Downtown Bruno has become a household name in recent years thanks in part to his character being portrayed on NBC’s Young Rock.
Former WWE Superstar Downtown Bruno, otherwise known as Harvey Wippleman, recently sat down with WrestleZone’s Managing Editor Bill Pritchard to discuss a wide variety of subjects. Bruno is set to appear at 80s Wrestling Con this weekend and he said it’s always great to meet the fans from all walks.
“Oh, absolutely. It’s always great to meet the fans, the ones I knew from before on a personal level or just the ones that remembered seeing me when I was at the ring and in the ring or whatnot. But that’s always nice,” Downtown Bruno said. “It’s also great to see some of the guys that I’ve known over the years that I hadn’t seen. I’m talking about other talents that I hadn’t seen in years. It’s always great. I’m looking forward to meeting and greeting a lot of those guys.”
“And yeah, it is a full circle [moment] because I’ve been in the business 44 years now. Downtown Bruno is how it began, basically. Then of course I became Harvey [Wippleman] like you said. But since Young Rock came along and they featured a storyline, a major character in the Young Rock NBC show, about Dwayne’s friendship with me as Downtown Bruno has revitalized the name big time. So, everybody remembers Downtown Bruno now, or the ones that didn’t remember Downtown Bruno now they’ve been introduced to a brand-new character that actually started 44 years ago. So it’s kind of funny when you think about it.”
Asked how accurate some of the stories are about him that we’ve seen on Young Rock, Bruno goes in-depth about some of the things that did or didn’t happen throughout his career.
“Well, what’s funny is first of all, everybody asked me this. No, I never made eggs on the toilet. That never happened,” Downtown Bruno confirmed. “But I mean, it’s reality, but it’s fictionalized. You know what I mean? The stories are based on truth, but some of it, they made it [funny], because it’s not just a straight-up drama, but it’s certainly a comedy as well. But it’s like, I guess we say a dramedy. So, they have to make it funny. They couldn’t make it just 100% realistic or it wouldn’t have any comedy to it. Basically, the stories are on the true side, but fictionalized.”
“Now in season one, when Dwayne and a guy that [he] worked with at the pizza place bought him his first car from the bums, well, the truth is — and Dwayne has said this in many interviews and many forums — that I bought him his first car in Nashville and from the bums. There was a bum in the backseat asleep that we didn’t even see him back there because it was such a ratty, trashy vehicle.
“However, just storyline-wise, they changed it, and him and the guy that he worked with at the pizza place bought him his first car, which wasn’t true. It was me and him together. But, I guess they thought it was more funny to do that. Plus, he was based in Philadelphia or Scranton or someplace like that at the time. I obviously wasn’t there, I was in Memphis. So, they had to switch that up. But the gist of the story was true, just the people involved wasn’t accurate.”
When asked if he approves of the portrayal of him on Young Rock, Bruno admitted he was very happy with it.
“I’m very, very happy with it. Very, very happy with it,” Downtown Bruno said. “And Ryan Pinkston, the actor who plays me, who plays Downtown Bruno on ‘Young Rock,’ we became close friends. I was actually at his wedding last month.
“I’ve made tremendous friendships with Matthew Willig, the guy who plays Andre the Giant, Kiff, the guy who plays Pat Patterson, Benjamin who plays Jake Roberts. Mike who plays Jerry the King Lawler. Kevin, who plays Macho Man Randy Savage, I’ve made friends with all those guys that are part of ‘Young Rock,’ a great bunch of guys. Uli [Latukefu] plays the grown-up Dwayne, and Bradley, who plays the teenage Dwayne, and Adrian who plays the child Dwayne. Three great guys, three great guys, and great kids. And I want to mention them, too, because they’re wonderful people. And Joseph, who plays Rocky Johnson, does a great job.
“Chavo Guerrero, who was the wrestling coordinator on the show, great guy. So I don’t want to leave anybody out. Everybody is just fantastic. Marty Elias, who’s the referee coordinator on the show, another great guy. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans at the [’80s Wrestling] Con and answer any questions they may have about the experience of being involved with ‘Young Rock.'”
When asked about recently being elected as an alderman in his hometown of Walls, Mississippi, Bruno said he has two more years to serve but hopes he gets reelected after that.
“I got two more years to serve, and hopefully, I’ll get reelected on that, too…in fact, it’s funny you said that. We just had a town meeting last night. We have them every other Tuesday in the town hall, and I love it,” Downtown Bruno said. “I love working with my fellow aldermen and the mayor and the people in the town. I’m hoping that we can help advance our town.
“We’re just a bedroom community, just on the Memphis-Tennessee borderline. We’re basically a metro area of, or a suburb of, the Memphis metro area, which correct me if I’m wrong, I think Memphis is like the 16th biggest city in the United States. So, we’ve got a big city right on our in our backyard. We’re trying to capitalize on that.”
’80s Wrestling Con 4 takes place on Saturday, May 6. Doors for the convention open at 11 a.m. and the ISPW event starts at 5 p.m. For more information on ’80s Wrestling Con, click here.
You can check out the complete interview in the video embedded below:
READ MORE: The Rock Gifts Harvey Wippleman A New Truck For Christmas, Thanks Him For Being A Lifelong Friend
What do you make of Downtown Bruno’s comments? Have you enjoyed seeing his character on Young Rock? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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