Exclusive Ring Rust Radio interview with former WWE Superstar Brad Maddox on his time in WWE, his depature from the company, and more

The hosts of Ring Rust Radio – Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin – recently had the chance to speak with former WWE Superstar Brad Maddox. Maddox made his debut on the main roster working with CM Punk and Paul Heyman and in addition to speaking about his recent departure from WWE, Maddox talks about his roles in the company, working with legends like The Under taker, his future after WWE and more.

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Otherwise, continue on and you can read the entire interview here!

Ring Rust Radio: The biggest topic of conversation for you recently has been your release from WWE. Will you explain why you were let go by the company and if there are any hard feelings regarding your departure?

Brad Maddox: Well at least I’m making news now. You guys know what it was all about at this point. I called the Indianapolis crowd pricks in the dark match of a SmackDown taping, which I didn’t consider inappropriate or a bad word knowing that it was a dark match. My job is to go out there and work up the crowd get them warmed up. You don’t have the rules you have while on TV. There I can talk to the crowd directly, make fun of their football or basketball team, tell them that they smell bad, and whatever you want to use to get them worked up. I just kind of threw that in there and was going to call them losers, but thought that was a little lame. So instead I called them pricks, and Vince did not take it as lightly as I did.

Ring Rust Radio: If WWE came back to you and said enough time has passed, would you be open to going back to them?

Brad Maddox: Depends on what I am doing. I am certainly not going to close any doors. I have enough experience in my 31 years to know you can never say never. We will see what happens, I have some other plans and things I am working on, but I am not opposed to it.

Ring Rust Radio: You debuted on the WWE main roster in a pretty high-profile spot getting involved with CM Punk as a referee in his world title match and then doing stuff with Paul Heyman and The Shield, but as a fan it didn’t seem like the payoff was everything it could have been. What was your expectation for how that angle was going to play out, and looking back, what do you think could have potentially been done better or differently?

Brad Maddox: I agree with you as far it could have led some where better than it did, but that is where I messed up early on. I wasn’t proactive enough. I didn’t go to Vince in those days or knock on his door; I didn’t go ask questions to the right people or ask where this is going or say, “Hey did you guys know that I can wrestle and came up through your developmental program?” I did all the things there that they said I had to do to get moved up and show that I am qualified. It was a lack of communication on my part with Vince and Hunter and the right people. It probably would have had a totally different impact instead of just sitting around and waiting on the writers to come hand me my script and assuming they had some grand plan for little old me. I can definitely say I could have been more proactive in those early days. I did love working with Paul and working with Vince in his office and working on promos in his office. It was a really cool experience.

Ring Rust Radio: WWE's creative team has been under fire not just from fans recently, but also former WWE legends. What was your experience like with the creative team and what are your thoughts of the creative process as a whole in WWE?

Brad Maddox: I mean, I got along with all those guys really well. It’s a matter that they have a lot of content to get through every week and have a lot story and a roster full of guys to write for. Obviously, I was in a pretty good spot, but I wasn’t one of the most important guys. They are focused on the main angles that are going to make money for the show and then of course everything has to be run through Vince, so there is a limited amount of time there. You can’t rely on someone else to handle your career for you. You have to go knock on Vince’s door and say “this is what I want to do” or “what do you think about this.” That’s where I should have taken care of business for myself. I am no John Cena and not making a ton of money for the company, so I am not going to be a priority upfront.

Ring Rust Radio: While everyone watched The Undertaker on The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon last month, it was your role as the turkey that really stole the show. How did you get the honor of working with Undertaker on national TV?

