Rhino and Simon Diamond Interview (June 2000)

Interview: Rhino & Simon Diamond

"Tazz should have wrestled me for the ECW title! Why Tommy Dreamer? He's a chump!"

June 14, 2000

Rhino and Simon Diamond are two of the top young stars in ECW. While Simon has been out with injuries much of the past six months, the "Rookie Monster" Rhino has demolished all who's stood in his way during that time period, just last month winning the ECW TV Championship. IGN's Blake Norton got the chance to hang out with them recently to chat about their careers, their company and their futures.

Norton: You've been out with injuries recently, how are you doing?

Simon: I'm taking off the ring rust right now, just trying to get back into it full time.

Norton: Your large dick has left..

Simon: Yes. I have a new large entourage now, Prodigy, Prodigette and The Pirate… and Mitch! (the ring announcer) (laughs). Don't forget him!

Norton: What's it like appearing out of the blue? Nobody knew you a year ago.

Rhino: Well, I didn't really wrestle in the States then. They tell me to go out there and wrestle and I go out there and wrestle. As far as the title is concerned, being on TV, it's all the same to me. It really hasn't changed anything about me. When it's time for me to wrestle, I wrestle. I wrestle just as hard now as I did before getting the push, I'll wrestle even harder.

Norton: What's it like winning the TV title?

Rhino: How'd you feel?

Norton: I'd be on top of the world.

Rhino: There you go.

Norton: You had some great matches with Super Crazy. Who do you think you've worked best with the last few months?

Rhino: I've only had the title for a while. I'd like to get in the ring with Rob Van Dam. Eventually…

Norton: The big blow off…

Rhino: Hopefully. The Sandman. Whoever. Diamond, I don't want to wrestle you, okay?

Simon: We actually wrestled in that tag match in Florida, remember that?

Rhino: Yeah, there you go.

Norton: What are your next aspirations?

Simon: Get the stable together, move forward, establish my character a little better…

Rhino: Character? You don't have no character!

Simon: (Laughs) yeah, getting out there, getting some TV, time.

Norton: The main focus of the media on ECW the last few months has been on Awesome and Tazz, who aren't even here. Was bringing in Tazz a good choice for the company?

Rhino: I want to know why I wasn't in there, someone else wasn't in there. Why did Tazz have to come back? That's what I want to know.

Norton: So putting the immediate focus on another non-ECW guy was a bad move in your opinion?

Rhino: Well no, ECW or not, why did he have to come back? He couldn't beat me. Plus, he's short.

Norton: What about Awesome, feelings on how he left?

Rhino: Well, it's hard. I don't begrudge him for taking an opportunity. We're not Mike Awesome, we don't know his life. He was older than we are, and in this industry you have to take what you can get when you get it. I don't begrudge him for leaving. The way he left, that's another question. But I'm not going to stand here and judge other people for what they did. If he can live with it, that's all that really counts. He did what he had to do. If he can live with it, fine.

Norton: If you had that kind of opportunity tomorrow, Russo called you up to work on Nitro for 200 grand, what would you do?

Rhino: You can't really say it until it happens. I'd never go, "Oh I'd go in a second." You really can't. It all depends. There's so many different variables.

Norton: (To Simon) Do you feel now that your career is going in a positive direction with ECW?

Rhino: He's an all around athlete, he could join baseball tomorrow and win the world series! Look at the ring! (shows me Simon's ring).

Simon: I know that growing up in the North East, for most wrestlers the pinnacle was wrestling… Madison Square Garden was the mecca. But you have to look at it like "Would I fit in? Where do I fit in? Where's ECW going?" It may be different in a year. ECW may be different. The WWF may be different. WCW may be different.

Rhino: It's a really tough question to answer. Hey, another thing, I want to know why Tazz didn't come back and wrestle me!

Norton: You think he should have hung around ECW for longer?

Rhino: Yeah, so I could beat him! If he's going to come back, he should wrestle me. If he wants the belt, have him wrestle me. Why Tommy Dreamer? He's a chump if you ask me. Don’t tell him I said that. (laughs)

Norton: That could be a hell of a feud.

Rhino: Oh, I'd like to wrestle Tommy in a singles match.

Norton: What do you think of the stable you're in right now…

Rhino: Jack Victory is cool, Corino can get annoying, like me, I want to choke him. But he means well, he does well. Cyrus is great. There's no two ways about it, he's great. He could even draw ratings with your face. And that would be pretty rough for a lot of people!

Norton: Anything else on your mind?

Rhino: (Pauses) Oh yeah… Rob Van Dam, when he was wondering where he'd get to smoke his next joint at the age of 14, I was wondering where I'd get my next meal.

Norton: That's a hell of a quote right there.

Rhino: We come from different parts of Michigan. I grew up right outside Detroit, near the airport, it's considered part of Detroit because it's real bad.