface, but then
there's the other 50% of the side that has seen the American bashing,
and all of that. So they find me as a heel. But soon, hopefully sooner
than later, we'll get some TV air-time for Canadian shows on television,
and it'll be hardcore heel all around.
Q: Final thoughts for your fans?
Greg Oliver
A: To all those fans who supported me at the start, I appreciate it. It
looks like the time has come now for retribution. All the fan support,
it will soon be time to acknowledge that they really put their trust in
someone who's not false. Someone who is genuine, who is proud, is true
to the sport. And also being born in Toronto, living in the suburbs of
Milton, I'm really looking forward to, excited about the upcoming RAW is
War, which is going to be live on February 8th. So all the Tiger
supporters out there, I urge you all to come out there and I'll make you
proud. Peace and God bless for life.