Brad Maddox: I knew the Undertaker was there, but I was a turkey on Thanksgiving, I felt that there is no higher honor. It was like, “Let’s book this turkey and see if we can get anyone to work with him.”  It was fun, and I might have been the only guy left in the states at that time since everyone was working the European tour. I don’t know why I was picked for it, but I had fun with it. I assumed at the time that it was going to be a full turkey mask. When I got there they showed me the outfit and I thought, “Where is the rest of it?” I guess everyone is going to know I am a turkey and that’s awesome. I did get to meet Jimmy Fallon and he let me know I had made it in show business. We were talking to their writers and to see what they were thinking about us. There wasn’t much for Taker and I to talk about. We pretty much walked around and just tried not to laugh about it. Then during rehearsal he said this is the part where he was going to tombstone me. I thought that yeah, this is the Undertaker, I’m sure he has done enough tombstones to where he doesn’t have to practice it and I was pretty sure I could trust him. I will say that I didn’t envision my first tombstone from the Undertaker being in that environment. If someone had told me nine years ago when I started wrestling that I was going to be tombstone by the Undertaker but it’s going to be on 30 Rock on late night television I wouldn’t have believed it.

Ring Rust Radio: You weren't given many opportunities to showcase your skills in the ring as a wrestler, but you were certainly able to generate a reaction from the crowd with your speaking skills and natural charisma. Do you think you would have excelled as a manager and why do you think WWE never tried to put you in that position?

Brad Maddox: I would never have stuck around to be a manger. I just wouldn’t have. I love wrestling and that’s why I started. I watched guys like Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho be entertaining in the ring and that’s what I wanted to do. If I had gotten pinned into that role, I wouldn’t have made it very long because I wouldn’t have been happy.

Ring Rust Radio: Now that the WWE chapter in your career is closed, at least for now, what are you hoping to accomplish in the wrestling business. Where do you see yourself going over the next year or more?

Brad Maddox: I plan onto diving into acting. I don’t want to say that’s a priority because I want to do both. I am excited to get back into working on a regular basis and getting into ring shape. Being in ring shape is so much different than being in regular shape, and you can’t accomplish that working a dark match once every two weeks. I have no idea where I am going wrestling yet, but I know I will do both. I am going to focus a lot more on acting now that I have the freedom to do that.

Exclusive Ring Rust Radio interview with WWE Superstar Adam Rose as they prepare for Smackdown in Philadelphia

Ring Rust Radio is back with another exclusive interview and this time Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin got a chance to talk with WWE Superstar Adam Rose! The RRR team gets to speak with Rose about his time in NXT, the creation of the Adam Rose character and the Exotic Express along with his popular sidekick the Bunny, as well as the upcoming Smackdown event in Philadelphia!

Donald Wood: Smackdown is coming to Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 7 at the Wells Fargo Center. Talk about what Philly should expect from Adam Rose and the Rose Buds and what kind of reaction you are expecting from the hardcore Philadelphia crowd.

Adam Rose: Well, as you just said the hardcore crowd and I love the fact though that they are such a different fan base.  They are their own types of people, its really exciting.  I expect many Rosebuds and I do expect to hear some lemons, but that's alright that's how life is. You’re going to always have lemons.  You are gonna get the full Adam Rose and the Exotic Express experience and of course the one and only Bunny will be there.  Its gonna be a party that does not stop once we hit Philly.

Mike Chikari: You’ve largely been a singles competitor since getting called up to the main roster, but lately you’ve been competing in some tag matches with The Bunny against Slater Gator. What are you hoping to accomplish when it comes to your partnership with The Bunny? Could we see you go after the Tag Team Championships?

Adam Rose: Well of course anything is possible so I would not say that's out of the question.  At the end of the day Bunny and I go so far back.  We’re best friends and kindred spirits.  I'm just happy to see him finally stepping forward. I know how hard he has worked to get to where he is now.  Its not easy being a bunny and breaking ground like that. People don't understand that and that he has had a hard journey.  I'm really proud of him and really excited for him.  Who knows what the future holds for Adam Rose and the Bunny and the entire Exotic Express and all of my Rosebuds.  Anything is possible in the WWE.

Brandon Galvin: Your high-energy theme song and entrance with the Rose Buds has become extremely popular within the WWE Universe. Could you explain the inspiration behind the Exotic Express?

