Roderick Strong on His Hourlong War With Jay Lethal, CrossFit and PWG

Fred: I have right here on the line a very special guest. He’s one of two Ring of Honor Triple Crown Champions, he’s the current PWG Champion, he’s gunning for the ROH title, and he just celebrated his birthday and re-signed with Ring of Honor. I’m talking about one of the best wrestlers in the world, Roderick Strong. Roddy, how’s it going?

Roderick Strong: It’s going really good. How are you doing?

Fred: Great, my friend. How are you feeling after that one-hour match with Jay Lethal?

Roderick Strong: I’m feeling all right. Anytime you go into a big matchup, you try to get as ready as possible, and I’d had my eyes set on that date ever since I became the No. 1 contender, so I was prepared to go all night long if necessary. I got a little banged up, but nothing a little ice and hot tub time can’t take care of.

Fred: Did you weigh yourself after the match? I’d imagine you shed a few pounds.

Roderick Strong: That’s something I wish I’d done, but I didn’t know that was going to be the case at the time. It was hot in there, man. It was definitely an experience.

Fred: When did you find out you were going an hour?

Roderick Strong: When we were in the ring.

Fred: Wow. That’s amazing conditioning. You and Jay Lethal have both been great for a long time, but it really feels like a career year for you. What’s changed after well over a decade in the business?

Roderick Strong: A lot of it is just finding yourself. There are different aspects of professional wrestling that make a complete wrestler, and some I picked up easily along the way. I’d only been on the indies in Florida for a year and a half or two years as an adult before Ring of Honor, so I grew up in Ring of Honor as a wrestler, and people have had the opportunity to see every phase of it. Through trial and error and trying to understand myself, I figured out what’s best for Roderick Strong as a performer, and those seem to have been the missing pieces that made me an all-around performer.

Fred: You’ve always been in great shape, but you look great physically. Have there been any changes to your diet?

Roderick Strong: It’s not necessarily diet, it’s training. I got into CrossFit a little over a year ago, and I have a great weightlifting coach down here. I’ve always eaten well consistently, but once you get those two things clicking on all cylinders, that’s what changes the game. People had suggested I try CrossFit, and I love the competitiveness of it, but I also love that it’s so technique-oriented. You’re learning all the time, and it keeps you on your toes. Seth Rollins had a few leftover sessions at a gym near my house from when he lived down here for FCW, and he gifted them to me to open that door, because he was one of the main people suggesting it. I went, got hooked and absolutely love it.

Fred: So believe the hype on CrossFit.

Roderick Strong: A lot of it is finding the right coach and the right gym for you, but yes, totally. It’s work capacity, and that makes so much sense for what we do as performers, being able to keep a grueling pace even when you’re exhausted. It challenges you mentally and physically, and there’s nothing better than that to me.

Fred: If I’m not mistaken, you recently celebrated your 32nd birthday. Happy belated birthday. It’s hard to believe you’ve been around so long and are still so young. How’s your body feeling?

Roderick Strong: It feels pretty good, and that’s another way CrossFit changed me. With such functional training, mobility is key, and with improved mobility comes a better-feeling body. The standard bodybuilding style of training doesn’t necessarily translate to what we do, and for me it made me too stiff. This has really opened me up. Increased mobility needed to be re-evaluated and put at the top of the list, next to diet and training, to extend my career.

Fred: The big news is that you just re-signed with ROH for one year. A ton of fans are excited about a rematch with Jay Lethal, but the question on everybody’s mind is whether you’ll still be allowed to defend your PWG title.

Roderick Strong: I’m not going anywhere from PWG for a long time. Unless I retire or end up going somewhere else, I think I’m just going to retire with the belt. So no worries.

Fred: I didn’t realize you were trained back in the day by Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and The Warlord. What was training under them like?

Roderick Strong: I was a kid, so it obviously wasn’t as grueling for me as it was for my dad and the other guys who trained with him. I’m a visual learner, and I got to learn small details from Jim that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, because I was around a lot of local guys who hadn’t been to the places he’d been. I learned a lot about physicality and how important it was. Being around The Warlord was pretty unique too. He’s a huge guy, and I just bumped around a little bit. I didn’t necessarily learn that much from him, but being around guys who had been in the WWF and had success was very motivating, knowing that one day that could be you.

Fred: Ring of Honor has always had great matches and believable, logical angles, but this last year and a half it seems to be clicking on all cylinders. Do you get that feeling in the locker room?

Roderick Strong: Totally. It’s such a team atmosphere. My goal is to get in the ring and make everybody better, and I think everybody wants to get better, from the opening match guys all the way up to our bosses. They want to improve the product and the brand of Ring of Honor as much as they possibly can. It’s really impressive. Sometimes I sit down and think, “Holy crap, there were 300 people at the Murphy Rec Center, and now look at it.” It’s amazing.

Fred: We asked fans to submit questions. From George: Bryan Alvarez once called your match with Kurt Angle 10 years ago the greatest squash match he’s ever seen. If Kurt Angle’s TNA contract expires, would you love to wrestle him one more time?

Roderick Strong: Of course. I mentioned that a few years ago when my Ring of Honor contract was up and I tested free agency a little. That was a match I wanted, and I believe Mike from HighSpots tried to make it happen once, but it didn’t work out. Kurt is such a wrestling machine, and as I’ve gotten further along in my career, I pride myself on conditioning and being aggressive. Kurt’s not in the prime of his career anymore, but I still think we could put on a hell of a match.

Fred: Scott asks: Who is the most underrated talent in Ring of Honor?

Roderick Strong: I’d say Silas Young, but I think people are starting to get it. He’s a unique character with a little more of a classic style, but he still brings good physicality. I think the next year will be a big one for him in Ring of Honor.

Fred: Who is your dream opponent?

Roderick Strong: I have a bunch of them: Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Dynamite Kid, Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, Rey Mysterio. I could go on for days. And I would love to wrestle Brock Lesnar.

Fred: From Allen: I watched a few PWG DVDs and absolutely loved them. Could you see them trying internet pay-per-view? It’s a crime these shows aren’t broadcast live.

Roderick Strong: No. I think the minute they do that, they lose part of what makes them unique. Not doing live pay-per-view leaves the door open for people under contract with other companies that don’t allow that kind of thing to wrestle there. You either get a ticket or wait for the DVD, and being the only company like that is actually a big thing. I don’t think they should change anything.

Fred: It seems like such a fun atmosphere. You guys work your asses off in PWG, but without the cameras rolling live, it seems looser.

Roderick Strong: Definitely. Everyone, from the wrestlers on down, is going there to party, and not necessarily getting drunk, just good energy. I don’t work any harder there than anywhere else, but I get to bring a different aspect of who I am as a wrestler. It’s a fun crowd, and you want to give the people something back.

Fred: Last one: How long do you want to keep wrestling?

Roderick Strong: That really depends. I’d love to do it forever, but I feel like I’m just starting to hit my athletic prime, so maybe five or seven years, depending on what happens down the road. Money definitely talks. As long as I’m still bringing the same me to the ring, I’ll do it, but the minute there’s a noticeable decline, I’ll retire immediately.

Fred: Well said. The floor is yours to plug where fans can find you on TV and online.

Roderick Strong: Every Wednesday night at 11 on Destination America, and if you’re in an area with a Sinclair Broadcast Group station, go to ROHWrestling.com for a link to where and when it airs in your area. Look me up on Twitter at @RoderickStrong, on Instagram and on Facebook.

Fred: Easy enough to follow. Roddy, thanks so much for the time, and best of luck with everything.