Jessie Godderz on Tara, Big Brother and His OVW Education

Fred: Hey, everybody, what’s going on? This is Fred Richani of TheSportsCourier.com and YouTube.com/TheSportsCourier, and we have a very special guest for our live chat. He’s a star of TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV and CBS’s “Big Brother,” a guy you’ve maybe seen on TMZ: Mr. PEC-Tacular, Jessie Godderz. Jessie, thank you so much for joining us. You’re recovering from a great tour of the UK. How did that treat you?

Jessie Godderz: It was an amazing time, and the UK fans obviously love me. It was very evident when I walked out there. Everybody was cheering for me. I don’t know if you heard it, but I heard it. It was deafening. I had to get my hearing checked when I got back, to be honest with you. And while I was cutting my promo, they panned across the sea of people who came out to see me. I got to showcase my abilities, I won again, everybody was happy, and I was on TV. It was a win-win situation.

Fred: But one situation that ain’t win-win for you: This week on Impact Wrestling, your girl Tara has to defend her Knockouts title against three other opponents. Is that fair?

Jessie Godderz: I honestly think Brooke Hogan stays up at night thinking, “How can we possibly screw over Tara and Jessie? Their life has to be so great and so lavish, we have to do something to interfere with that.” But it doesn’t matter, because Tara’s a champion. She’s been the champion since Bound for Glory, since I made my debut, coincidentally enough, and she’s been focused ever since. There’s not a chance she’s going to lose. I have nothing but the utmost faith in her.

Fred: You debuted on the biggest show of the year for TNA. I interviewed you almost a year to the day before this, when you were in OVW. Now you’ve debuted in TNA with a lot of hype from your reality TV and bodybuilding background, and you’re front row center with arguably the hottest woman on the roster and the dominant female in wrestling. What’s the ride been like?

Jessie Godderz: It’s definitely been a whirlwind of emotions. Once you work so hard for something, it’s good to see things start to pay off. Having Tara alongside me makes it even better, because we have such great chemistry, and now we can showcase on camera everything we do behind the scenes. Coming up from OVW and wrestling on the grand stage of Impact Wrestling on Thursday nights is kind of mind-blowing. I know how hard my road to get there was. I’m the youngest two-sport pro athlete, I have numerous bodybuilding titles, and I’ve been on reality TV for the last five years on network TV. With all those things accrued, I still had to scratch and claw and pull teeth to get people’s ear, so I have nothing but the utmost respect for anybody else, however they got there.

A lot of people think, “Oh, it’s because of your reality TV thing.” No. Because of the way I look, my intensity, the way I train and my diet, I’d already put in the time and shown my dedication before I ever got to wrestling. Now I have to parlay it into something I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t think was even fathomable. There have been a handful of Superstars I can look up to and say, “He did it, I can do it, too.” Once I got that, there was no contingency plan. If you give yourself a backup plan, you can always say, “Well, it didn’t work out. I’ll just go bag groceries.” Don’t give yourself that. Then all you have is the opportunity to succeed, and you’re willing to sacrifice everything, because that’s the only thing you have your eyes set on. Nobody has an easy road.

Fred: You’ve worked your butt off as an athlete since before reality TV or Impact Wrestling, and I feel like I can take you more seriously than certain other reality stars turned pro wrestlers, not to name any names. How important is it not only to be in shape but to look like somebody who could hold his own in a fight?

Jessie Godderz: You couldn’t be more right. That hits the nail on the head. I’m the guy everybody sees go out there, flex my muscles and kiss Tara, but at the end of the day, when I walk past you, I guarantee you I strike fear into people’s souls. Yeah, he flexes his muscles, and yeah, he kisses his girlfriend, but by no means does anybody want to pick a fight with me when I have my shirt off. That’s fact, because they know I’m one of the most jacked people in professional wrestling today. Some website named me the best physique in professional wrestling today.

Fred: How did wrestling come into your life? What age did you discover it, and who was your favorite star growing up?

