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Interview With: Romeo Roselli
Interview By: Andy Steven
Date: October 8, 2007
Former WWE Superstar, model, actor, and licensed certified personal
trainer Romeo Roselli recently took some time out of his schedule to speak
with www.PWMania.com.
He speaks on several topics from his time in WWE, his release from WWE,
wrestling in TNA, the backstage atmosphere in TNA & WWE, modelling, acting
and so much more! The complete interview is below:
 Andy
Steven: Firstly I would like to thank you for taking time out of your
busy schedule to take part in this interview for
www.PWMania.com.
How did you break into the wrestling business and what have you been up to
recently?
Romeo Roselli: I was always a big fan of wrestling as child, and
once I began college, I found a wrestling school nearby and began training
there. I later moved down to OVW in Louisville, KY to continue training
and later was signed to a WWE contract.
Recently I have been touring on the independent circuit in the US, Puerto
Rico, and Europe, as well as opening up my own personal training business,
in addition to breaking into the modeling and acting business.
Andy Steven: You have been working with many indy promotions since
you left WWE, what has been your best indy event so far and how much
different is it from WWE?
 Romeo
Roselli: I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of many great
independent shows. If I had to choose one it would be tough, but it would
probably be when I won the NWE Italian Heavyweight Championship from
Vampiro in Sicily (Palermo), Italy. We drew a good house that night,
around 6000 or so, and it was my first major singles title, and having a
strong Italian heritage made it even more special.
As far as being different from the WWE, the indys allow you more
interaction with the fans, your able to work a longer style match, in
addition to having more freedom as far as calling the match.
Andy Steven: You signed a WWE developmental deal in 2005 and worked
in OVW before joining the main WWE roster. How was your experience in OVW?
Romeo Roselli: OVW was without a doubt one of the great experiences
of my life. I had the guidance of guys like Lance Storm, Bill DeMott,
Tommy Dreamer, Danny Davis, Al Snow, Paul Heyman, and so many others, in
addition to making some great friends. I learned a lot AND had fun – the
perfect combination. I made the decision to move down to OVW on my own,
take my chances, and continue to climb the proverbial wrestling ladder,
and I definitely made the right decision.
Andy Steven: You also made your WWE debut in 2005 and was released
in 2006, how was your experience in WWE and what was the reason for your
release?
 Romeo
Roselli: Receiving a WWE contract and working for the WWE on the main
roster was a dream come true and something that I will always take with
me. As far as the release goes, the reason we were given was that we were
floating for a while and not really being used all that much, and the
creative team really didn’t have anything for us, so I guess we were
expendable. Truth be told, I would have preferred to remain in OVW longer
before getting called up to tighten up our skills, our teamwork, and the
gimmick the WWE envisioned since we were only teaming around 2 months
total in OVW. In addition, we were called up to television without being
put on a single WWE house show or dark match prior to our debut, which I
think would have helped us out.
Andy Steven: What is your opinion on the WWE tag-team division and
do you think it has changed over the past few years?
Romeo Roselli: I think its slowly growing and has improved over the
last few years. Teams like MNM, Spirit Squad, Cade/Murdock,
London/Kendrick, Haas/Benjamin, among others, have been great additions
over the past few years. And teams like Deuce/Domino, Major Brothers, and
Highlanders, have consistently been solid performers.
Andy Steven: You have mad a few appearances on TV programs since
your WWE release, would you consider acting as a full-time job?
Romeo Roselli: It looks like it may be getting that way. After
recently filming scenes in two major motion pictures, I recently earned
and have been offered to be part of the union, the Screen Actors Guild
(SAG), so I am very happy with where acting has taking me thus far. And
like I previously mentioned, I am also a personal trainer, which is also
going very well, and I really enjoy training and helping people.
 Andy
Steven: In your independent travels have you every come across a
wrestler with a bit of an ego or if someone has had a problem with you for
no reason? If so, what happened?
Romeo Roselli: On the independents and in my travels, I’ve come
across many interesting characters. I never let myself get involved in any
drama, and always take the high road if a “problem” ever occurred.
Andy Steven: You toured with Nu-Wrestling Evolution in Italy, how
was your experience in Italy, how different are the fans from the US and
where has been your favourite place abroad to work?
Romeo Roselli: I can’t explain how grateful and fortunate I feel
about being able to wrestle over in Italy. My entire family tree on both
sides stem from Italy, and it is an absolute honor to not only be able to
wrestle over there, but to represent the organization and country as
champion. My father, born and raised in Italy, legitimately cried when I
told him I would be wrestling in Italy. Over in Italy, we cater more
towards children and the younger fans, so that’s really where the
difference lies – most of the NWE shows have primarily children in the
audience. With all this being said, obviously Italy is a favorite place to
work. It was also great working in Puerto Rico and France as well.
Andy Steven: You along with your tag-team partner Antonio, made a
surprise debut and appearance at TNA's Destination X Pay Per View in March
2007 with Christy Hemme as your manager. How different is the backstage
atmosphere in TNA compared to WWE? Has there been any talk of a long-term
deal with TNA or would you return to WWE if asked?
Romeo Roselli: I guess things would be considered a bit looser
backstage at TNA, but I didn’t honestly see too much of a difference. The
professionals know they have a job to do, and they get it done. As far as
TNA or WWE goes, I really am enjoying myself and my life right now because
I am still getting to an opportunity to wrestle in addition all the new
exciting opportunities I’m receiving from acting, modeling, and personal
training. However, being only 26 years old and having a strong work ethic
and passion for wrestling, being back with a nationally televised product
certainly is possible. With acting and personal training taking up more of
my time, maybe God is taking my life in other directions, but I’m just
going to take things as they come.
Andy Steven: Being a professional wrestler, model, actor, and
licensed certified personal trainer, you must have been through a lot of
experiences and memories, what has been your best one so far and do you
have any main goals?
Romeo Roselli: I have a lot of different memories from all those
careers, some good, some not so good. I cant pick just one out of all of
them, so I guess I’ll try to name one from each category:
Wrestling - The moment I was offered a WWE contract,
Modeling -The photo shoot I did with Stacy Keibler for Cosmopolitan
Magazine,
Actor – When I received a call that I got upgraded to a principle role and
was officially eligible and asked to join the Screen Actors Guild,
Personal Training – Having clients look me in the eye and tell me that
they just had the best and hardest workout of their entire lives.
Andy Steven: What is your take on the current Indy scene?
Romeo Roselli: It has its good, its bad, and its ugly.
Andy Steven: What do you have scheduled for yourself in the near
future and if someone would like to book you, how can they?
Romeo Roselli: I’m still going to be doing it all. My wrestling
schedule has lightened up a bit since acting and personal training has
picked up, so just keep an eye on my website
www.RomeoRoselli.com
and myspace
www.myspace.com/romeorosellifor all upcoming events and news. For
anyone who would like to contact me I am available at
Giovanni@RomeoRoselli.com.
Andy Steven: I would like to thank you very much once again for
taking this time to take part in this interview for
www.PWMania.com,
I wish you the best of luck in the future and do you have any messages to
say to your fans?
Romeo Roselli: To anyone who has been a fan and supported me, I
truly appreciate it. I know what it is like to be a huge fan, and I’ve
always tried to remember that and stay true to myself, and I do my best to
try to treat everyone who supports me the best that I possibly can. It has
been quite the journey for me so far, and I excited to see what the future
brings. And whether you like me love me or hate me, your going to be
hearing about me and seeing me for a long time to come.
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