During a recent interview with Fightful, Arn Anderson commented on other wrestlers using the “Anderson” name, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On wrestlers using the name as a tribute or to mimic him: “CW Anderson years ago, his name popped up and it wasn’t during the era of social media so you couldn’t just punch in his name and find out about him. I was getting stuff through the grapevine. They were telling me, ‘Hey, there’s this kid in the Carolinas that looks like you, and works like you, and uses the name and all that stuff.’ Basically there was only one Anderson, legitimate, and that’s Gene. The rest of us basically stole the gimmick. From Ole, to Lars, to me, to everybody else. Or we’re blessed with the gimmick. However you want to look at it.”
On CW Anderson asking him for permission to use it: “One time I met CW Anderson, and he did, he was very respectful. He said, ‘Hey, do you mind if I use the name?’ and all that. I said, ‘Young man, if you can make money using that name and you add something to the fact that you are an Anderson, and you go out there and conduct yourself the right way within your company, within the industry, within the business, within your own mind for that matter, if you are gonna be an Anderson, then be one.’ And the guy turned out to be a credit to the business for everything that I’ve heard about him. Certainly Karl Anderson, exactly the same thing. Guy’s a tremendous human being, he’s a tremendous performer. Him and [Luke] Gallows are two of my favorite people. If they can get some type of rub or notoriety off of that, more power to them.”
On the Anderson name being synonymous with his spinebuster: “Yeah, and I hadn’t figured that out because that hasn’t won a match in at least 30 years that I know of. So, on their choice of the spinebuster, I don’t know.”
