Matt Striker on return to indies, time with WWE, CM Punk

VOC Nation Radio Network passed this recap along.

Former WWE Superstar Matt Striker entered the VOC Nation Radio Network’s IN THE ROOM Studio to discuss his love of independent professional wrestling, the CM Punk/WWE situation, Wrestlemania, and more.
The entire interview can be heard at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?VOCNationLLC/c1be06311a/aa71ef24cc/e7cf78e82b on the “VOC Wrestling Nation” show, which can be heard LIVE every Wednesday at 5:30PM ET.

Here are some highlights of Matt’s interview:

On why he works the small independent promotions: “I remember when I first started, guys helped me out. Guys stayed late in the gym to work with me, or some big name stars would come back to Gleason’s (gym where Striker was trained by Johnny Rodz) and I remember how great that was. I’m going back (to the small venues) because it’s the right thing to do, and maybe some wrestling student there will go on to great things based on my appearance.”

On what it took to stay relevant in the WWE for 8 years: “The first thing is to check your ego. Some guys honestly believe that they either really won that match or that they really are the champion. Everyone has a blog now, everyone has a radio show or podcast now; people need to put their ego in check and realize that they’re not that important. The business has gone on before them and it will go on after them. (While everyone was focused on being) the next John Cena, I focused on being the best backstage guy and the best promo guy, and seeing how many hats I could wear.”

On the CM Punk situation: “I’ve known Punk since I started; he and I are good friends outside of wrestling. There’s no sense in trying to dive into someone’s head…you’re going to be wrong nine times out of ten anyway. Everyone has an opinion, but the only thing anyone knows (for sure) is what they read on the Internet, and none of the Internet pundits are walking around backstage; it’s all second and third hand information. The only person that knows for sure is (CM Punk).”

On Wrestlemania being headlined by part timers: “The whole view of the WWE is, ‘what is the stock doing today?’ That’s all anyone cares about. The Rock headlining Wrestlemania the last two years was a business decision and was about putting the most amount of money possible in people’s pockets. (Batista being involved) is (best for business). He’s going to be featured in a Marvel movie that’s going to be released right around Wrestlemania. He’s going to put new eyes on the product, which gets them to buy the product and buy the network, and the stock goes up and people make money.”

On the WWE Network: “I think that the medium that the network is based on is interesting and unproven. Now there’s so much technology that you can watch your computer on your TV. WWE (has the chance) to catch lightning in a bottle. When MTV put on the Real World, everyone said it was a mistake, and now you can’t find a music video on MTV. I think WWE is going to do just fine. The original programming will carry the new viewer, and the classic stuff will carry the people who love wrestling.”

On the DVD he did with Highspots: “I watch it now and I cringe. There is so much more to put out there. The best for me is when young wrestlers come up to me and tell me that they watch the DVD and they’re learning (from it).”

On other promotions having programs on the WWE Network: “If other wrestling programs can be featured on the network without having to give up their rights, I think it would be very interesting. WWE is not a wrestling company. The fan that watching Ring of Honor is not going to be the same fan that is a WWE fan.”

On Independent Wrestling: “Support independent wrestling. There are so many guys out there that are busting their ass for little to no appreciation. Without the independents, you wouldn’t have CM Punk or Daniel Bryan.”

Follow VOC Nation on Twitter @vocnation

Matt Striker will be appearing in Brooklyn, NY at Johnny Rodz’ Gleason’s Gym on February 15.

This Tuesday Feb 11 at 9PM ET, former WWE and TNA Star Devon Dudley will sit down in the IN THE ROOM studios on http://cts.vresp.com/c/?VOCNationLLC/c1be06311a/aa71ef24cc/91c2ca969e on the IN THE ROOM show with Brady Hicks.

About VOC Nation:

The VOC Nation Radio Network traces its roots back to 2009 in suburban Philadelphia. Bruce Wirt took over the afternoon shift on the Voice America Health and Wellness Network and proclaimed himself, “your new ‘Voice of Choice’ in afternoon radio.” The V-O-C in VOC Nation was born.

Over the next 3 years, Wirt took his act to Philadelphia radio, eventually settling in at independently owned WNJC 1360AM. Wirt recruited longtime friend Nemar Wells and soon the duo would take hold of Philadelphia’s afternoon drive. In 2011, Wirt and Wells took their childhood love of professional wrestling to the next level and launched the VOC Wrestling Nation radio program, drawing listeners from all over the globe via the WNJC Internet stream with their entertaining and informative slant on professional wrestling.

Wirt and Wells parlayed the success of the radio programming into the creation of the privately owned VOC Nation brand, separate from WNJC management. VOC Nation struck an agreement with WNJC to air downloadable podcasts from their WNJC shows and made them available on VOCnation.com.

The VOC Nation Radio Network was born, and soon had multiple podcasts in various genres from content providers worldwide.

The VOC Nation Radio Network spun away from WNJC in October 2012 and took to the “cloud”, using their solid fan base to instantly become one of the most listened to mediums on the Internet. VOC Nation features live programming 7 days a week, and has featured top guests in multiple genres: Lou Ferrigno, Hulk Hogan, Roberta Flack, Jesse Ventura, Kristy Swanson, and countless other athletes and entertainers have appeared in the VOC Nation Radio Network, eliciting media coverage from both printed and Internet press.

VOC Nation Radio has forged partnerships with BlogTalkRadio, IN THE ROOM, Fightin for Philly, Stitcher Internet Radio, Podomatic, iTunes, and GoDaddy to bring daily live entertainment and downloadable podcasts to over 40,000 listeners monthly on VOCnation.com. VOC Nation is closing in on 100,000 twitter followers and has consistently ranked in the top 1% of podcasts worldwide as ranked by Podomatic.

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