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Brent Albright talks about his time in WWE, a Possible WWE Return, How He Fit In With Ring of Honor and More

Posted: Feb 24th 2007 By: CMBurnham

Ahead of his appearance tonight in Chicago, IL with Ring of Honor, WrestleMag.com spoke to Brent Albright this afternoon about ROH, his spell with World Wrestling Entertainment, and plenty more:

WrestleMag: With this being one of the first interviews you've been able to do since your release from World Wrestling Entertainment last October, my first question has to be regarding your release. There was a lot of talk that WWE were planning to repackage you and bring you back up from Ohio Valley Wrestling shortly before you were released by the company. Could you shed some light on that, and also the events that led to you being released?

Brent Albright: I can't really speak for what their plans were or what the reason was behind my release because I was never told either one. I was certainly under the impression that I would be given another shot on TV as that is pretty much how it usually goes, and I'd never been given anything but positive feedback. They initially told me I would not be coming back as Gunner Scott. Then a few weeks later I was told that I would be coming back as Gunner Scott. Then I was released. I can't say I was taken completely off guard though. It is just the business.

WM: Some of our readers will probably know you better as Gunnar Scott as a result of your time on the Smackdown roster in the first half of last year. What do you remember about being called up and eventually making your WWE TV debut?

BA: I was given two days notice and I actually first learned of it through travel. I got a phone call asking me which airport I'd prefer to fly into, I believe. I remember giving her the answer, then asking "What exactly am I flying there to do?" A couple of hours later I heard from the office that I was being brought in to debut as (Chris) Benoit's pretege. I was definitely excited about the idea. It was actually something Chris and I had discussed and I proposed to the creative team about a year prior. Too bad it never got to play out since he got hurt about three weeks in-I think it would have been good TV.

WM: What was the Smackdown locker room like around this time and how did you fit in?

BA: I knew quite a few people on the Smackdown roster, so I was as comfortable as you can be as the new guy. You just have to remember to stay out of trouble, absorb all the advice and criticism you receive, and show respect to everyone who came before you. I made a few rookie mistakes that got me a little good natured ribbing, but nothing that I know of that generated any real heat.

WM: On Smackdown you quickly appeared to be saddled with the gimmick of "he wrestles like Chris Benoit" which when you're on television alongside Benoit is never going to work out great for anybody. How did you feel about the gimmick and the direction WWE were taking you at the time?

BA: Well, I wrestled like Benoit because I was supposed to be Benoit's protege. That doesn't mean that's all I have or had to offer, although I don't deny I am definitely a mat based wrestler. Sometimes people get one thing stuck in their minds and the label, fair or not, sticks with you. I think that's what happened to me after the storyline got canned. I throw a German and it's "there he is trying to be Benoit again." It doesn't matter that more than half the workers out there use a German and never once get compared to Benoit. However, as I mentioned before, its too bad the storyline didn't get to play out. You can't really judge the storyline when you only saw three weeks of a potentially year long plus storyline. I was thrilled to be introduced alongside Benoit. He's one of the best in world.

WM: Did you think that perhaps you were being set up to fail with the gimmick?

BA: Not at all. There was a great plan which gave me a strong push. But things happen and it got cut short. You can't blame anyone, it just happens. Once that storyline got shelved, they were in the middle of Kennedy's return and Khali's debut, and the King Booker thing was on fire. I just wasn't a priority and kind of got lost in the shuffle. Looking back, I wish I'd been more proactive in getting myself over instead of waiting for the creative team to come up with a direction for my character. All I can do is learn from my mistakes and move on.

WM: From April to around the end of June in 2006 you were regularly working Smackdown tapings, or if not you were taping matches for Velocity. When you made your final Smackdown appearance in June (which I think was against Ken Kennedy), were you aware that you were returning to OVW?

BA: I wasn't told until after the taping, but I was smart enough to figure it out. Putting me in a body bag was a pretty strong sign that I'd lost my slot on the roster. Before that taping, however, I really didn't see it coming. I was actually told that same morning by a member of creative that I'd be starting a new storyline in the next couple of weeks - he even gave me details of the supposed plan. Then: Bodybag. What can you do?

