WCW Magazine (12/97)
Face the Fans
by Ross Forman

Credit for this article goes to http://www.clique4life.com

Hanging with the nWo is so cool, so sweet. It's like playing baseball at Yankee Stadium as opposed to a Little League field in Boise. It's like standing on the blueline during the National Anthem at the old Chicago Stadium, not playing shinny-hockey on a pond near Calgary. It's like starring in a major motion picture versus a cameo on, say, The Nanny. Deal with it, WCWers, the New World Order is the stuff that rocks the sport of wrestling.

Last month, I expressed my appreciation to the nWo for what it has done to - and, more important, for - the sport of wrestling. Like it or not, the nWo is here to stay and, ya know, I'm really starting to like these guys. Talk about some cool cats. Syxx, for example. I spoke with the 25 year old star recently and am proud to present the first ever nWo Face the Fans feature story. Wait, you're probably saying that's traditionally a WCW Magazine feature section. Yep, it was, when I was receiving a paycheck from WCW Magazine publisher Colin Bowman. Hey, Face the Fans was my concept and, as far as I can tell, I own the intellectual rights to it. What ya got to say to that, Colin? Zip. That's what I thought. Now let's get on with a little insight on Syxx, the man who dropped out of high school at age 15 to pursue a wrestling career at The Malenko Wrestling School in Florida. Questions supplied by Dominic Nimmo from Pensacola, Fla.

Q: How are things going for Syxx these days?

A: "Just fine, glad you asked. All things considered. There have been a lot of injuries of late within The Wolfpack."

Q: It was a dominant year for the nWo in 1997. Did you ever anticipate the year being this good?

A: "I don't think anyone anticipated the nWo would grow as much as it has. It's just mushroomed and is bigger than ever. All of the local celebrities come out when we show up in a city. Everyone wants to see the nWo."

Q: Look at the Wolfpack in particular. Does the group's popularity surprise you?

A: "Not at all. We called that from the get-go. We're just us. We're real."

Q: Why do you go by Syxx, not your real name?

A: "Because I like to have a little bit of privacy. Plus, my real name just doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as Syxx Pac."

Q: Let's switch now and talk about the nWo's Arn Anderson skit in which you portrayed Ric Flair. Your reflections on that?

A: "Everyone laughed. The guys who we were making fun of apparently were laughing at first. Then all of a sudden it got blown out of proportion. They couldn't believe we would make light of someone's injury, or say they had a drinking problem. Hey, they went on TV for 15 years and said they always wined and dined, and were a bunch of kiss-stealing, wheeling and dealing dudes. So what's the big deal? We were just making fun of something they were already admitting."

Q: What is the key to the Wolfpack's unity?

A: "We have this friendship that has endured some strong tests. The three of us have been through a lot of things. We have something that no one else in wrestling has: true unity. That means, one of us won't forget the others or turn his back on the others. "When we're together, we always have a good time. We might be driving around, talking about people. We might bury people behind their backs, or to their faces. That's us. We also talk about how we can make things better."

Q: What does Syxx do away from wrestling?

A: "When I'm not wrestling, my hobby is going home, spending time with my wife and two children, and just trying to make up for time away from them. I spend a lot of time at the gym. I also like going to the movies, to bookstores for nonfiction books, from UFOs to business. When I'm finished with wrestling, no matter when it is, I'm going to be OK because I'm giving myself a little bit of an education."

Q: Let's talk about the computer generation. How has the Internet changed wrestling?

A: "You can't hide a thing, you can't cover anything up. Promoters used to cover things up from the fans. Nowadays, you can't do that."

Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

A: "Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey."

Q: What do you like on your pizza?

A: "Just cheese, and maybe chicken."

Q: Are you a fast-food kinda guy?

A: "I go through spurts where I'll get sick of watching what I'm eating and then go for the burger at the local drive-through. For hamburgers, I'm a Wendy's guy. I also like the hard-shell Taco Supremes and Pintos and Cheese at Taco Bell. And the roasted chicken sandwich at Subway, without lettuce."

Q: What is your favorite television show?

A: "The X-Files."

Q: Are you a sports fan?

A: "No. I never liked team sports, at least I never liked playing 'em."

Q: Any regrets or would you do it all over again?

A: "I'd do the exact same thing. I knew what I was going to do, and I knew I was going to do it. Everyone said I was crazy, but I just knew. I knew I was going to do it, I just knew. You couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be able to. I have no regrets, none whatsoever."

Q: What is the strangest autograph request you have ever received?

A: "This dude chased us through the airport in Seattle in mid-September for an autograph, but he didn't have anything to be signed. So, he went into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper and asked us to sign it. It was a $1 food stamp."

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