FDT: You’ve been notably critical of your entry promo in the WWE back in 1999. If you could go back in time and do it again, what would you change?
CJ: I’m a perfectionist. There’s certain things I would have done differently, but at the time, it was the best that I could do.
I do think it was too long. I think I would have made it shorter. And some of the facial expressions. But at the time… it’s not that I don’t like it, I think it’s amazing, one of the best entrances that any character has had, the way it was built up, the countdown clock and the way it hit zero right in the middle of the Rock’s promo I thought was genius, it’s just… you want to do things better. You want to upgrade it and update it.
But if I could do it better, it wouldn’t be the same.
It would be like George Lucas redoing the Star Wars movies and putting in extra graphics and changing the lines, and you don’t want to see that. You don’t want it to be “better”, you want it to be done the way it was when you first did it.
FDT: You’ve also just put out an album via Fozzy, including a metal cover version of ABBA’s SOS. I’ve got to ask — why that track?
CJ: The only rule we had for this record was that there were no rules. I remember we were sitting in Leipzig, Germany, listening to music on shuffle, and SOS came on. And we just thought this is such a dark song, and the lyrics are so depressing. Someone’s just on the edge, and it’s almost suicidal, we just thought it would lend itself to a heavier treatment. It’s an amazing chorus, and it turned out to be one of the most talked about songs on that record, and I think it might even end up being a single at this point. Because it’s so outside the box, and that’s why it works. You wouldn’t expect it.
FDT: You wrestle, work with Fozzy, write, host your own podcast and act. What else is in Chris Irvine’s dream wishlist of things to do?
CJ:My only dream wishlist of things to do is be in a rock band and be a wrestler. Those were the two things that I wanted to do.
All the other things are kind of offshoots of that. So if there’s interesting projects that come my way, and I have time to do it, and I think I can do a good job at it, and it’s interesting to me, then I’ll give it a try. And if not, then I won’t. I turn down a lot of stuff that I just don’t have time for, or that I’m just not really interested in.
There’s a show in the States called Celebrity Apprentice that Donald Trump does.
They’ve asked me to do that show three times. And I’m just not interested.
And they say ‘it’s a big show’, and I just don’t care. I’m not saying it’s a bad show, or that someday I wouldn’t be interested, but just right now, I just don’t see how I could do the best that I can on that show and have fun with it. There’s a lot of things like that which come up. I just take them as they come along and just go from there.
FDT: You’re a big Beatles fan. If you could choose only one Beatles album, which would it be, and why?
CJ: I used to say the White Album, but I think probably it’d be Abbey Road at this point. Either one would be good. They’re both amazing.
Abbey Road is longer, and it’s very eclectic. Once again, no rules. That’s what we tried to do with “Do You Wanna Start A War”. I think Abbey Road just because of the medleys. I love I Want You (She’s So Heavy).
It’s probably my favourite Beatles song of all time. I get a lot out of that song. It’s very deep to me. And it’s one of the most iconic covers, and I have it tattooed on my arm. That’s why I’d go with Abbey Road.
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