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This is what we have here, folks. To the only show that matters the queen of the crop. Duke loves wrestling. And there is no one that does it better than your. Host. I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass the. Duke. And I'm all out of bubble. Hey, how you doing? This is Hall of Fame with Devon Dudley here, and you're listening to Duke Live wrestling. Oh, testify. Brothers and sisters, we are kicking off this episode with a
huge treat here. I mean, legitimately, a man who's on the Mount Rushmore of the greatest tag teams of all time. Someone that you will be able to see at the River City Wrestling Con coming up Sunday, June 9th this year, and also one of the people who's the subject of the upcoming edition of WWE Rivals on A&E. So without further ado, welcome to Duke Loves wrestling the Hall of Famer himself, Devon Dudley. How you doing there, Brother Devon? I'm doing all right.
Busy morning for me. Got a lot of things going on. But then again, that's just my life. Busy. Busy. Busy. Yes, Sir. I mean, listen, man, you, you know, quote UN quote, retirement doesn't really seem much like retirement at all because you haven't stopped going, huh? Haven't stopped going behind the scenes, and apparently I haven't stopped going in front of the
camera either. You know, with Bubba and I coming back and, you know, doing our thing once again, I swore I would never get back in the ring. But I guess the theory holds true when you never say never, you know, especially in the wrestling business. But you know, I'm OK with that. But still, it's just, man, my body has taken a beating and being that, you would think that I'd have common sense to stop. But no, I'm not. Well, Speaking of that, congratulations on WWE Rivals.
I mean, legitimately one of the bigger shows on A&E. And this episode is interesting. First of all, Rivals, you have everything from Hogan and Andre Austin and Rock. So the fact that the latest episode, March 24th, 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on A&E, the latest episode, Brothers and Sisters, Party Boys versus Dudley, Boys versus Edge and Christian, how does it feel all these years later to still get this type of respect for that work that you put in back then,
bro? It's, you know, it's a great honor that the WWE has recognized that six individuals who were in their early 20s and now old as shit, you know, recognized us for doing what we did best and that was go out there and to perform. We basically went out there and put our bodies and lives on the line. We had a whole bunch of sacrifices away from our families and things like that. Just to be #1.
And you know, I I'm honored and privileged that they recognize that in putting it into the show, the WWE rivals, 'cause, you know, we're up against so many others. You know The Rock and Cena, you know, undertaken Shawn Michaels, so many great people that have come before us and have had tremendous matches of being told, you know, about the story leading up to those matches and for them to actually want to do that with the six of us, I mean, I can't be on any big of a high
than I am now. It's really cool because I know that you have your wrestling Academy and we've had so many of your wonderful students over the eight-year period that the Duke Loves Rousing podcast has been around. I mean so many great folks there, Casey Lennox, Scotty Sosa, AKA Scotty Sparks, you know, just wonderful folks. So for you to be on WWE rivals, on A&E, you can literally show that to your students and say see.
So when I tell you to do something in the ring, just a reminder, especially for the younger folks, I think I know what I'm talking about here. I mean, how does that help you in those situations? I do that now. I tell them, you know, because you know, it's like your parents, you know, your parents know best. But sometimes because they're your parents, you would rather take advice from somebody else because it's not your parents. That's just the way it is. And it's always been like that.
So I got to look at them as my kids. Where, you know, they are looking for me for advice, wisdom and guidance, and I do that. But sometimes, you know, they get a little bit of big head or what have you and they got to go off and stray and do what they got to do. But they always wind up coming back, which is something that I pride myself on.
Not that they come crawling back, but they come back knowing that what I was saying about things out there is so true, and that they come back humbled more than they were when they came in. That's great. That's great stuff. And I mean, listen, the foundation of a lot of those lessons go all the way back to Gleason's Gym when I when I say Gleason's Gym. What comes to mind when I say that to you?
Blood, sweat and tears. Gleason's was where I got the knowledge and learn from the unpredictable Johnny Rods. You know, I learned my craft five and a half, six years at his wrestling school and didn't leave until he saw that I was ready, 'cause he was the one that made the phone call to ECW and to Taz and to say, hey, listen, I got this kid, I think he would run circles around all of you guys. And I remember when he told me, I said, why would you tell him
that? I was like, you know, have you seen that show? These guys are killed. They're they're freaking barbaric. I don't feel like getting hit with a barbed wire bat just because you ran your mouth, Johnny, and got me killed. I mean, I didn't say it like that, all due respect to Johnny, but I was nervous as hell when he made that phone call. I didn't know what to expect. I remember Taz telling me, Devon, don't worry about it. I know how Johnny is. I was like, oh, thank God. But it was.
