TNA Superstar Eli Drake recently appeared on Ring Rust Radio and discussed the late Percy “Paul Bearer” Pringle, debuting with TNA Wrestling and more. Here are some highlights:
On working with the late Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) when he was wrestling in California: “Now you’re talking about four years of that guy walking me to the ring in Championship Wrestling in Hollywood and a couple other small promotions on the West Coast. He had just an immense wealth of knowledge that came with him. Great stories, funny stories and goofy antics. He was just a joy to have backstage. I can remember one of the most ridiculous things that ever happened with him. One of the guys was trying to do a pre-taped promo and here he comes behind the camera. Percy dropped his pants with his big giant ass hanging out for the room to see. The whole room popped over it. It was really fun just to have him around and he was more than willing to talk to the guys, give advice and things like that. He was beyond willing; he was thankful. I remember one time I was venting some frustrations in trying to figure out what I wanted to do or where to go and he gave me his own insight on it. Afterwards, he was so grateful for the fact that I sought him out for advice. That’s just something unspeakable to his character that I can’t even describe, it was incredible.”
On his experience working in TNA: “The experience has been like a dream in a sense. It’s been phenomenal to finally be recognized for my talents and to be on a worldwide stage where people can see me, see what I do and see what I say. It’s really been incredible. As far as my goals are concerned, Eli Drake needs to be a household name any and everywhere it can be. Aside from that I want to rack up championships. I want to be recognized as the best because that’s exactly what I think I am. If that means King of the Mountain titles, tag team titles, World Heavyweight titles, hell I may even flip around and get an X-division title. Whatever it is, I want to grab it up and I want to run with it.”
On the changes in TNA’s locker room since the move to POP TV: “I think for the most part, it’s business as usual. At the same time, I think there is kind of a newfound positivity in a sense. Not to say that it wasn’t there before, but I think it’s just grown. There is a level of comradery where everybody is just having fun with what we’re doing, and at the same time, I think we’re putting on pretty good show.”
On if he received any advice when he filmed Hero with The Rock: “That was just an awesome and crazy experience. I didn’t necessarily get anything directly as far as career pointers or anything like that, but we had very good chemistry back and forth, on and off camera. We would kind of shoot jabs at each other, like he asked if I ever got to the finale what I would do, and he hit me with the “it doesn’t matter” which was crazy for me. That was something that I watched in high school and now he’s hitting me with it. It was great because there were some times where I would have the open forum to spout what I was feeling and thinking at the war room table. I remember one time when I was done, one of the guys who was part of the Rock’s crew pulled me aside afterward and said, “That was an incredible promo.” He had heard the first couple of seconds of it and thought that I was rocking it. I thought that this was great and his guys are putting me over. Just his whole crew was a solid group of people.”
