MVP was recently a guest on Chasing Glory, where he talked about his friendship with Shad Gaspard. He discussed Gaspard’s tragic passing, where he kept on praising his friend for the many lives he touched throughout his career, including his.
Shad used to irritate the hell out of me sometimes. He was like my annoying big little brother,” MVP jokingly recalled. “I used to tell him all the time, ‘Dude, I can only handle you in small doses.’ He was always like, ‘Oh dude, you know you love me.’ [I said], ‘I do but in small doses.’ It became a running thing – oh boy, here’s Shad. He would like to come up to me and give me a big bear hug, and I’d say, ‘Man, would you let me go. Why are you being so extra?’ It was our running thing.
“Having been to the memorial service and seeing the vast array of people that were in attendance from all walks of life and backgrounds, Shad was accessible to everyone. When Shad opened up to you, you were his boy or his girl. You were his people. He just had that kind of heart.”
When Kofi Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 and won the WWE Championship, both MVP and Gaspard were at a sports bar watching the moment. Gaspard posted a video of the two embracing in celebration after Kofi won the title. Most people found the video sincere, but MVP was somewhat upset that Shad shared that personal moment online.
“I was very upset with him for doing that, yeah,” MVP admitted. “I felt upset because that was a private moment. That wasn’t for public consumption. That wasn’t for the dirt sheets, or whatever and you know, I know Shad is very ambitious and he likes to do the social media thing and at first, I was kinda hot like, ‘Don’t post that sh-t for likes.’ That was a moment.’
“I was just angry about it and I let him know about it. I hit him up and said, ‘That’s bullsh-t, man.’ When I saw the response to the video and I saw what people were saying and when I saw people say what it meant to see Kofi win the WWE Championship to us.”
When MVP heard of Shad Gaspard’s passing, he explained to his son what happened. While his son is still very young, his compassion led MVP to realize how valuable and rewarding it is to be a father.
“I got choked up a little bit when I was at home. My son asked me, ‘Daddy, why are you sad?’ I explained to him what happened, and I explained that daddy’s friend and daddy’s friend’s son and the incident at the beach because my son loves the beach. I was honest with him. He said, ‘Daddy, I’m sad too now.’ I said, ‘Why are you sad?’ [He said], ‘Because your friend’s son doesn’t have a daddy anymore.’ And, the tears came.”
MVP took a moment to remember his friend. He said that his passing has taught him that there is much more to life than simply name and fame. His loss made MVP reevaluate his life and how he can further improve himself.
“Shad left an impression on me to reevaluate how I am so I’ll be a better person after his passing, and I’ll be a better father after his passing,” MVP concluded.
h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.