Adam Rose: When Adam Rose finally did finally step foot within the WWE the whole point was to make an impact, to be different, and to bring something that has never been brought before. To bring the party to the WWE and that's exactly what we've done with the Exotic Express of course,  my party party full of all my happy Rosebuds who want nothing more than to have a good time.  So its an experience and I think that's what people need to realize.  Its an experience and you want to be a part of it and be a part of the totally different exotic experience we are bringing.

Donald Wood: The Adam Rose character came to fruition quickly. You debuted as Rose in March on NXT and were on the main roster by May. Has developing a new character quickly helped or hindered your transition to the Raw and SmackDown?

Adam Rose: I think at the end of the day the Exotic Express is on Raw and SmackDown and in the WWE.  If you look at it, it is a perfect fit.  At the end of the day the party keeps on rolling and we are rolling onto SmackDown this Tuesday in Philly and its going to be one heck of an experience.  It’s going to be the entire Exotic Express with Adam Rose and the Bunny.  Of course October is the month where WWE is partnered with Susan G. Komen and its going to be all pink, everything, its going to be an explosion of pink.  There going to have the pink ramp, pink rope, and pink everything. So of course October is going to be a very exciting month for everyone involved.

Mike Chiari: NXT has really become a breeding ground for WWE’s future Superstars. And as someone who came up through the NXT system and underwent a character transformation during that time, what do you believe is the biggest benefit that wrestlers are afforded when they’re developing down at NXT?

Adam Rose: I think NXT is becoming so much more now than just a developmental territory.  I think the greatest thing at your disposal is all the knowledge.  There is so many people involved there with so many years of experience.  So many different wells of knowledge you can dip into that it really is amazing. You got so many great coaches like Bill Demott, Norman Smiley, Nick Dinsmore, and Terry Taylor.  If you work out the amount of years of experience in that building at one given moment its incredible. You have everything at your fingertips - seven rings to practice in, training ground, rehab center, places to practice promos and commentary, even Dusty Rhodes is involved.  Everything is at your disposal while you are there and there is no excuse really to not achieve or not be the best superstar you can be coming out of there.  It is where you want to be.  NXT is so much more than just that now. Its growing into its entire own thing.  It is really exciting to watch NXT and the Superstars coming out of there.

Brandon Galvin: Having worked extensively with NXT and now working on Raw and SmackDown, what are the main differences between working NXT and the other top shows?

Adam Rose: NXT definitely prepares you for whats to come and that's one of the main purposes of NXT is to prepare for whats to come on Raw and SmackDown.  It’s much bigger once you get to Raw and SmackDown, everything is far more intense.  You've practiced the dance and now its time to perform the actual dance. Its time to take that stage and all that you've learned, all the years of experience at NXT and make them work for you. It’s different but it definitely prepares you for it.

Donald Wood: Many fans really enjoyed the Leo Kruger gimmick and the work you were doing. What caused the changed and what was your initial reaction?

Adam Rose: I'm just going to answer this with this comment: "The best characters are those that are extensions of yourself."  I think Adam Rose is most definitely just an extension of the man behind him.

Mike Chiari: One of the things that you’re best known for is your entertaining ring entrance where you’re joined by your Rosebuds. If you could make any current or former WWE Superstar an honorary Rosebud, who would it be and why?

Adam Rose: Oh most definitely Khali.  I'd love to get my hands on Khali and get him in the Exotic Express.  We all know he can dance but I think we have only scratched the surface of Khali's potential to party and that's why I would love to get my hands on the Great Khali.  I think that would be amazing.

Brandon Galvin: The Bunny has proven to be a pleasant surprise for fans when the two of you work together in the ring. Is there anybody else on the Exotic Express that you feel would surprise fans when they step into the ring?

Adam Rose: That's the thing, I don't want to say anything too quickly.  At the end of the day you will have to watch and see.  There is still a lot of tricks in the Party Express.  There's still a lot of Rosebuds that the world has yet to meet.  Who knows what the future holds.