SG> When and where were you trained?
SC> I was trained at a small school in Reading, PA in the fall and winter of 1994.
SG> When did you make your pro debut?
SC> April 6, 1995, at the Silo Nightclub in Reading, PA.
SG> You captured numerous independent titles. Do any of them have any special
meaning?
SC> I remember winning the Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling junior heavyweight
title because I won it in my old high school. My favorite independent title
was winning the NWA United States tag team titles. I won them with Lance
(Simon) Diamond and we defeated The Misfits who we had a great feud with in
the summer of 1998.
SG> Growing up, were you a big wrestling fan?
SC> I was a huge fan from the time I discovered it when I was 8 years old.
SG> Who is your all-time favorite wrestler?
SC> I had a few. Tommy Rich and Tully Blanchard were my all time fav's. But I
also loved watching Barry Windham, Eddie Gilbert, Michael Hayes, and Dusty
Rhodes.
SG> Tell me about your WWF tryouts.
SC> LOL...I wouldn't say they were always "tryouts". I worked a lot of dark
matches that I guess count for tryouts but I also did a lot of work on WWF
Shotgun Saturday Night which was a great experience for me.
SG> How did you become apart of ECW?
SC> I had just gotten out of the Funkin' Dojo in November of 1998 and knew that
they weren't going to sign me when Nova called me and asked me if I would
like a tryout with ECW. I debuted on December 19, 1998 and after the match
Paul Heyman offered me a job.
SG> Upon entering ECW, you were mostly used as a manager/talker. Did you like that
role?
SC> I did and I didn't. Being so young, I wanted to be in there and bumping like
the rest of the guys. Plus I thought as a manager, guys like Sabu, Van Dam,
and Lance Storm wouldn't respect me as a worker. But I loved doing the
promos.
SG> What is opinion of Paul Heyman?
SC> When it comes to booking, there isn't many guys better than him. He is so
smart and I trust his judgment about my character without question.
SG> Your manager is Jack Victory, a wrestling veteran. Would you prefer to be on
your own, or prefer a manager?
SC> I never considered Jack Victory my manager and never will. Jack Victory is
more of a partner to me. We have a great chemistry where we just play off
each other. I wouldn't want it any other way.
SG> Your association with Dawn Marie was rather short. Was that the original plan?
SC> I think the original plan was for us to be together only one night. Dawn has
a lot to give as a manager and I think she will do great with Simon Diamond
and Swinger.
SG> What is the current morale in the ECW locker room?
SC> Honestly, everyone is nervous but we have faith in Paul Heyman. I know it is
only a matter of time before ECW signs with a new network and everyone is
going to be rewarded for sticking it out.
SG> When did you find out that Heyman was putting the strap on you?
SC> Sandman told me first the afternoon of November To Remember. It was talked
about but I never put too much into it. I didn't want to jinx it.
SG> Scott Hall recently wrestled in an ECW ring. What was your impression of him?
SC> Scott Hall was very cool. He was more than professional and I hope that he
works with us again in the future. Here is a guy that can teach the young
guys in ECW, like myself, and help us grow as wrestlers.
SG> There has been something made of your in ring bleeding. Did you intentionally do
it to get over?
SC> Not at all. Some guys can fly, some guys can brawl, I guess I can bleed. I
never have gone out there and said I have to be the best bleeder. I would
rather be known as the one of the better talkers in the wrestling business,
but if I remember for something I will be happy.
SG> Earlier this year, you were in a program with the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
What is your opinion of him?
SC> Dusty Rhodes has become like a second father to me. The Dream taught me so
much and was so good to me. My match with him at Living Dangerously will
probably go down as my favorite match of all time.
SG> Who is your favorite tag team partner?
SC> No doubt, Jack Victory. I also had a lot of fun with Scotty Anton and Simon
Diamond. I wish that me and Scotty would have been given a chance to grow
together as a heel tag team but that is business. You never know, one day we
may get a chance to do it.
SG> Heyman gave a speech at the Massacre PPV. What did he tell the boys?
SC> I am sorry. That speech was for the boys and no one else.
SG> Do you follow WWF and/or WCW?
SC> I try to follow both of them as much as I can. I love wrestling and it
doesn't matter if it is WWF, WCW, ECW, Japan, Mexico, whatever. I love
watching it.
SG> I know you have a young son. Should pro wrestlers been seen as role models?
SC> No. I don't think wrestlers, movie stars, singers, or athletes should be
role models. I think parents and teachers should be role models. I would rather be
know
as a great father than a great wrestler.
SG> What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
SC> That I am very shy around people that I don't know. Even though she would
never admit it, I know my girlfriend hates taking me out with her friends
because I am a very quiet person.
SG> Describe a typical day in the life of Steve Corino.
SC> Wake up (of course), eat some breakfast. Try to get to the gym before 10am.
Get some lunch. Then as a family, we try and do something fun each day. Eat
dinner. Help my son with his letters and numbers and then give him a bath
and get him ready for bed. Then on a perfect day, my girlfriend and I sit
down on the couch and watch a movie.
SG> Do you have any message for your fans?
SC> THANK YOU. If it wasn't for you, there would be no us. I love performing
every night for you. If I had my choice I would take my family on the road
with me, buy a Winnebago and wrestle 365 days a year.
SG> If you weren't a professional wrestler, what do you think you'd be?
SC> I was a milkman for 7 years before signing with ECW, I might have stuck with
that.
SG> And lastly Steve, what are your career goals in professional wrestling?
SC> If you would have asked me 2 months ago I would have said to be the World
heavyweight champion. Now that I am, it is time for more goals. Like a
baseball player that wants to be part of the past, I always wanted to be the
NWA World heavyweight champion. I was always a huge mark for the title belt
that guys like Flair, Dusty, Rich, and Race held. I would like to be the
first guy to win the ECW, WWF, WCW, NWA World titles, the All-Japan Triple
Crown and the IWGP titles in a career. I want to travel the world and see
things that I probably would never get the chance to see if I wasn't a
professional wrestler.