Jessie Godderz: Easily around third grade, which is when I can remember most of my memories as a kid. To me, every single person on television was somebody I aspired to be because of their personalities. It was mostly on the weekends, so it was like cartoons, but with real people. You see these huge giants and people flying, and everybody’s their own actor and their own stuntman. They have swagger, some sort of walk or demeanor on their face, like they’re going to rip somebody’s head off. Whether they’re dancing, posing, flexing or just walking because they’re 7 feet tall, they’re larger-than-life characters. Any kid would want to be that. It’s like playing football and acting like you’re Peyton Manning. You grab your little brother and try giving him a suplex or a Stunner, or you jump off a bunk bed when you shouldn’t.

Obviously, guys like Buff Bagwell, Scott Steiner and especially Lex Luger, who were super ridiculously jacked, and then the face paint of Sting. And when they cut to the fans’ reactions, a little kid just staring up at them, that’s really what people are doing at home. I think a lot of people need to experience a wrestling show in real life to get the full capacity of it, the sportsmanship and the showmanship, the pyro and the music. Especially in the Impact Zone, when people talk about the electricity, you can really feel it. I still feel that. I get so worked up I stop breathing, because I start talking so fast.

Every time I go into the ring, I try to better myself and do something different, especially here at OVW, because we can make mistakes and get critiqued here. But you also need to step back and be that kid and remember what made you connect with somebody. I want a kid in third grade to remember seeing Mr. PEC-Tacular walking down to the ring, flexing and posing, with his girlfriend, the hottest Knockouts champion ever. Yeah, he lost, but who cares, because he still looks good, he’s on TV, and I got to see him. I want to make people care. I want a little kid to tug on his mom’s coat: “We’ve got to go to the wrestling show.”

Fred: The passion is oozing out of you, and I feel like that passion has oozed out of the whole roster the last year and a half. Since about 2011, with Bobby Roode on the rise, they’ve really turned it up a notch. Do you feel that positive energy when you walk into the arena?

Jessie Godderz: 100 percent, man. Every time I go to work, these are the best of the best, and if you’re not on your A-game, you’re liable not to be around very long. Watch Impact Wrestling on Thursdays, because these guys go out there and do everything but kill themselves. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. Austin Aries paved the way for a lot of people. The first day I was there, I went up to him and said, “I know it doesn’t mean much coming from somebody like me, but I want you to know I really appreciate everything you’ve done. You’re making strides for everybody, myself included.” I meant it.

Fred: Let’s get to some fan questions. A huge “Big Brother” fan asks: What has been your favorite “Big Brother” experience?

Jessie Godderz: When I was in the house, it didn’t really feel like an experience, but looking back, Keesha’s birthday was hilarious. The funeral I got the second time I was on, with Lydia, Chima and Natalie, was amazing. I was completely clueless to it. They had this awesome eulogy, like I had passed away, and everybody was crying real tears, because people care when I’m gone. I was the general of the ship. I was the glue holding it together. We’re not actors, people. This is real life. These women shed tears over me within 30 minutes of me leaving, and they all sat down and had one last meal for me.

The last time, I got to go in as Jessie Claus, take everybody’s bad food and send them packing with healthy tips for the new year. One man with one arm pulled that gigantic Santa bag full of food out of that house. Nobody knows this, but it took four grown men who worked for CBS to pull that sack afterward. It was easily close to 400 pounds, busting at the seams with everything from the refrigerator, and I was like, “I am not going to job out to this sack on national television.” I also got to interact with Dan Gheesling. I gave him a hug. A little redemption. I’m sure he’s a good guy.

Fred: Another fan asks for training advice for getting into shape at home or at the gym.