It was truly an honor to be able to go down there and learn from one of the greats. And I say that because did he win a lot of matches? No. But did he make a lot of talent? Absolutely. Roddy Roddy Piper, the late, great Roddy Roddy Piper, Hall of Famer basically put Johnny in his book and thanked Johnny for showing him the ropes during his younger days and said that if it wasn't for Johnny, he don't know if he would have survived.
And so many of us have learned from Johnny, myself, the late great big Dick, Dudley Mondo, Clean Hugh Morris, Tommy Dreamer, Taz. I mean, he had a list of people come out of his school, a Angel from the Baldies and ECW got so many others and I'm sorry. Big Vito, Big Vito Lagrazzo. The main one, Big Vito. He came out of there and if I have omitted anyone, I apologize.
But he has. He is responsible for so many people coming out of his school and the great thing about it is I'm following right in the in his legacy. I'm doing the same thing a host of students that have come out of my school that have gone on to bigger and better things in the wrestling business, whether it be WWE, whether it be NXT, whether it be New Japan, All Japan, and even some in AEW.
But a lot of them have left the school learning with the knowledge and gone on to be extremely successful. Absolutely. And and the proof's in the pudding, folks, so definitely check out devonacademy.com. You can get more information about Devon Dudley's wrestling school and how you can be part of that. If you are an aspiring wrestler or even if you're a wrestler who needs to go back to the toolbox, so to speak, check out Devon Wrestling Academy you you will appreciate it.
I'm telling you And and again you just take a look at some of the folks who have come through there and what they're doing today to understand it's legitimate for sure. Shout out to Johnny Rods, the the Hall of Famer himself, that it's it's awesome that you still show him such respect and reverence there. That's good stuff there. Absolutely. He's like my dad and I tell him that all the time. I call him at least two to three times, maybe even 4 * a month to make sure he's doing OK and to
hear those Johnny Rod stories. You know, I can't go on without hearing those stories. He is a man that knows the business, knows how to present himself in a manner where he is respected the way he is and I'm just happy that I was able to learn under his learning tree. Absolutely.
And it's funny because and we talked a little bit about her offline, but Scotty Sosa is somebody who is always putting you over just as a as a great teacher, patient teacher and and somebody who she takes a look at your body of work and that's something that she strives for. And again, she's a friend of the show. So it's cool. It's really cool to have one of your kids put you over like that, and then to have you won and you're putting over your trainer. That degree of respect and
reverence is huge. Man, Absolutely. You know, you call it Scotty. I call it Jordan. When she came to my school, I basically saw the hunger in her eyes. I basically saw how much she wanted it, you know? Now the thing about it is you can want it all day, but you have to prove it. You know, this business isn't ballet. So it's not going to be something overnight that you're able to conquer and and be successful at. You got to put the time, work and effort into it.
And you know, I've always said to her and so many others, you know, if you ever need me, here's my phone number, call me. It doesn't have to be during school hours. It could be after hours, just not two or 3:00 in the morning. And and other than that and some of them have used it, some of them have done it. She's definitely has done that. And whenever there was a personal problem, what have you, she's come to me and asked me and I've worked. I hope to work it out. I love that.
Again, that's that spirit of respect. It's interesting, Devon, because I I did a write up about you on my Facebook page for Black History Month. I was, I honored, a different icon in wrestling throughout the month and the the response that people gave to that was tremendous because we don't normally get a biography of you in that form and and I'm challenging everybody out there. Listen, make sure you're writing about Devon because he is an
icon, he is a trailblazer. He is somebody who has paved the way for so many, especially black and brown wrestlers, and we need to make sure we honor our brother in that light. Well, I thank you #1 for that because not even WWE has done that for me. You know, there's been countless times during Black History Month where they putting everybody else on the poster or has acknowledged them but didn't acknowledge me, which is fine, you know, I'm not upset or angry
about it, but it's just a fact. And I don't know, maybe because my brother was white, I don't know. I don't get it. But that is the truth. I don't see, I'm sure some powers to be, but like, oh, that's not true. Well, show me one poster during Black History Month that you have put me on and I can show you some that you have not. Well we're definitely putting the challenge out there including to our friends in WWE.
