Big Vito On Why The 24/7 Championship Is The Worst Thing Going In WWE Today
Big Vito once portrayed a cross-dresser back in his WWE days, but he says the promotion is doing something today that's far worse than that or anything else. He explained what that is when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on our WINCLY podcast.
"The 24/7 title is the worst thing that they got going because they make all those professional wrestlers chase after that title and they look ridiculous. They look like boys. You don't go chasing around people as a comedy routine to get a title," said Vito.
"What they should have done is have a TV title and bring it back with prestige. Have the guy go from Raw to SmackDown to NXT and have three matches a week. You're gonna watch that match because you wanna see who is the next TV champion."
Vito added that the 24/7 title is just something for guys to do at TV and that it's an irrelevant title.
On the flipside of WWE is AEW and Vito talked about the effect that it will have on the pro wrestling business.
"AEW has its own unique concept. They have guys who haven't had major exposure just indie exposure. The names that they have on top ? Moxley, Jericho, Rhodes, Young Bucks, Omega ? and you have a good nucleus of unseen talent that the people are gonna like," stated Vito.
"The rumor has that CM Punk is gonna sign and might show up in Chicago. I hope he does because they are already talking about how Vince will counter AEW."
Vito then brought up WWE running a Wednesday night show to counter AEW before it was indeed confirmed that NXT will run on the USA Network opposite AEW.
"Will they be more risqué? Will there be more blood and guts? Absolutely," Vito said of AEW. "The concept of giving wrestlers a salary and benefits ? I think it's phenomenal for the industry."
Vito said the business suffers because Vince is trying to monopolize it and time will tell if wrestling fans stick with WWE or go elsewhere.
"You gotta let the people come back to your product because they like your product, not because they are forced to watch your product," said Vito.
In recent years Vito has transitioned into acting and he talked about being cast in his new film The Church.
"I was originally cast for a movie called Apnea for producer Dom Frank that was filmed 4-5 years ago and then he came up with the sequel to it called The Church. It's an exciting move and I've been on TV for 25-30 years, and the horror movie came up and I thought it was a great part for me," Vito said before adding he got to work with some great people including Clint Howard.
"He was the most handsome little boy you've ever seen and he turned out to be the ugliest son of a b**** walking God's green earth," said Vito. "He is the king of horror films and he has been in some great movies. I'm not a horror film guy, but the movies I've seen him in, he hits aces across the board.
"Kudos to him?if you find your niche in the movie business, you've gotta stick with it."
Vito then shared what types of movies and movie stars he enjoys watching.
"Believe it or not, I'm a Steven Segal guy, John Travolta, Patrick Swayze, The Rock. I enjoy anything with action, fighting, military movies," said Vito. "So when this came aboard, I don't think it was more or less of, 'Hey do you wanna be in a horror film?' It was, 'Hey do you wanna be in a movie?'"
Big Vito stars in the new movie The Church, an indie horror thriller from first time director and writer Dom Frank, which is now available ONDEMAND through your cable provider, all Digital formats and DVD.
Vito's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post. In it Vito discusses his role in the horror film The Church, his transition from pro wrestling to film, his pro wrestling career path, his WWE "dress gimmick", advice to WWE Superstars who are creatively frustrated, why he's not a fan of the WWE 24/7 Championship and more.
You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.