Jessie Godderz: A lot of people ask me how to get a PEC-Tacular physique, and I tell them all the same thing: Three generations of genetic breeding couldn’t give you the genes that I have. I’m not saying give up. I actually came out with a PEC-Tacular DVD, so that’s a good start. Otherwise, to be completely honest with you, Americans have horrible diets. The kitchen is where physiques are made and broken. It’s the dedication for the other 23 hours of the day, as opposed to the one hour you go to the gym, that makes all the difference in the world. Training is important, but start with your diet. That’s 80 or 90 percent of my physique.

Fred: Another fan asks: What are you trying to accomplish in TNA? Do you think you’re a future world champion?

Jessie Godderz: This question really sits in my mind, because there’s so much ridiculous talent in Impact Wrestling right now. I know my position. Right now, I want people to care when my music hits and when Tara’s music hits. I want to start there. Once I feel I can have great matches with the people at the top, that time will come. You don’t just go to the Super Bowl. You have to pay your dues and gain respect, and every single day is a reflection of how people are going to judge you. Rome wasn’t built overnight. Yes, I foresee that happening, because I already know I’m a champion. I’ve won titles on a vast array of stages across the country and around the world, and I’ve been in fitness magazines. I’ll put you to sleep with all the accolades. But it’s going to take time. I’m not going to say I’m taking on Jeff Hardy at the Impact Zone tomorrow. We’re in the microwave era, where everybody wants what they want and they want it now. Please excuse me, but my PEC-Tacular vernacular wants to showcase itself.

Fred: Robbie E and Robbie T have been trying to steal your thunder. What do you think about that?

Jessie Godderz: It can’t happen. First off, I’m a Maserati. I would never drive around with a dust cover on, and I’m surprised I have a shirt on right now. These two walk out there, and seriously, they’re good guys, I’m sure, but they cover themselves up. That takes away from them and showcases me more, which is fine with me. I won that bro-off, because I still left with the hottest Knockout in the entire company. Robbie T did a few flips, and it was cool for somebody of that size and stature to pull off some of those maneuvers. I’ll give him this: When Robbie T jumped up and started doing the fist pump, it was one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard in my life. I was genuinely flabbergasted and awestruck. I did not foresee that happening at all.

Fred: Another thing I didn’t foresee was King Mo joining Impact Wrestling, and apparently you believe he can be rivaled by you, as we saw on Spike TV. Any thoughts on King Mo, aka Muhammad Lawal, the Bellator light heavyweight tournament semifinalist?

Jessie Godderz: He talks all this mad stuff on Twitter. I don’t know if you’ve seen the way I look on Thursday nights. Now imagine that guy in a fight with me. I respect everybody’s profession, so I’ve been watching this tournament he fights in, and Spike TV’s exact line is “the toughest tournament in sports.” I love that line. I can’t compare that tournament to anything I’ve ever done, so prove me wrong. But I’m just saying, with King Mo in there, I could probably knock him out in the first round. Don’t forget, I was captain of my wrestling team in high school. My neck is bigger than his leg. Look at this jawline. Bring it, King Mo.

Fred: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned at Ohio Valley Wrestling, the developmental territory of TNA?

Jessie Godderz: Less is more. I have a lot of things I can do, but if I go out and have a match with Bully Ray and do every single move I have, what’s there to watch next week? That match was a battle, and I showed it in my face. When he hit me, he hit me hard, and when he chopped me, he chopped me hard.

Fred: Let me stop you there to dismiss a quick rumor. When you were at OVW, people were saying you didn’t like being chopped and complained about it. I thought that rumor was a little fugazy. Can you squash it on the air?

Jessie Godderz: Sure. If anybody wants to fight me, I’ll let you chop me as many times as you want. Let me punch you in the face just one time.

Fred: That match with Bully Ray was your first Impact Wrestling main event and a great showcase, hopefully one of many to come. You’ve trained under guys like Rip Rogers, Trailer Park Trash and Rob Conway. What’s it like being around these veterans?

