Too Cool Interview: Scotty 2 Hotty

Too Cool Interview Special

Scotty 2 Hotty became one of the most recognisable stars of the Attitude era alongside Brian Christopher and Rikishi as ‘Too Cool’.

The 41-year-old from Westbrook, Maine is a two-time Tag Team champion winning the titles once a piece with Rikishi and Brian Christopher and he is also a one-time Light Heavyweight champion.

We caught up with the master of the WORM to talk about how he began wrestling for WWE whilst still in high school, WWE bringing in a dance instructor for Too Cool plus much more.

How did you first get into the sport of professional wrestling?

Ever since I was 10-years-old all I ever wanted to be was a professional wrestler. I basically started messing around with a couple of friends of mine when I was about 14 or 15-years-old and we started wrestling in my mum’s garage. We then met another guy who owned a wrestling ring and would travel for about an hour to help set his ring up, wrestle in the ring and then help take it down and that is where we really learned.

I then started doing shows around Boston and was wrestling every weekend, I met a friend who had some connections with WWE and he brought me into WWE for the first time and that is when I got my opportunity to be seen. I was jobbing for about seven years and then in 1997, they offered me a full-time contract.

When growing up who were some of the wrestlers that you enjoyed watching?

I was always a fan of the smaller guys, I was never a big Hulk Hogan fan when Hulkamania was running wild, I’m a bigger fan now of Hogan because I appreciate his staying power and the ability not only to get over as the biggest babyface of all time but also as one of the biggest heels of all time.

For me growing up I enjoyed watching Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart. Owen Hart, Ricky Steamboat, and Randy Savage, I always liked that side of wrestling. It was always those guys that I enjoyed watching especially Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels and Bret. I think it was anyone that was my size, I could relate to more and could pattern myself after, and if you look at my move set there was the flying forearm and the superkick, I pretty much stole Shawn Michaels move set.

As Scott Taylor, what was it like working with Yokozuna and Steve Austin during those early days in WWE?

That was awesome, I was still in high school at the time which is just crazy for me to think about now. I was with the WWF when I was in high school, I was in a locker room at a WWF event with Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart then two days later I’m sitting back in class. I was getting to wrestle some of the biggest names in the world, it was an amazing experience.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

What was it like when you got your full-time contract with WWE?

It was very surreal, it all happened very quickly. I had a tryout with ECW on the Friday and Saturday and they actually offered me a contract but on the following Wednesday WWE offered me my contract. It all happened in a matter of a week and it was awesome.

You first teamed with Brian Christopher at WrestleMania, what was that moment like?

Again that was very surreal, because I went from sitting at home not doing anything to getting a phone call on Wednesday saying we need you at WrestleMania on Sunday for this tag team battle royal and you’re going to be working with Brian Christopher. That WrestleMania was very special for me as well because it was in Boston and I had begun my career in Boston, so it was full circle, I’d never really thought about that before but that is something no one will ever be able to take away from me.

What was it like winning the tag team title with both Brian and Rikishi?

They were awesome moments for myself both as a fan and as a performer, you just think of the guys that came before you who held the tag team championships and I held the same belts they once held. The belts Brian and I held were the belts they used back when I was a kid, the same belts that the British Bulldogs had, The Hart Foundation, so that is pretty cool. It was a dream come true.

How did the WORM come about?

It was something that I did in grade school, I was just messing around break dancing and that is where it started. As far as the wrestling part of it, it started off with me goofing off during a match and the first couple of times I did it I knew I had something just from the reaction of the crowd, and the W.O.R.M all that came in later.

Did WWE at one point bring in a dance instructor for Too Cool?

Yeah they brought in a dance instructor because I think they wanted us to learn a new victory dance but the people didn’t want something new they liked the original dance, it was something that they could relate to. I don’t know what WWE was looking for with that.

You’ve made several one-off appearances on special episodes of Raw and NXT etc, what have those been like?

The Old School Raw and the NXT appearance were really awesome, especially the Old School Raw. It was the first time the three of us had been back together in like 13 years, it was really cool. The NXT thing was cool also, getting to work with some of the new guys, it wasn’t the greatest match.

The 15th anniversary Raw was a bit weird because I had just been released from my contract in August and that episode of Raw was in December so it was only a few months in-between leaving and coming back which was a little weird. It is always very cool to go back and be in the locker room, being part of the company again.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Was there anyone that really stood out for you in NXT?

Adrain Neville and Sami Zayn are two guys a couple of years back that I did a month-long European tour with. At that time they were both amazing to watch, I wouldn’t want to do it but the stuff they were doing was amazing, especially Adrain Neville the stuff he does and the way he moves his body is unbelievable. Both Adrian and Sami I have no doubt are going to be huge stars on the main WWE roster in six months to a year’s time and they’re just such nice guys as well.

How would you describe Vince McMahon as a boss?

Vince is an awesome boss, you hear a lot of guys that have negative things to say but they’re usually the only ones that get some press coverage, if you say some positive stuff nobody really cares about it.

First and foremost Vince is a businessman, he can be intimidating at times but he is ‘the’ man in the wrestling business and he works hand in hand with everyone in his company, he is there for every single television taping, sitting right behind that curtain. When you go out to the ring he is the last person you see and when you come back from the ring he is the first person you see, so he is very hands-on and I don’t know a lot of bosses who own companies as big as WWE that are as hands-on.

You’ve got to give it to Vince, there is basically one wrestling company in the world right now if you want to make a living and guys with other companies they probably want to be in WWE. It’s not so good for the wrestlers because there is nowhere else to go, when WCW was on fire and WWE was on fire it was cool because you knew if you got released from one company there was a chance the other guys would pick you up and there was still ECW at the time as well.

Finally congratulations on passing your exams to become a firefighter!

I went to school for firefighting and EMT but I haven’t actually done anything with it. I’ve just been way too busy with wrestling bookings that I haven’t been able to do anything else which is a great thing because I would like to carry on wrestling for as long as I can. The firefighting and EMT work is something I can always fall back on now but I don’t know if I really have a lot of interest in doing it now, but it was a cool experience.

For more information on Scotty, you can follow him on Twitter @TheScotty2Hotty

Too Cool Interview Special

Click here to read the interviews with Rikishi and Brian Christopher

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Too Cool Interview: Scotty 2 Hotty

Too Cool Interview Special

Too Cool Interview Special

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you