The Mid to Late 90’s were the undisputed height of wrestling’s popularity not just in America but all over the world. The ‘Monday Night Wars’ produced record television ratings as WCW’s Nitro and WWE’s RAW programs went head to head and produced some of the most memorable moments with the biggest stars in front of the largest crowds that the business has ever seen. The men and women in those respective locker rooms became household names, whether they were in the opening matches or the main event and each and every one of them is left with incredible memories of their experiences that will last a lifetime. One of the men who was right in the middle of the action was the “American Male” himself SCOTTY RIGGS, and RF Video was proud to sit down with Riggs for one of the most explosive and entertaining shoot interviews we have EVER done!
Nearly every interview we do here at RF Video is memorable in some form and some are more entertaining than others, but very few we have done in the last decade produced the jaw-dropping stories and non-stop laughs that resulted from our 5 hours with Scotty Riggs. The ‘American Male’ didn’t have the longest career in terms of television time, but away from the ring he spent alot of time with some of the top stars in the business, including Sting, Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell, each of whom Riggs traveled with during his 5 year tenure with WCW at a time when the company nearly put Vince McMahon’s WWE out of business. We didn’t know what to expect when we sat down with Scotty Riggs, but we knew there was potential because of where he’s been, and who he was around, and Riggs stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam that you will definetly watch more than once! Scotty Riggs told the RF Video cameras about all the rats, the drugs, the sex, the money, the politics, and every big personality he crossed pathes with during what was a very underrated career that spanned more than a decade in Memphis with the USWA, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and Atlanta for Ted Turner’s WCW and much more.
Here is just a glimpse into what topics, memories, stories and discussions that were covered in our 5 hours with Scotty Riggs:
– His childhood in Savannah, Georgia and growing up as a Road Warriors fan in Jim Crockett country…
– His training and quick development which led him to Atlanta where he was doing jobs and preliminary matches on WCW television tapings less than a year into his career
– What advice did Arn Anderson give to Scotty Riggs in 1993 at a day of WCW TV Tapings that Riggs still remembers to this day and believes led him to the success he acheived down the line?
– Scotty tells us what it was like being WWE Legend Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts personal driver for a couple months in the first year of his career, and about some scary detours they took along the way into the various ghetto’s where Jake was looking for drugs
– What are Scotty’s memories of his time in Memphis for Jerry Jarrett’s USWA in the early 90’s?
– What was it like being around legends such as Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee and Tommy Rich during his early career in the USWA and what kind of relationship did he have with them?
– What was it like traveling the roads with Jamie Dundee and Brian Christopher in the Memphis area and just what were these sons of the legends getting into at the time? (Hint: Drugs, Alcohol and Women)
– What are Scotty’s memories of the USWA fans and venues and his thoughts on USWA’s booker at the time – Randy Hales?
– Which well known former WWE Manager and Referee and current behind the scenes employee’s wife was ‘passed around’ between the boys behind this person’s back? This includes an apology from Riggs.
– How did Scotty end up spending a short time working for Jim Cornette at Smoky Mountain Wrestling and what does he remember about Cornette and some of the legends he was around at the time like the Rock and Roll Express and the Gangsters? How did the fans in SMW compare to those at the USWA, WCW and ECW?
– Scotty tells the story of how how he almost ended up taking an unusual job at the WWE around the same time he was in talks with WCW and what made him decide to go to WCW instead?
– Why did Riggs have heat with Jerry Lawler at the end of his Memphis run and what happened in the locker room between Riggs and Lawler on his final night in the USWA before heading to WCW?
– Who called Scotty to offer him a job at WCW and what was his original deal? What were his first impressions of Marcus Bagwell and what did he think about being paired with ‘Buff’ as the “American Males’?
– What were Scotty’s first impressions of Eric Bischoff and what was his relationship like with the head of WCW at the time? How did Eric Bischoff change over the years as WCW jumped ahead in the ratings?
– Scotty tells us about his first experience with Ric Flair and his first night in WCW where the Nature Boy welcomed him aboard and took him out for a night on the town…
– Which future hardcore legend and ECW/WWE star was nearly tapped to take Riggs spot as Bagwell’s partner in the American Males? This one will surprise you…
– Riggs tells some incredible stories about the RATS that he and Bagwell encountered during the height of their time as the ‘American Males’, including DETAILED stories of nights at the strip club, hotel bars, and the occasional ‘orgies’ that would ensue when the Males were unable to decide on which girl to bring back to the room! Riggs also compared the RATS from different territories and even different countries.
