The venn diagram that connects pro wrestling and heavy metal just got a little bigger. You know, we here at Metal Injection are big fans of both forms of entertainment, as proved by our podcast Squared Circle Pit, where we interview musicians about pro wrestling.
One noted musician who is a big fan of pro wrestling is Glenn Danzig. I first learned of this fact when Danzig said I looked like the son of the Big Show when I interviewed him back in 2010. Now, noted pro wrestling superstar and renowned podcaster Chris Jericho got Danzig to open up in his first podcast interview ever, and pretty interestingly, Danzig revealed that he always wanted to be a pro wrestler, but thought he was too small:
"I wanted to be a wrestler. Yeah! But I didn't think I was big enough. Then I met some wrestlers and I'm like 'I could've been a wrestler.' But it all worked out pretty good in the end. [laughs]"
Danzig and Jericho noted that when they first met, Danzig recognized him from old tapes of Smokey Mountain Wrestling, a small time mid-west promotion ran by Jim Cornette that was funded by Rick Rubin, Danzig's producer. Later in the show, Jericho asked Danzig who his favorite wrestlers were:
"My favorite all-time wrestler is Freddie Blassie. And then I like Superstar Billy Graham" later adding "I used to love Macho Man when he first broke in, and was the anti-hero. He was a bad guy but people rooted for him. There's so many great characters in wrestling. One of my new favorites is the Wyatt Family. It's this Cape Fear meets Charles Manson thing, it's pretty cool."
Danzig noted he still follows wrestling, and prefers it to sports like football and baseball:
"I love wrestling still, when something cool happens, I'm so excited . I don't watch football, I hate football, I hate baseball. I like watching wrestling because it's like this crazy spectacle. But still, it's very physical and violent… that's the kind of stuff I like."
Overall, it's a very eye-opening and chill interview with Danzig, who let his guard down with Jericho, as the two seem like good friends. They also discuss Elvis' influence on Danzig, working with Cherie Currie, horror movies and more.
Fun fact – Danzig reveals that he went to college for photography. Ironic, seeing as though Danzig is known for his no photo policy, even going as far as allegedly attacking photographers taking unauthorized photos. Speaking of photos, here's Danzig posing with some wrestlers…
