The following is an exclusive interview granted to WrestleZone Radio with former WWE Superstar and founder of Midwest All Pro, “Eugene” Nick Dinsmore. Dinsmore is interviewed by WrestleZone Radio’s Nick Hausman.
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You can find the full audio of the interview and transcribed quotes below:
On working as a WWE NXT trainer and also opening his own training school Midwest All Pro in Sioux Falls, SD:
ND: I wanted to bring a professional wrestling training center and professional wrestling live events to the Midwest. There’s not a whole lot of professional wrestling out here and there’s not a whole lot of good independent professional wrestling out here. What I want to do is provide a training center for athletes that one day want to get that try out with the WWE. I’m going to train my athletes the way that the WWE wants their athletes trained. I was most recently a coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL. I feel like I have a good grip on the way WWE wants their Superstars made. If the people want to become a WWE Superstar, Midwest All Pro and “Eugene” Nick Dinsmore are the only place to be.
On the origins of the “Eugene” character:
ND: I presented the character to Vince McMahon. It was my idea. One of the trainers, one of my mentors, “The Hustler” Rip Rogers. Who is on Twitter (@Hustler2754), by the way, and is a phenomenal follow. “The Hustler” Rip Rogers would always give me ideas for me to pitch to the creative team. To get me up on TV and on the road faster. At the time all of my friends in OVW has all gone to RAW and Smackdown and I was still there. I was still coaching, I was living at home, I was still wrestling at OVW but it was sort of a new class of guys that had moved in. Rip Roger’s son has autism. Rip gave me this idea, “Well how about a guy that can’t tie his shoes. He can’t talk to girls. He can’t do this and he can’t do that. The minute the bell rings he can do anything flawlessly that he’s seen on TV. Because I was “Mr. Wrestling” Nick Dinsmore the wrestling part was the easiest part that I had. I could do a thousand holds and not use the same one twice. That was not the problem, it was the marketing and try to get that character out. So when Rip gave me this idea I thought, “Alright,” and I filed it away in the back of my head. I forgot about it for about eight months or so. At one point in OVW I told my friend Doug Basham, I said, “Doug, I think I’m going to quit and try to go to Japan.” Doug in turn told Dean Malenko, Dean told Johnny Ace and the next thing I know I’m sitting in a meeting with Vince McMahon. Stephanie is sitting right next to him. Vince goes, “I want to get back to character based wrestling.” I just spit out this idea, “What about a wrestler who can’t tie his shoes. Can’t talk to girls but the minute the bell rings he can do anything perfectly. Like an idiot savant wrestler. He’s got a base and he knows off the top of his head how many times this guy has won or lost a championship. Records, dates, facts… everything.” Steve Austin walks in. Vince goes, “Have you ever seen this guy wrestle?” Steve goes, “No, I’m sorry, I haven’t.” I said, “Danny Davis, the owner of OVW, trained me.” Danny had wrestled Steve Austin back in the Dallas days, the Global days. Towards the end of the USWA and Global Dallas. He had wrestled Austin down there. Then they became friends. Austin looks at me and he goes, “Well, I haven’t seen you wrestle but if Danny trained you then you’re probably one of the best.” Vince goes, “Great! We’ll start on Monday.”
You can find the full audio from the interview by clicking HERE or listening in the embedded player at the top of the page.
In the full interview Dinsmore talks candidly with Nick about being invited to be a trainer down in WWE NXT, opening his own training center and promotion in Sioux Falls, SD (Midwest All Pro), his appearance in the film The Tour: Blunder Down Under, working for WCW in the late 90’s, how that led to him signing with the WWE, his work with many of today’s biggest WWE Superstars in OVW, the origins of the “Eugene” character, getting to work with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 21, more
You can purchase The Tour: Blunder Down Under on-line by clicking HERE and watch the trailer below:
