Orlando Jordan interview

Whoever we interview, we do it big. Our series of exclusive interviews continued last weekend when we spoke with former WWE superstar Orlando Jordan from his home in Florida. Jordan is an openly bisexual African-American wrestler, making him a true rarity in the sports-entertainment business. Read on as OJ candidly discusses his WWE run, false rumors, carrying the Warrior, and plans for his future.

The former United States champion refused to emphasize his sexuality when he spoke with us about his career. "I never really came out and said that I was bi. I'm me. I'm happy being who I am." Similarly, Jordan didn't want to stress his race when discussing role models. "[Being a] role model isn't something you choose. When you're in the public eye people find qualities in you."

Jordan was a natural athlete from day one. He competed in gymnastics since age six before becoming a member of the United States Forest Service. After moving to Florida he competed in amateur boxing and wrestling, becoming both a National and All-American champion. However, OJ revealed that the diverse background didn't make it hard to pick a ring style once he went pro. "I think it's who I was. I don't think it was something I chose over the years of training. It just kind of fit for me. I'm a pretty good-sized guy even though every time I meet a fan they always say 'Wow you're bigger than I thought.' I'm 6'4 and about 255 but for doing acrobatic stuff with that it's something that I needed to do. A lot of amateurs don't really make a good transition [to the professional circuit]. Kurt Angle, Brock [Lesnar], Shelton [Benjamin], Charlie Hass and myself have made good. I wanted to get away from that. I wanted to be a pro."

One of Jordan's most memorable feuds during his time with World Wrestling Entertainment was against the late Chris Benoit. When describing his experiences working with the now infamous performer, Jordan said their in-ring chemistry was "like peanut butter and jelly. Benoit was a great person to work with. Once I got the news it hurt my heart to find out what took place. Chris was a good friend to me. I enjoyed working with him. We were able to go out there and connected off the bat from the first time [we wrestled each other]. He's a hard worker and so am I."

Jordan, a member of the Cabinet stable, praised his former leader JBL. "Bradshaw was my partner and mentor." Jordan credited JBL as a locker room leader on the level of the Undertaker. What about the notorious pranks JBL is known for pulling in the locker room? "I was probably right there with him, and if not, instigating. There's tons of them I can tell [but] I can't think of any off the top of my head that won't get me in trouble."

OJ's three-year WWE stint came to an end in 2006. He pulled no punches when shedding light on the reason for his release or the speculation that went along with it. "By now they have all kinds of stuff out and people say a lot of things. Bottom line is that they I think didn't know what to do with me. That's the creative side's fault. Also of course rumors saying stuff about me because I'm bi getting released. I really don't like touching on stuff like that because it feuls bullshit. I think that people read the internet and quickly judge not knowing the truths. I've alwas wanted people to judge me for who I am. What's the difference between gay and bi? I'm bisexual; not gay. If you're going to call me something and stereotype me, do it right. None of the things you read that people put out I can say aren't true."

The former "Chief Of Staff" made headlines earlier this year when he wrestled the Ultimate Warrior in the Warrior's comeback match after a decade's absence from the ring. The Warrior has publicy stated in the past that he is against homosexuality, making one wonder if the two performers would have difficulty working together. "Despite what people might think I had no problem working with him," Jordan told us. "It takes two to wrestle. I think it was a case of not biting the hand feeding you. He was real compliant with me. I didn't have to deal business-wise. He had to trust me and rely on me to get through the match. I think his reputation preceeds him."

OJ's future looks equally bright. He's pursuing modeling and acting opportunities through his own company Wildcat Entertainment while working regularly with European wrestling group New Wrestling Evolution. He's also one of many wrestlers featured in Bloodstained Memoirs, a positive wrestling documentary expected out in 2009. Mostly though "I'm on a break for the holidays."

Orlando closed the conversation by informing us he was willing to grant us a second interview in the future. We're going to hold him to it, so send us your questions now! We encourage our readers to show your support for Orlando by becoming his MySpace friend. You can reach him at myspace.com/wwesuperstaroj.

WWE/ROH news and notes

This week's Raw was rated TV-PG instead of TV-14. This could signal the official beginning of WWE marketing its TV product toward children. In the early 1990's, children were also the target audience of the then-WWF. SmackDown has always been rated TV-PG, even during the adult-themed Attitude era.

Carlito is said to once again be unhappy with his role in WWE. WWE continues to employ Carlito despite his continued unhappiness, in part because the company covets wrestlers with appeal to Hispanic audiences.

The recently released book Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry alleges that Vince McMahon has had a "love affair" with the drug cocaine that may or may not have subsided. "(McMahon) liked to brag with apparent justification that 'I can snort as much of that stuff as anyone can put in front of me and never get hooked.' One WWE employee of recent years told me, "The boys and former office staff use euphemisms when they talk about Vince's 'energy." The inside joke about it is that sixty-something Vince most likely isn't that energetic over multi-day sleepness stretches without help. I've seen him so wired that his eyes looked like they were going to pop,"" the book says.

Production will begin immediately on Ring Of Honor's next pay-per-view "Respect Is Earned II." It will premiere on IN DEMAND, The DISH Network and TVN cable systems on August 1st and feature a triple main event. The top three matches are: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black versus Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries, Nigel McGuinness versus Go Shiozaki and Roderick Strong versus Erick Stevens.

In other ROH news, Jerry Lynn is only scheduled for the 6/28 ROH Chicago date. Also, Lance Storm will not be wrestling at the 7/25 and/or 7/26 ROH events, but he will have a role on each show and be available for autographs. Storm has already given advice to several members of the roster after watching their pay-per-view shows. KOCH Vision will release ROH's next two DVDs "Best In The World" and "Greatest Rivalries" into retail stores everywhere on July 8th.

Former WWE writer Seth Mates wrote in his "Steel Cage" column for Newsday that WWE has been sending various news outlets a "money-themed gift basket" as a way of promoting Raw's on-going million dollar giveaway sweepstakes. The problem with this? The gift baskets contain actual money. $4.94 USD to be exact. Technically speaking, does this mean WWE has attempted to pay off members of the press? Seth Mates believes so, stating that he refunded WWE's money for ethical reasons. For the record, I haven't received one of these gift baskets, but they sure sound neat. If any other members of the media find themselves facing this ethical dilemna, I'll gladly take Vince McMahon's gift basket off your hands.

SOURCES FOR THIS ENTRY: http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/specialevent/wrestling/