Listen make sure you honor Devon you should be doing it throughout the year and and and certainly WE Rivals is a is a great example of doing that but black hair St. Month. We got to shout our brother out. I I bring that up, Devon, because I've never heard a bad word about you. People have said nothing but positive things about you on this show and to me personally, and that's very rare because you can always find somebody that has a problem somewhere. Make sure you don't ask any of
my ex wives. Say you got to get yourself in trouble down, man. I was building you up. See. Well, something weird happened recently, and a couple of folks have reached out to me about it because it was so outside of the ordinary where someone was extremely disrespectful to you and in front of other folks in front of your peers. And I got to ask you about it, Devon, because it's not right. You know what I mean? It's not right from what I was told, but I want to hear it
directly from you. So. So there's a guy named Dylan Hines who is well known for for doing bookings for wrestlers and things like that. He said some not so nice things to you and and and you had to respond to him. What happened? Well, basically the people who brought me into the show in Chillicothe, OH, basically we get there with Roberto Dorio and we couldn't find the table. So they tried to contact Dylan and pretty much said, hey, Dylan, you know, we can't find
our table. What's going on? And people have already made their way inside the building. So it was a little hectic. And he kind of brushed them off. And he was like, I don't have time right now, you know, go find my father and this and that, you know, find or find the table yourselves. I can't find. I can help you right now. And I was like, Wow said, OK. And so there had been a few times after that where he passed by, didn't say hello, didn't say anything or apologize for that
little thing. So no big deal. So then he comes over and he just rolls some 8 by 10s, or they were bigger than 8 by 10s, But he threw them on the table, said tell Devon to sign these. Number one, I'm not signing anything. You can't even come up to me and say hello. But yet you're going to throw something on the desk and tell the people that brought me in, Just tell Devon to sign these. Number one, I don't work for you, regardless if it's your show or not.
And it's not even your show. It's your father's show. And he tried to pretty much tell me that, Oh, no, this is my show. I said OK, without your father, without Bobby, you wouldn't have what you have right now. And he goes, you're not going to sign this. I don't know when you act like that. No, I'm not going to sign it. He goes, well, get out, pack your stuff. And and you guys have to leave.
I'm not going anywhere. I was like, if if you want me to go somewhere, have your father tell me, then I'll walk. I was like, but you're you're dumbass and I ain't moving. Well, I'll get the. I'll call the police and have your score down. I think you better do that. By the way. When you do that, you better have an ambulance on the way. Because by the time the cops come in to escort me, they're going to be. I'm going to be in cuffs and your ass going to be wheeled off
in an ambulance. That I promise you. And you know he started trying to be all tough and that. And I told him, I said I will knock your head clear off your shoulders. I was like, I you bet you better back up. And then his father came over Bobby and was like, hey, what's going on? I said, Bobby, your son is being very rude and this and that about signing something that I had no knowledge of signing. And Dylan kept trying to intervene until Bobby told him
to shut up and be respectful. And basically at that point he kept talking to the point where Bobby, his own father, threw him out the building. And apparently he was having problems with other people there as well. Sandman, Francine, Guido, Jimmy Hart and poor Bill Abner was only doing his job. Came in because of his fault because of Bobby Fulton and Dylan. Gets mad at him is and tells. Tells what's his name? That you're fired. Don't come back here.
He fired Bill after the the legend Bill after. Legend Bill, after he goes, you're fired. Get out. Because he wouldn't bow down to Dylan or wouldn't do what Dylan said. So he fired him and then Bobby find that, found out about it until he's like, don't worry about that, you're not fired. Go ahead and do your thing. So he had to pretty much cover up for his son. But again, these are incidents that I'm hearing that has been happening a lot with him.
And you know, my thing is, you know, when is enough is enough with this guy, you know? And then he had the nerve to tell me you'll never work for me again. I promise you that. I said good 'cause I don't work for you. Now I go, what is your problem? I said, what are you that deranged? I don't even work for you. How the hell you Tomorrow. I'm not gonna work for you ever again. I don't work for you. I don't even like you. And I told his father. I said, you know what?
I will do this for you. I will. I will do this for you. I'll sign it for you. But for Dylan, I have no respect for. You know, it's it's interesting. The wrestling industry, so much has improved, thank goodness, from what it used to be. And and yet you have some of these, dare I say, carny figures who don't know when to realize, hey, that that's not the way to do business for For him to make demands of you and to be so disrespectful about it, it's crazy to me.
