tnawrestling.com Interview with MONTY BROWN~!

[Styles 0]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE ALPHA MALE MONTY BROWN

When you talk to many of the successful wrestling superstars in this sport, you'll often find their love of wrestling began at an early age. Despite whatever road life took them down, in their mind they were destined to become stars in the ring and did anything it took to accomplish that dream. For the man behind The Alpha Male - Monty Brown - that dream stuck with him since childhood, when he first taped posters of wrestlers like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff to his wall. Brown would excel at football and go onto play in the NFL, but his heart was always in the wrestling ring. He left the gridiron, stepped into the squared circle for the first time and never looked back. The rest is history.

 

In this exclusive sitdown interview with Monty Brown conducted by TNA referee and TNAwrestling.com correspondent Andrew Thomas, the superstar discusses growing up as a kid, life in the NFL, his first time with TNA in 2002, training with Sabu and Dan Severn and so much more!

 

AT: Where were you born and raised?

 

ALPHA: Saginaw, Michigan

 

AT: What did your parents do for a living?

 

ALPHA: Both of my parents worked for General Motors

 

AT: What kind of kid were you growing up?

 

ALPHA: I love the outdoors. I was very adventurous. I was always that guy egging everyone on to do mischief. But I was a good kid who did well in school. I was always sports oriented and played as many sports as I could. If it had a ball, I played it.

 

AT: Tell us about your college career – where did you attend?

 

ALPHA: I attended the great FSU – the REAL FSU – Ferris State University. It’s in the badlands, Big Rapids, Michigan. I spent some of the best years of my life there playing football where I was an Academic All-American and an AP All-American. I still hold just about every defensive record there. I just had a lot of fun there. We had a great head coach in Jeff Pierce and a great staff. They are all still there today.

 

AT: So tell us how you made it to the NFL

 

ALPHA: Basically, coming from a small school nobody really gave me a shot to make it in the NFL, regardless of my stats and the things I accomplished. I was probably the most decorated player in Division II football, at least on the defensive side of the ball, at that time. But what I had to do – I didn’t get an invitation to the NFL combine, so every week different teams would come to my school and I had to be prepared to do whatever they wanted…run, jump, psychological exams, etc. So every week I would have to be at my best. I was running 4.5’s for these guys and jumping 40-inch verticals, and unbeknownst to me I was generating numbers that – had I been invited to the NFL combine – they would have put me among the top three linebackers in the country. From there, I got with the Buffalo Bills, who had Division II players throughout their history like Andre Reed, Pete Metzelaars, Steve Tasker…a bunch of guys. I played in the NFL like I played in college and they always told me to relax, because it was full go and full speed on every play for me. That’s all I knew. I wasn’t where I was from, but where I was at.

 

AT: How long did you play in the NFL?

 

ALPHA: Five years

 

AT: Do you still talk to any of your former teammates? What do they think of your new career?

 

ALPHA: They love it. There’s a lot of quality wrestling fanatics in the NFL. Don’t let them fool you. I talk to guys from time to time and they think it’s great. Everyone knew this is what I wanted to do from the moment I stepped into a ring. You know, when I was a kid growing up I didn’t have posters of football players on my wall. I had posters of wrestlers on my wall.

 

AT: Like who?

 

ALPHA: I had Nikita Koloff on my wall. I had Dusty Rhodes. I had a bunch of guys on my walls. But there was one wall that was dedicated to Ric Flair. Nothing but Ric Flair posters on that wall.

 

AT: So obviously your love of wrestling as a kid led you to train for it eventually.

 

ALPHA: Like I said, I played sports because there wasn’t any wrestling in junior high or high school for me. I excelled in your traditional sports back then, but I knew that it would one day lead me into wrestling one way or another. Like I said, as I grew up it stuck with me. I can remember the first Super Bowl we went to with Buffalo, all of the guys went out and did their own thing when it came to training, so I went to Main Event Fitness, a gym owned by Sting and Lex Luger at the time. I wanted to go there to see if I could meet any of the wrestlers. So it’s always been in me.

 

AT: So where did you train and who trained you?

 

ALPHA: I trained a little in Chicago, but I did most of my training with Sabu and Dan Severn in Michigan.

 

AT: Compare your usual weekly football schedule to your usual weekly wrestling schedule

 

ALPHA: The weekly NFL schedule wasn’t as flexible as the weekly wrestling schedule. The NFL was a lot more regimented than my wrestling schedule. My wrestling schedule is very tough, but you have more time and leniency to take care of yourself and do the things that need to be done. With football it’s so strict and everyone is watching. You are with a team and a representative of the team, so you’re not as free to say and do what you want to. A lot of your time is scheduled for you.

 

AT: You first appeared in TNA in 2002. Now you’re back and a major player in the World Title scene. Compare the Monty Brown of 2002 to the Alpha Male of 2004.

 

ALPHA: I think the Monty Brown of now is more of who I am. My first time around I was trying to do the things I thought people wanted to see and tried to be the “rah rah” guy. Now, I do what’s natural to me. I do what my instincts tell me to do. I try to be a lot more aggressive….I try to be that crazy linebacker that played at Ferris State. That’s who I am and what’s in me, so I just let it all out now when I’m in that ring.

 

AT: Do you have a family?

 

ALPHA: No, no wife and no kids. But, one day I’ll start a litter with some cubs. I’ll have my Alpha Female and we’ll live happily ever after.

 

AT: What do you do outside TNA for fun and leisure?

 

ALPHA: I enjoy reading and working out. You may not be able to tell, but I like to lift weights from time to time.

 

AT: How many hours a week would you say you spend lifting?

 

ALPHA: When I’m not here, I’m in the gym. I have a personal training and nutrition business and I’m either working with people to train them or I’m training myself.

 

AT: What kind of a diet are you on? What do you eat to stay in shape?

 

ALPHA: I’m on a seafood diet. If I see food it I eat it (laughs). No, really I just eat healthy. I’m not a big dessert guy.

 

AT: What does the future hold for The Alpha Male in TNA?

 

ALPHA: Bright, I hope! I really enjoy the people I work with. I enjoy Jeff and Jerry Jarrett and it’s been a pleasure to be here. I like the way I’ve been able to develop my character and the way they use me in it. I think as far as The Alpha Male goes, the future is limitless. I like to say ‘If you don’t live for something, you’ll die for nothing’ and in my eyes, I live for this. I live for doing what I’m doing right now, because a lot of people said I was crazy to get involved with it in the first place. People would ask “Why are you doing that when you could play football?” You have to do what your heart tells you, and my heart told me I loved professional wrestling. While I’m here I want to help elevate this business and that’s an honor to be able to do. I’m going to do what I can to accomplish that. The Alpha Male is not a gimmick – it’s an image – and I love to live it.

[thuganomics 0]

He was trained by Dan Severn?

 

So doesn't show.

[Guest Jesse]

He was trained by Dan Severn?

 

So doesn't show.

...which is a good thing.

[Steviekick 0]

I don't see the Sabu training, either.