– Why did Scotty Riggs have heat with WCW executive TERRY TAYLOR? (Hint: it involved women)
– Scotty traveled with not just Buff Bagwell, but also WCW mega stars STING and LEX LUGER. What was it like being around 2 of the biggest names in the business and were Sting and Lex in on the ‘Males’ debauchery? What was Lex Luger like at the strip club? Who else tagged along to the club?
– What was it like becoming WCW Tag Team Champions, and what are his memories of his matches against Harlem Heat, the Blue Bloods, Meng/The Barbiarian, Dick Slater/Bunkhouse Buck and the Nasty Boys?
– What happened during the night that the Nasty Boys were pissed off and were not happy about having to put the ‘American Males’ over and which one of the Nasty Boys shot on Riggs during the match?
– What does Riggs remember about the talk in the locker room when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash first started appearing on Nitro? What does he remember about the night Hogan turned heel and the nWo was formed? What was his reaction? What were Hogan, Hall and Nash like in the locker room?
– Riggs spent a lot of time around and worked with some of the biggest stars in the business including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Arn Anderson, and Chris Benoit. Which HUGE star(s) was a major pothead and always had the smell of marijuana eminating from his private locker room… brother?
– Riggs was an avid golfer, as were many of the other top names in the business and because he was good friends with Luger, he got to play golf with many of them. Riggs told a hilarious story about the time he and Luger played a round of golf with Pat Patterson and his ‘husband’ in Tampa in 1997. What did Pat Patterson do on the practice putting green in front of all the other members at the club that both shocked Riggs, and also made him laugh?
– Which longtime WCW star was a great golfer and loved to have fun on the course, even to the point of indulging in certain powdery substances right in the golf cart? Riggs well tell you the story that will have you… barking like a dog….
– After his time with Bagwell as the “American Males’, he joined Raven’s Flock and the debauchery was taken to another level, and even got ‘weird’ a few times. What was Raven like in the late 90’s and what sort of unusual sexual habits did he have? What ‘gift’ did Raven give to Riggs one night in a hotel room, and what did Raven do while Riggs was ‘receiving the gift’? Which household appliance did Raven like to use while having ‘relations’ with his rats?
– What does Riggs remember about the revolving door of bookers during his time in WCW, and which booker could be enticed to give a push in exchange for a handful of painkillers?
– What happened between Riggs and one red-headed member of the Nitro Girls? Which members of WCW’s administration disciplined him for it and what (or who) did he… do… about it? What was his relationship like with the head of the Nitro Girls, Kimberly, who was also the wife of WCW star DDP? What happened when Riggs visited Kimberly at her house while DDP was out on the road?
– What does Scotty remember about his matches with Chris Benoit? What went through his head when he heard about the Benoit tragedy that left his former friend and his family dead as the result of a murder/suicide?
– Why did Riggs tenure in WCW come to an end, and why did he decide to leave? Does he regret it?
– How did Scotty Riggs get into ECW and what were his first impressions of the ECW Locker Room and the ECW Arena? How did he become best friends with Rob Van Dam and what are his memories of his feud with RVD in ECW? Which member of the ECW roster did Riggs think often crossed the line when it came to indulging in substances and then getting in the ring? What does he remember about the night the Sandman pulled out his genitals during a match in Florida?
– What was Scotty’s relationship like with Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer? Our shoot is also interrupted at this point when Dreamer himself makes a cameo during out shoot and greets Riggs (on camera) for the first time in a decade…
– Did Scotty Riggs ever have any ‘Sunny Days’ during his time in the wrestling business?
– Are the stories true about about Robert Fuller aka Colonel Robert Parker?
– Why did Riggs have heat with Stevie Richards and what happened when things got physical between the two?
– We asked Riggs about John Cena’s comments in a CNN interview where he stated that he had never used steroids. Riggs gave us a (loud) one word response – what was it?
– We also had to discuss some of the scary and troubling issues that Scotty is currently experiencing in his personal life as a result of his wrestling career and pre-wrestling football career which included nearly a dozen documented and serious concussions. What is Riggs currently experiencing as a result of those concussions and what is he doing about it? This portion of the interview is very disturbing and left us sad and concerned for Scotty as he emotionally described some of the problems he has been experiencing on a daily basis…
– What has Scotty been up to since the end of his TV wrestling career and what does he want his tombstone to read when he passes away?
These are just a fraction of the wild and entertaining topics we discussed and the stories Scotty shared with us. Some stories were so outrageous and unexpected that we want to preserve them as a suprise to you just as they were to us. Scotty Riggs was very open and truthful, and did not come off as bitter in any way like some former stars tend to do when looking back on their careers. Scotty is a true ‘good guy’ and we enjoyed every moment we spent with him while filming this shoot and we are positive that you will enjoy every moment as much as we did!