Yeah, I mean regardless if him and the people who brought me in, if he said that, I mean like Bobby Fulton said, he goes, Devon, you know, we gave you guys the table and we just would like for you to sign a couple of these. If Dylan would have came over and said that and just said hello and how you doing and it's not thank you for coming to the show. That would have been sorry about earlier on. Things were so hectic. You know I was running around and know what to do.
That would have been more. I would have had no issues of signing. I never do. You know, I've had people come to me before at these signings and ask me to sign extra and I got no problems with it. But when you're as rude as Dylan was and you do things like that, that's where I have the problem. And when his own father tells me, he goes, you know, this new generation now, they have no
respect. I'm so sorry for my son's actions, Devon. He was like, you should not have been told or treated that way and blah, blah. I said, Bobby, it's OK. I said I'm not worried about him right now. I said. But please keep your son away from me. Yeah, for sure. Because you know what I mean that that wouldn't be a pretty situation for sure. And listen, for everybody out there, you know, it's, it's tax
season. So, you know, you get all these newly minted promoters and folks out there who have a couple extra bucks and they want to spend it and want to be part of the wrestling industry and that's OK. It it could be a payday for somebody, which is always welcome, but you got to do good business and you, you treat people the way you want to be treated. Don't don't disrespect anybody and don't disrespect the wrestlers. Please.
These are our heroes. And if it wasn't for the sacrifices they made, including Dylan's father, by the way, if it wasn't for the sacrifices they made, God only knows where most of us would be. Because I'm going to tell you right now, Devon, the things that you have sacrificed in your life to entertain people like myself, in the audience listening, you saved our lives, man.
You you gave us something to to care about and something to pay attention to. And and you know, for me personally, I, I had to get my homework done so I could go watch wrestling. I had to do the chores so I can go watch wrestling. You kept me out of trouble. You know. You and your peers, man. So thank you first and foremost on behalf of all of your fans and and again for all of you want to be promoters out there,
please just be respectful. Treat people the way you want to be treated and and and don't put yourself in the position like unfortunately Dylan Hines, who I hope learns his lesson did there because that just is uncalled for anyway. Once again, devonacademy.com folks, you can check that out if you want to be trained properly. Definitely. I I put my stamp on it because again we've had so many of Devon's wonderful students on the show and we know what he's all about. We've seen his body work.
You can't beat it. Also devon.dudley.96@gmail.com for all bookings and things like that testify Devon and all your social media if you want to reach out as well. Devon you got a lovely wife, man. I I'm I'm not going to let you get away without giving her a shout out there. I. Hate putting her over because then when I put her over she she makes me pay for it. She's the real star in the house. You know that, right?
Oh yeah, I know that she gets more followers and and people on social media asking her questions than I do. I'm like, damn, I said wait a minute. Hello. I'm Devon. Hello. See you. See you chopped liver. Now man, that's the way it is there. So, so once again, Rubber City Wrestling Con. What can folks expect when they see you this year? Because I know it's going to be bigger and better than ever. Well, you know, I think it's a bit bigger than better than ever again.
New merchandise, new pictures to sell, things like that. And we have the new action figures coming out due to the Legends deal with WWE. A big shout out to the WWE. Thank you so much for even all the love and support over the years. I mean, grant you minus the Black History Month, but that's OK. But you know, in All, in all, in all seriousness, you know, these guys have been in my corner since day one.
They've made me the superstar that I am, where I was able to, you know, do what you said, you know, help you stay out of trouble and and so many other people and give you guys reasons to want to get home and watch the show. You know, that's all due to WWE and what they've done for me. This whole Legends deal gave us action figures, T-shirts put us on a new video game. So I'm very happy about that.
And I was just at the big event in Brentwood, Long Island and somebody brought me A tag team belt that was made by the WWE and has the Dudley Boys written all over it. It's like a Dudley Boys tag team belt, which I was very happy to sign. So it's merch, new merchandise that's come out and if I'm not mistaken I think the what do you call those Funkos, I think they'll be out next year.
So even more stuff that's coming out with the Dudley's, you know, it's a very good year for us, for Bubba and myself. And we're just, you know, we creating history once again. And you know Bubba and I will be in a town near you getting ready, whether it be back in TNA or WWE or where have you. You know Bubba and I are back and we're going to be right back doing the greatest hits once again.
