Samu Says Wrestlers In His Day Were Tougher Than The Current Generation

Headshrinker Samu was recently interviewed by Andy Malnoske of Wrestling Inc. During the wide-ranging interview, the former WWE superstar discussed his experiences working with Paul Heyman and Hulk Hogan.

During his time in WCW, Samu was a member of The Samoan SWAT Team and was managed by Heyman. Samu praised Heyman for his successful career in the wrestling business, especially considering his humble beginnings as a photographer at Madison Square Garden.

"I loved Paul, he's a genius. He's always been around, earlier off he was a photographer and evolved into managing, and now he's like at the top of the world right now, and it's all because of the passion he's had," Samu said. "He's always loved wrestling, he's always been around wrestling, and he's always been good for our business. I'm proud to have known him and been with him and to be a Heyman guy."

Samu was also asked about why The Samoan SWAT Team and The Headshrinkers gimmicks were so effective and intimidating. Alongside Rikishi, Samu would strike fear into young fans. Samu said it was because of how tough they were in real life, which he sees as a stark contrast to current wrestlers.

"That it wasn't so much of a gimmick. We are as tough as people thought we were. The kids were scared because they thought we might eat them, and we might," he said with a laugh. "But we take it seriously when we go out there. A lot of people today, it's so different than it was back then, we used to beat the hell out of each other and enjoy it, and some guys nowadays are afraid they're gonna break a nail and can't go to the gym and workout. We had a lot to hold on to back then, but we're still hanging in there."

Early on in his professional career, Samu had the pleasure of teaming with Hulk Hogan during WWE's tours in Japan. Samu, who was just 19 at the time, said it was one of the biggest moments of his life to be teaming with the top wrestler in the world. He said he hopes to recreate a moment like that with his son at some point.

"That one was a big one. I had just turned 19 years old, and to be able to go into the New Japan IWGP tag tournament with Hogan as my partner, there was no better at that time," he said. "He was over like a million dollars in those days, so you can only imagine me being 19 and being able to be next to him in such a big capacity and big crowds. It was something I'll always remember, and I hope one day my son is able to get these chances too."