WM: What were you told when the news came you were being sent back to Louisville?

IBA: Iwas told that it was probably their fault, but that creative just didn't have anything for me. They said I needed to go back to OVW for a couple months and work on getting over with a live crowd.

WM: Which agents did you get to work with on putting your WWE matches together, and what were your experiences of working with them?

BA: I worked with all the agents at one point or another. They were always full of great advice and honest feedback. They have an incredibly valuable role.

WM: In terms of the wrestlers on the Smackdown brand that you got to work with, who stood out as perhaps the most accomodating or did a lot to help you get over on TV?

BA: Booker T is such a great guy. I can't say enough great things about him. Early on, he invited me to come down to Houston and work out with him at his school. He didn't have to do it, he just did. He took time out on his days off to help out the new guy. Hell, he put me over in my first Smackdown match; you can't get much more accomodating than that.

WM: On the flipside of that, was there anybody in the locker room who you kept your distance from, or perhaps somebody who, despite your resume of working as an enhancement talent prior to being offered a developmental contract, wasn't prepared to help you out as a result of you being the new guy on the roster?

BA: I can honestly say no. Although I can also honestly say I wouldn't say anything if there had been!

WM: After heading back down to OVW, what were your thoughts on being back in Louisville?

BA: It was a letdown, no doubt. We were a few weeks from moving back to Oklahoma - my wife had already quit her job in Louisville to pack for the move! You name it, it put the brakes on a lot of things on our lives. But OVW was somewhere I loved to be. My best friend was still at OVW at the time, so I got work him some more. I'd been away from my wife and son quite a bit and it gave me time to really concentrate on them for a while. There are worse things than spending your week wrestling at OVW!

WM: During your time in Louisville you got to work under two individuals that many consider to have two of the greatest minds for the business in Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman. What were your experiences of working with both men?

BA: They have obviously different views on the business, but that isn't to say that either is wrong. I was blessed to learn from both and that is something I'll always be thankful for. In addition to the invaluable knowledge of the business I gained from both, they also put something in me for which I'll be forever grateful - their faith. Cornette put the tag titles on me and Masters within a couple months of my arrival. He made me the first ever OVW TV Champ, he made the heavyweight champ, the first ever dual title holder in OVW, and the first ever triple crown champion in OVW history. Paul gave me another heavyweight run, and some of my greatest feuds ever versus both (Ken) Doane and (CM) Punk. I consider them both friends and owe them a lot. I look forward to working with them both in the future.

WM: How did their visions and ideas for either yourself or OVW as a whole differentiate?

BA: Well, I think their visions for OVW were evident in the television they put out. As for their visions for me, as I mentioned before, both men put a lot of faith in my ability to help carry the organization and both men saw my strongest work was as a heel. On the subject of Brent Albright, they seemed to agree.

WM: You spent the remainder of your time in Louisville over the Summer of 2006 before being released by the company. We touched on your release from the company at the start of the interview, but during your final months in OVW, did you ever think that a call was coming - either for your release or a return to the main roster?

BA: When I first was sent back to OVW, it never crossed my mind that the next call would be to say I'd been released. However, once I'd been at OVW for a few months with no sign of a recall to the main roster, I saw the writing on the wall. The two weeks leading to my release, I spent countless hours on the phone with a few people I trusted in the office asking for advice: should I ask for my release? Should I expect my release? What should I do? I was pretty much told that several ideas for my return had been both submitted and shot down by management over the past month and given to other guys, either from OVW, DSW or the main roster. I decided to submit an idea myself, but when I called to bounce it off someone in the office, I was met with "I was just getting ready to call you."

WM: So since your release we've seen you making a few appearances with Ring of Honor, debuting at the end of last October in a match with Christopher Daniels. How did you find your debut?