What a great conversation there with the Hall of Famer himself, Devon Dudley. Just a fantastic human being there and and listen, you know he's putting WWE over, which is awesome. The the, the new Legends deal. So fantastic. Of course folks, you can catch Devon at the River City Wrestling Con coming up by June 9th. That's Sunday. So definitely bring all your things to sign and make sure you get your pictures with Devon of course.
Obviously WWE Rivals Sunday. Let me say that again, Sunday the 24th, 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on A&E. Definitely want to check that out. Devon and Bubba and other Dudley boys, they're in there and it's all about their rivalry with Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boys. So really should be a a huge episode there. Can't wait to see that. But what an interesting thing we we stumbled upon there.
I had written a Black History Month acknowledgement of Devon just like I did for a lot of other folks throughout the month. You know Rodney Mack and Jazz and and Reggie B. Fine, shout out to Reggie B, the rock. Whole host of folks Aja Kong. You know, I just a whole host of wonderful folks. Scoot Andrews, the black Nature Boy. Great friend of the show as well.
Did a whole you know detailed write up throughout the days there and you can check out the Duke of the Ras on Facebook and and just use the hashtag Black History Month to see some of
those. There you can see the whole listing did one on Devon and shared it with Devon and it was interesting to talk about it here on the show and and he points out that for the most part the WWE does not include Devon when they are celebrating figures who they acknowledge during Black History Month and that is just a a terrible omission. Now look I I don't believe that
that's on purpose. I think that's just a a honest mistake there, but it's a mistake that should be corrected, you know and talking to people about Devon and and even bringing that fact up, a lot of folks are like, Oh yeah, that's that's a good point. We don't, we don't traditionally see Devon Dudley mentioned during Black History Month when we talk about great black wrestlers in history and and all that good stuff there. Let me say this and you know we'll, we'll make this a clip as well.
So you share this with everybody because I want to go strong on this one and be very, very clear, OK. When you talk about Devon Dudley, it's time for us to stop. And I'm saying us, I'm putting myself there included. I'm challenging myself in this. It's time for all of us to stop under rating this legend because that's that's essentially what we're doing. We are underrating a legend. Devon Dudley is a Hall of Famer, a WWE Hall of Famer. Devon Dudley is one of the
greatest wrestlers of all time. Devon Dudley is one of the most accomplished wrestlers of all time. Devon Dudley is one of the greatest black wrestlers of all time. Devon Dudley is one of the most accomplished black wrestlers of all time. Devon Dudley absolutely should be acknowledged as the icon that he is in. General tag team wrestler. Wrestler in general, and he absolutely should be acknowledged as one of the greatest black, Black. Let me say that again, Black wrestlers of all time.
We are missing the boat by not acknowledging this icon for all of the wonderful, great things that he's done, and I'm emphasizing black for this reason. It is only in recent memory throughout the hundreds, plural, hundreds of years history of the wrestling industry, it is only recently that black wrestlers are even afforded the opportunity to compete on a on a somewhat even playing field with their white peers. That's a fact.
And even to this day, there is still a lot of issues with equity and and and diversity and inclusion and what have you there. And yet, despite all of that, Devon Dudley, because of his determination, because of his skill, because of his greatness, was able to push through and accomplish so much, we are missing the boat.
We have failed this legend by not uplifting him and acknowledging him in the same manner that we do so many others and and and when I say so many others, I'm just talking about those who have risen to the occasion to be as accomplished, to be Hall of Famers and what have you because they're part of the 1%. But Devon Dudley as a black man in an industry that has never been easy for a black man to even exist in, never mind be a decorated champion and a Hall of
Famer. To be an all time great for Devon Dudley to accomplish what he's accomplished. It is incredibly poor on our part for not uplifting this man more. We got to do it. We got to do it. I'm. I'm challenging myself to do it and I'm going to say something. Devon's name was not one of the first names that came to mind when I was doing my Black History Month acknowledgements and by when I when I thought about it, I was like, damn, I got to do one on Devon. Why?
Why haven't I ever done one on Devon before? You know, it's crazy. So it's not like I'm calling other people out and I'm not looking at myself as well. I'm challenging myself as well. But seriously, brothers and sisters, we got to do better than that. WWE, you got to do better than that. You got to do better than that. That's an icon, period. Regardless of race, regardless of gender.
