Oscar, who appeared as the rapping manager of Men on a Mission from 1993 to 1995, recalled his time with WWE in an interview with VOC Nation, including what led to his departure from the company.
In 1995, Men on a Mission turned heel by attacking Oscar, and he never appeared on WWE television again. In this interview, he reveals that he refused to become a villain as well, due to his desire to be seen as a positive influence by young people. He also criticizes John Cena, feeling he’s not a superstar on par with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Superstar Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
On the health of Sir Mo: “Mo has kidney problems and needs a kidney transplant, and the medical bills aren’t fully covered by his insurance. We’re going to have a fundraiser in Humboldt, Tennessee to try and help him out. In the afternoon, Bret Hart will be there giving a seminar to up and coming young, aspiring wrestlers; at night, we’ll have a phenomenal wrestling show where Men on a Mission will reunite, Sunny, the Bushwackers, and Tugboat.”
On his exit from the WWE in 1995: “In Vince’s mind, it was time to turn Men on a Mission heel because there were too many babyface tag teams. I was asked to be part of that, but I declined. During my rap career, I never wanted to do anything negative. I always wanted to be a positive influence to young people. Being a heel didn’t match up with my (personal values). I asked (the WWE) to have them attack me in order to get them even further over as a heel.”
On why he didn’t stay with the company or jump to WCW: “There was a mutual parting of the ways. I was burned out, and I really wanted to pursue other things. I’m grateful that almost 25 years later, I’m still remembered as part of the business. I fell into the business by accident, but there were other things that I wanted to pursue at (the time that I left). I focused on my radio career in Chicago and other areas in the (entertainment) business.”
On his future goals in wrestling: “There are pages and pages on the Internet about Men on a Mission. We were inducted into (a few) hall of fame. It overwhelms me that people miss us. I have the bug again. I miss it. I’m putting myself out there (trying to get bookings). I can pick and choose and pace myself, and it’s a lot of fun.”
On the period in the WWE in the mid-90s: “They tried very hard to capture that magical essence that Hulk Hogan had. They tried to do it with Lex Luger but it didn’t catch on. There were a lot of stars back then, but nobody had the star power to transcend wrestling and break into Hollywood. There was a lot of turmoil going on. There was a RAW taping in Liberty, NY; we showed up and found out that Randy Savage abruptly left for WCW without notice. Vince was as angry as I’ve ever seen him. He held a meeting with everyone and told us that our contracts were iron clad, and that none of us were going anywhere. It was a funeral atmosphere.”
On the current product and the lack of a true superstar: “The problem that wrestling has is that they’re not developing wrestlers to be timeless. In the last 15 years, there’s been a roster of individual stars, but there’s no one superstar (like Hogan was). If they put John Cena into the Hall of Fame tomorrow, people would be talking about all of the people who deserve it more than he does. There’s nobody that stands out today who will be remembered in 30 years. John Cena is talented and can put butts in the seats, but he is not (on the level of) a Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Superstar Billy Graham, or Bruno Sammartino. If I buy a ticket and John Cena misses the show, I’m still going to stay (and watch the show). Thirty years ago, if people bought a ticket to see Hogan, and he missed the show, they’d turn around and go home.”
The show can be accessed at VOCNation.com, and is also available at Stitcher. The live show airs every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on VOCNation.com.