Jessie Godderz: First and foremost, you can’t listen to anybody who hasn’t made money in this business. That’s where a lot of indie wrestlers waver. They listen to the wrong people. You just named a slew of people who have all made a living in this career for 15 years plus: Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, Rip Rogers, Trailer Park Trash, Danny Davis, Al Snow. I trained at a few other facilities, too, with Steve Keirn, Norman Smiley, Bubba Ray Dudley and Devon. That’s almost two handfuls of people with more than 200 years in the wrestling business combined, and that’s the only place I’m getting my information from. That’s why I’ve made huge strides. I’m not going out once a month to some indie promotion and having 12 matches in a year. I have 12 matches in three weeks.

Fred: A lot of fans might dismiss what a veteran like Tara can teach you, like a guy can’t learn something from a women’s wrestler. I beg to differ, and I think you would, too.

Jessie Godderz: Oh, 100 percent. She has a name and a career, so much so that she’s funded her own restaurant, because people care, people want to see her, she’s a draw and she’s good at what she does. Those are attractive traits: drive, poise, determination. You get knocked down, you get up again and again and shut people up. She’s done it through injuries and hard times, and she has a lot of respect from a lot of guys. She’s not only the apple of my eye, she’s my confidant, and we have a chemistry on camera and off camera that’s unmatched. It’s a day-to-day learning experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’d handle things a little more brashly, but she maneuvers through things so it’s almost the other person’s idea, when it was her idea to begin with. I value every time I get to wrestle with her.

Fred: Have you ever been in a movie, and would you want to be in an action film?

Jessie Godderz: I have never been in a movie. I’ve wholeheartedly taken on wrestling. This is what I’ve had my mind and heart set on for years. I’ve moved four different times to become a professional wrestler, and it’s finally come to fruition. If the opportunity presents itself and I can juggle it in my schedule, I’ll assess it, but by no means am I going to auditions. And what always sticks in my head when people ask if I want to be an actor is the little girl in “Braveheart.” She doesn’t say anything the entire time, and when Mel Gibson gets ready to leave again, she breaks down crying, and he runs back for that huge embrace. That little girl deserved every dollar she got paid. That has to be one of the hardest things you can possibly do. These professions take so many years, and people write them off with one question.

Fred: We really appreciate you taking time out of your busy PEC-Tacular schedule. We’ll get you out of here on this: What advice can you give aspiring wrestlers, or anybody who wants to follow their dreams like you have?

Jessie Godderz: It’s not an easy path. If it’s something you believe in and you’re passionate about, you’ve got to be better the next day than you were the day before. Whether you’re going to practice or showcasing your talents, that’s a commercial for your character and your work ethic. And respect everybody else’s profession. If you’re going to be a checkout clerk at a grocery store, be the best checkout clerk. I’ll be completely honest with you. I worked at Walmart when I was in college, and they tracked items per hour. I was twice as slow as the lowest person on that list, because I was talking to people the entire time and bagging things like I would want them: cold stuff with cold stuff, box stuff with box stuff, in as few bags as possible. I was trying to give them a good experience. Is that my fault? No. I’m just a good human being.

I’m a middle child, and I needed attention. I got in trouble all the time. Now I get to walk out on a grand stage on Thursday nights and get all the attention I can muster, because I found out what I’m good at and used all my resources and the stature God blessed me with. When I go to work, it’s not work. Figure out what your personality really is and what you’re really good at. Some people are never going to throw an 80-yard pass like Peyton Manning. You still need raw natural talent, and then you need to take that talent and supersede everybody else. Having a good team and a support system definitely helps, because there are going to be rocky roads and times when you want to give up. That’s where your passion should take over. You’ve got to be able to sacrifice. I’ve moved four times for this in the last three years.

Fred: Well said. You’re clearly passionate about what you do, which is very inspiring. Where can fans find you online?

Jessie Godderz: Find my fan page on Facebook. I run that myself, and I interact with people on it just as much as, if not more than, my personal page. Please follow that.

Fred: Jessie, thanks so much for the time. Can you flex one last time for the fans? Look at that right there. That is 100 percent PEC-Tacular.