That's an icon, Devon Dudley. But when you look at the fact that so few black wrestlers have ever even been afforded an opportunity, it's not that they weren't as good or they're not as great or they couldn't have done it. The historically, the system has prevented folks from being able to accomplish so. So for somebody like Devon Dudley to even accomplish what he's accomplished, it's so rare. He is literally a percent of the percent right? He is a percent of the 1%. Devon Dudley is rare,
unfortunately. And that's why training the next generations plural of wrestlers is so important, because he is paving the way for other folks to have just a little bit more of an easier time getting there, Which is just fantastic. And so selfless of Devon to even take the time to do that because he could just coast on his own legacy and say the hell with it. But instead he's he's paving the way for others and helping others and and guiding them. And we've had some of those
folks on the show. We know it and and when you turn on TV, all the major promotions, you can see folks who've been trained by Devon or you know, whether he was their main trainer, they've actually gone to his school to get some finishing, which happens a lot. And I don't think we acknowledge that enough either. Just because you started training with somebody, that doesn't mean that that's it. A lot of folks go and get finishing as well, which makes
sense. So I I'm just, you know, I'm disappointed in all of us, myself included, that we haven't given this brother his flowers in an adequate manner because we exalt so many others. And I'm not trying to take away from anybody else. So I'm not going to name any names in that regard. But I will say we got to we got to speak Devon's name a lot louder and a lot more frequently because he's earned that. We're not giving him anything. That brother did it. He earned that, right.
So Devon, Dudley shout out to you brother, appreciate you, respect you, love you. Thank you for all that you've accomplished and all that you've done for us as fans and all that you continue to do. You know, especially as we continue to see your students go out there and make a way for themselves as well and and listen, you heard them. We haven't seen the last of of Bubba and Devon in a in a
wrestling ring. We're going to see the Dudley Boys again in the wrestling room, whether it be T&A or WWE Japan. Wherever the Dudley Boys are open for business, they got that fresh WWE legends contract. The Dudley Boys open for business. So that's exciting, that's exciting. But definitely we we got to give this man his flowers because we shouldn't be waiting for people to pass on before we turn around and say, Oh yeah, you know, so and so is great.
And I know some some humanoid out there is going to say, well, he's already in the Hall of Fame, Duke, what's a big deal? Well, it's a big deal because we don't mention him enough. It's not a name that comes up enough. Why? Because I'll tell you what, when we start talking about great matches, period, great matches, you know you're not going to get through too many matches before you. You talk about a Dudley Boys
match, right? No one can say that the TLC matches and and legitimately, the feuds with Edge and Christian and the Hardys, hell, the matches they've had with the Usos and what have you, no one can say that those weren't great matches. And when we talk about great matches, they get brought up and it doesn't even, it doesn't even
have to be tag team matches. Those matches come up in conversation naturally, because they're innovative, because they're some of the greatest matches of all time, because they've sparked and inspired generations since, who are still trying to replicate stuff that those guys were doing. So give that man his flowers, please.
And certainly this was my this is me putting skin in the game, so to speak, having Devon on and letting him know how much he's meant to me and to us just in general as fans. So great stuff there. Listen, we're going to take a short break, but when we return, I told you last week, you know, we started off with Kaylee and I said that I'm going to bring on another wrestler who has made it to nationals, high school
nationals. And what's interesting about our next guest is that he's just a freshman. He's just a freshman and he's already made it to to wrestling on the varsity team and now he's going to nationals. It's just incredible. So quick break, When we come back, we have the big A. That's right, let's talk hydration. See, I carry something to drink with me every single place that I go because I am concerned about being dehydrated. It runs in the family.
Everything from dry mouth, dizzy spells, fainting. It's pretty serious and I've tried all the different types of waters and sports drinks. Let me tell you something right now. Liquid IV that has been the most efficient at keeping me hydrated and doing so pretty quick. OK, liquid IV has five essential vitamins and is 2 times faster at keeping you hydrated than water alone. And I'm serious man. Everything from vitamin C to
vitamins B3B5B6B12. Liquid IV also is non-GMO so it's free from gluten, dairy, soy. For all you folks out there with food allergies, this may be right up your alley. And I know what you're thinking, but how does it taste, Duke? Well, tastes pretty good. OK, we're talking my favorite and pina colada. We also have tropical punch, strawberry, new flavors like sea
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Stay hydrated. Most importantly, enjoy life. That's right. Now let's get on with the show. This is the big A Aiden squad, Trudeau, and I want you to start following your dreams. All right brothers and sisters, we are keeping this train going with highlighting some of the top high school wrestlers in the entire country, especially these folks who are going to the national tournament. And on this episode we have none other than a young man who is
only a freshman. He is only been wrestling for two years and Despite that fact, he's already gotten ten wins on varsity placed seventh in the varsity states in middle school. And that was just his first year, so he's already above that this year, accepted into the national tournament. Even took down the number 3 ranked wrestler in New England. Not bad right? Most importantly, he's he's a great young man and I'm so happy to have him on the show. So, so without further ado, welcome to Duke.
