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Interview with Bison Smith (Big Star in Japan)

February 7, 2010 afrosquad Leave a comment

Question: Is there anything you would like to say to our fans?
BISON: First off, I would like to thank the fans of wrestling. Thank you for your loyal support through these difficult times in the professional wrestling business. This interview is going to focus mainly on the Japanese, Puerto Rican and a little on the United States wrestling Business. If you are a WWE or TNA fan you may not know who I am but just read the interview to get a different aspect of the wrestling business. I guarantee it will be a good read.

Question: How did you become a fan of wrestling?
BISON: I started my athletic career in Fresno, California. In 4th grade I started to play football and amateur wrestle. Doing those sports I supplemented the two with weight training. I started lifting weights regularly when I was 13
years old.
     I worked out at Gold’s Gym. I loved lifting weights more than I did playing football or amateur wrestling. Some kids played video games some rode dirt bikes but I loved to hang out at Gold’s Gym.
     I noticed a group of guys would come into the gym once a month. These guys were monsters to me. They would lift heavy weights, they looked like movie stars and they were huge. I was really in awe of them and I told myself, “I wanted to be like them one day.”
     I asked around the gym wanting to know who those people were. Some didn’t know but one guy told me they were pro wrestlers. So I went to a local grocery store headed to the media section and looked through some wrestling magazines. I saw the same guy’s at Gold’s Gym that were in those magazines. They were WWF wrestlers.
     My family had just got cable television and on the USA network there was a show called Tuesday Night Titan’s. I watched it every week along with the other WWF programming. I also watched World Class and AWA on ESPN.
     This is right before the WrestleMania’s and the Rock and Wrestling connection started on MTV. When I saw Roddy Piper break that platinum record glass frame over Lou Albano’s head, let me tell you, I was hooked on wrestling.
     Every time the WWF came to town I went to the shows. Before the shows I would wait around Gold’s Gym all day just to see the wrestlers work out. I remember one time Ken Patera and I talked in the locker room. He went to BYU with my high school football coach. He was really nice to me and we had a good conversation about power lifting. That was Patera’s specialty and at the time I was into it also.
     After High school I accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Colorado. I kind of lost interest in watching pro wrestling until one day this monster came into the University of Colorado’s weight room. Again, I was in awe of this guy and I wanted to know who he was.
     They told me his name was Leon White and he played for Colorado back in the 1970’s. Then they told me he was a pro wrestler working in Japan under the name Big Van Vader. This was right before he got signed by WCW. Vader would rarely come to the gym and work out but when he did I tried talking to him and he was always pissed off and unapproachable.
     I started to watch WCW because of Vader. He was a real heel monster and I loved watching him destroy people. When he would show up at the gym I would again try to talk wrestling with him and again he would treat me like an asshole.
     After I graduated college I was done with football. People ask me why I didn’t try to pursue the NFL. The truth is I was a stupid young kid that felt burned out on football and at the ripe old age of 22, I retired. I will always consider that a huge mistake I made in my life. I will always regret not giving it a shot.