BA: I've known Daniels for several years - since my early training in California under Modest and Donovan at APW. I was booked for that show within 30 minutes of my release from WWE. That certainly took the sting out of my release! I couldn't have asked for a better guy to work on my first ROH show. The match was solid and something I'm proud of. I've since been added to the regular roster at Ring of Honor and have never been happier - I just seem to "fit" there.The roster is just jam-packed with guys who impress the hell of out me, and I'm so proud to be associated with such a great product. I certainly hope 2007 proves to be a great year for me at Ring of Honor. I've also been working regularly for IWC in Pennsylvania, and things are really heating up for me there, too. I have no complaints!

WM: The debut match was seen as a tryout of sorts with a view to more appearances down the line, which obviously has since happened. How have you enjoyed the ROH setup, and how have you been received?

BA: The ROH fans have been really good to me so far. I was afraid I'd be seen as an ex-WWE guy and get lots of negative feedback simply based on that. I guess my feud with Punk must have been seen by more people than I realized because most of the fans seem to associate me with my Shooter days than with my Smackdown days. I certainly feel like my time there was more indicative of my abilities and natural style, so I'm glad for that. So far we've had a slow build with me at ROH - I haven't even scratched the surface, match wise. I think the fans will be really pleased when I pull out all the stops. Right now, that's just not my slot on the card. When it finally is, it will be great.Unfortunately, I'm not on the UK tour. Trust me, I sure did want to be! But I'm the new guy, and as the new guy I have to wait my turn for the big matches and the big tours. Next time, I promise I will lobby my best to get a slot.

WM: Tom Leturgey who writes for us here at WrestleMag.com brought up a good point in a recent column that for the independent promotions in the States - and elsewhere really - right now really is what he termed as a "Golden Age" for promotions. Although TNA are gaining some momentum, there's still nowhere near the level of competition for WWE that we saw in the 1990s with WCW. What are your thoughts on the independent scene right now, and the business as a whole?

BA: Nobody in the game today can compete with WWE, plain and simple. Not because there is a lack of talent; it is just a money thing. Nobody currently in the business has the money to compete in the sports entertainment game. That is why nobody should try to compete in sports entertainment. Carve out a new niche, and be the very best at that. Ring of Honor has found success not because it the 2nd best WWE-imitator - it has found success because it is the #1 ROH.There is a lot of trash out there, no doubt, and in the end that only serves to hurt the product as a whole. That is why you don't see me working for every guy out there with a ring and license. I work for promotions I believe have something special and that I can be proud of. Pro wrestling is obviously nowhere near the height of popularity it once was. I don't know that it will ever achieve that level of commercial success and acceptance again. A lot of things have changed. So what? I don't need to be a household name and I don't care if some people roll their eyes at pro wrestling. I am a professional wrestler. This is what I do and I'm damn proud of it. I don't need look for the next "upswing" in the business to justify my job or give it some sort of social acceptance. It pays the bills and I love it. That is good enough for me.

WM: Away from Ring of Honor and other promotions in your home country, have you plans or ambitions to work overseas at all?

BA: Of course, what U.S. worker doesn't? If you know a booker, send him my way! In all seriousness though, I'm talking to a couple different companies about overseas tours later in the year, and hopefully they'll come through. I'd really like to get back to Japan, as I worked there pre-WWE with NOAH. I'd also really like to make it to the UK - possibly for a festival or some such multi-day event so I could really spend some time there - not just in and out, you know.

WM: And finally, if Vince McMahon and the WWE were to come calling tomorrow, would you return?

BA: I can't really give a flat yes or no answer to this question. There are just too many variables. I think that in the end, were they to call - which is seriously premature to even consider - I would likely go back as long as I were to bypass developmental and fulfill all my indy commitments first. I'm in the middle of building a new house in Oklahoma and I think my wife would leave me if I even suggested moving away again! I'm not overly concerned with whether I go back or not. I'm so happy on the indy scene right now and I still have so much left to accomplish both here and overseas. But, obviously, it would sure be nice to have one more shot to prove that I have what it takes on that stage, too. I don't know. We'll see.