Loves wrestling the Big A himself. Aiden Squatrito. What's going on there? Big A. Nothing much, Duke. Glad to be on the podcast. Well, this is a long time coming, man, because I met you and your mom. Oh my goodness. It's been about 7-8 years at one of the WWE pay per views and you were just this little scrawny kid, you know, yelling and screaming at the wrestlers
there. Now Fast forward to today where you're literally taking on the who's who, including #3, ranked in New England and actually being able to take them down. I mean, talk to me about that, man. Talk to me about growing up being a pro wrestling fan and if that has influenced you on deciding to actually wrestle in school. Definitely. When I was a kid, I was really interested in wrestling.
I had all the like figures and stuff and I, my step dad would take me to all the wrestling events and stuff with my mom and it definitely influenced me to be the wrestler I am today. It definitely made me, you know, think about doing it when I was in 8th grade. It's definitely inspired me. And you know, seeing people out there definitely gave me like a go to go do it, you know? Who are some of your favorite
pro wrestlers, though? I I remember The Undertaker being my favorite, just 'cause you know how menacing he is. If you're able to get the type of size that the Undertaker has, Oh my goodness, forget about that. The intimidation factor that the Undertaker was able to bring to
the ring, I can see that. I can see that in you a little bit there, 'cause you're you're a guy that it's clear your opponents don't know what they're going to get when they first look at you, that, you know, you look like, OK, this kids, not as big as I am, and he hasn't been wrestling as long as I have. So, you know, this should be
light work. And then the match happens and you just flip the switch, man, where you're you're literally just trying to take people out right from the beginning. Talk to me about that strategy of being so aggressive literally right from the start of the match. I think being aggressive right from like the start is definitely a good way to you know, set the tone for the match and you know, make sure that I know I'm in control. Even if this person's better than me, he's ranked higher.
He weighs more than me. I don't mind because I know that if I, if I can, like, put my mind to, I can definitely, like, do something with the match. And just because they're a better opponent than me doesn't mean that I can't win, 'cause, you know, it's it's still possible. And that shouldn't, like, shouldn't, like, throw me off knowing that someone's better than me.
And I definitely, as I said, I just want to set the tone for the match right at the beginning and make sure that person knows that they're not just getting a free pin. You got that right. There are no free pins when it comes to the big A, OK, he means business here.
It's interesting because again, you you've only been wrestling for a couple of years now you as a freshman in high school, you've already gotten ten wins on varsity, which is just unheard of. I mean, for the most part, freshmen are supposed to do junior varsity, especially somebody with a lack of experience supposed to do junior varsity and and kind of get your legs under you there.
But you've been able to step up and and achieve some success and certainly being invited to nationals where you're going to compete on that stage, that just proves that, yeah, you know, you've arrived so to speak there. How does it feel, man? How does it feel to be able to accomplish so much in in such a short amount of time? It definitely feels great. I I feel like I'm wrestling people that have definitely. They have a lot more experience than me. I don't have the upper hand on
them because of that. But it's definitely like really cool that I'm doing all this stuff and all these achievements when it's only my second year and I'm looking around and all these other people are have been wrestling like their whole life and stuff. But I'm only on my second year and I'm still, you know, keeping up with them and stuff.
Now I got to ask you here because you know with all of that aggression, all of that speed, all of that determination that you bring into your high school wrestling matches, you better have a good diet to help fuel you up before you get out there. And certainly I know that you have Italian roots. So so talk to me about this here. Aiden what is the the big A? What is the Aiden squetrito meal that can get him ready to get in that wrestling ring and and and get some pins.
My favorite meal that my mom makes is definitely chicken Alfredo with broccoli. Like chicken Alfredo broccoli pasta. It's like my favorite meal ever. Anytime I anytime I'm presented with it is so good. I love it. My mom definitely makes it like at least one time a week because she knows how much me and my brother like it. But yeah, that's definitely what keeps me fueled. And every time I go to a match, I bring either Liquid IV or Pedialyte to keep me hydrated.
