WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi discussed the match between his sons Jey and Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania 40 on his podcast.
“First of all, I’d like to send a big shoutout to my sons. To be able to finally their dream match in this industry that they’ve been wanting for a long time, I felt like they went out there, they delivered. I only wish that they could have had a little bit more time. I felt like there was a missing puzzle there, which is the guy who you’re listening to now. Hashtag I never got to ‘Call Rikishi.’ So I felt had…they did great without me, but just to add a little more into the match, it would have been a great opportunity, not only for the fans but also myself, on a personal level, to be able to grace the stage with your kids. That’s a memory that will forever be in stone in our family. But at the end of the day, I don’t make the calls. I didn’t lie about it. I was right close by, I was in Philadelphia. Everybody knew where I was at, but I never got the call.”
“After watching the match, maybe…what would be right for me to be a special guest referee. That’s what I felt. I couldn’t be a manager because then it would show favor, which side I’m leaning to. Or I could have just been part of the commentary for that one match, if they’d seen fit. Who knows? Maybe the company felt like, ‘Oh, maybe Kishi couldn’t do the referee. Maybe blah blah blah.’ Whatever the case may be, right. But there’s still something that they could have put me at. Be it the front row or be it at commentary, or just something. Whatever it was. But at the end of the day, I don’t call the shots. I don’t work for WWE. I’ve been gone from them for well over 25 years, and the only reason why I’m relevant in this wrestling game, and I’ll shoot with it, is because of my fans. Anything the Bloodline does, anything my kids does, anything any family does that is relevant on TV, you can guarantee my name is gonna pop up. So to me, it’s like, the fans, when they speak, somebody’s gotta listen. Somebody has to listen, and to be able to either, one, honor what the fans are asking for, or two, then so be it. So it’s that. That’s why I’m very happy, I’m working on this album now.”
You can check out the complete podcast below:
(quotes courtesy of Colin Tessier)