Definitely like during a long day of tournaments, I I want to stay hydrated. So that's what I'm mainly doing. You hear that folks? Aiden is bringing his Liquid IV to the matches, OK, and you know that Liquid IV actually is sponsoring this episode. And if if you head over to liquid-iv.com, you can save 20% off your entire order by using the promo code. Duke loves wrestling altogether. No spaces. Duke loves wrestling.
Save 20% off of that if it's if it's good enough for the big A. He's out there competing as a freshman and he's making moves. Ten wins on varsity already making it to nationals. If Liquid IV is good enough to fuel him, it's certainly is good enough to fuel you folks. So sharp. Better hydration today. liquid-iv.com. That's right. That's really cool. Chicken Alfredo. So I'm going to talk to your mom about that because I'm going to have to inspect this and make
sure that it's good. Because who knows, maybe I can become a wrestler after eating some of your mom's chicken Alfredo. What do you think about that? Yeah, I think that's definitely a possibility. You know, it's just keeps me fueled. It's the it's the best way to be the best wrestler you can be. Eat my mom's chicken Alfredo. I love it. How is everybody responding to you as a freshman?
Not only, you know, making it up to to varsity and having matches on varsity, but legitimately finding some success. I mean, how are the older kids taking that? They're definitely helping me, like in the room, like definitely drilling. They're definitely pushing me to my limits because they know my potential. Same with my coaches. They're they they definitely do
believe in me and they see that. The second year wrestler who's excelled in all all this stuff, like, you know, all my accomplishments that I have and I've definitely proved to them that I have a lot of potential and they definitely see that. That's awesome. Now, I know that it's early you you're a freshman, you got a long way to go, not just in your your wrestling career, but in life. You know, I got a long way to go there, but what are your goals?
I mean, if you look ahead to the future, what are you striving to accomplish? With all this wrestling stuff, I'm striving to get a scholarship to a school. I really want to go to college and you know, just a scholarship would. That's that's like my goal in wrestling. That's what I've been working to achieve and I definitely think I can do it if I keep up what I'm
doing. Well, certainly you stay determined, you you continue to put the work in and as you see, you know you'll get the results for sure there. Do you have any advice for anybody out there who may be considering going into wrestling but they're not too sure? I mean, again, you're you're a person who you're only two years into and you've already achieved so much. What do you say to anybody else who's thinking about it? I say that you, you do it, you know, you just commit to it.
You know right now, next season it starts like, 'cause right now it's offseason. Maybe go find a a club or team that's you can go practice in the offseason with and you know, to prepare yourself to wrestle in the actual season. It's definitely like, it's a great sport. It's like your team mates are like family to you and so are your coaches. It's just you need to like you just need to do it. It's just such an amazing sport, you know. It's just, it's just the leap of
faith. You just got to take it. Take the leap of faith. The big A is dropping some some gems on us today here. I love it. That's good stuff there. Listen, if anybody wants to check out some of your matches, I know that you just recently started a YouTube and you're going to continue to add some stuff to it. What's the best way folks can check you out on YouTube? Definitely. Just look up my name, Aidan Space SQUATRITO, Aiden Squad Trudeau. And I'm definitely going to post
my matches more. And if if you want to, you know support me too, you can go check that out. That's good stuff there. And once again you you can catch Aiden at the national championships for high school wrestling. There, folks, it's going to be a big deal. In fact, in the show notes, I'm going to be leaving some information on how you can donate with the national championships. It is up to the wrestlers and their families. They have to bear the brunt of that cost to get the athletes to
nationals so they can compete. So, and I've checked it out, I've vetted it. I am giving my stamp of approval on this. Once again, folks, you know I don't do solicitations too often there, but this is legit. And I know Aiden. I know his mom checked it out 100%. It's legit. So again, in the show notes you'll see the information. If you would like to assist Aiden on getting to nationals, certainly there's a way to do that. Aiden, listen, you're you're a great kid.
I am so proud of you, you know, being able to watch you grow and and and see what you've been able to accomplish in such a a relatively short amount of time. And I know that the Sky's the limit for you. So I'm going to challenge you to continue to just be the great person that you are, continue to stick with your family and continue to have fun. What do you say about that? I appreciate that. I'm definitely going to stick to it.
This is Tony Cavani. And we're definitely out of time on Duke. Love. Wrestling.