X-Pac 1, 2, 360 Recap w/ Rich Swann – Brian Lawler’s Death, Swann’s Interaction With Vince McMahon, Signing With Impact Wrestling, More!

X-Pac opens today’s show by speaking about the death of Brian Christopher Lawler, better known for his time in WWE as Grandmaster Sexay. He says he’s very pissed off about the circumstances that led to Lawler’s death. Lawler was placed in solitary confinement, apparently for his own safety after he was arrested for a DUI, and ultimately hung himself.

X-Pac notes that he’s been in that situation, and solitary confinement is the worst possible place you can imagine. He adds that you mightn’t be suicidal before being placed in solitary, but that place can make you think bad things. He doesn’t think Lawler deserved to be placed in solitary for that length of time, especially since he wasn’t a dangerous person.

X-Pac points out that he loved Lawler, and spent a lot of time with him during the time they worked together in WWE. He’s just so angry that Lawler was placed in a situation where this outcome became a possibility. He notes that Lawler had his demons, but he loved him very much.

He was also very sad to hear about the passing of Nikolai Volkoff this past week. Volkoff recently suffered a heart attack and died due to heart complications after refusing surgery that could have lengthened his life. X-Pac calls Volkoff a wonderful, sweet guy who was a legitimate physical threat in real life.

X-Pac welcomes Rich Swann to the show.

Swann informs that he began training to become a professional wrestler at age 15. He notes that while training was obviously beneficial, he learned far more about the business both in and out of the ring when started travelling. He points out that that working on the road really opens your eyes to the business.

He was 16 years old when he had his first match and he was terrified about working against grown men. He didn’t want to disrespect his trainers by having bad matches. Luckily, his first few opponents were seasoned veterans who really helped him get though the matches.

Swann signed with CZW early on in his career, where he worked with talents such as Sami Callihan, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. He notes that a lot of CZW informers would do anything to get the audience hot. He can’t even describe some of the things he saw other performers due there, admitting that he wouldn’t even be able to think up some of the spots he witnessed.

Swann is asked about any specific interactions he had with Vince McMahon while working for WWE. He notes that prior to his first 205 Live main event match with Brian Kendrick McMahon was very vocal with them, wanting them to sell and tell a story. They had a great match that night and McMahon was very happy when they went back through the curtain.

X-Pac mentions that he watched 205 Live when it started and he thought Swann connected with audiences more than any other performer. Swann thinks he connected with the WWE Universe because he considers himself relatable as a person and as a performer.

Swann is asked about the difference between working the Cruiserweight Classic and 205 Live. He notes that the Cruiserweight Classic was filmed in a smaller arena, where fans pop for the crazier spots because it’s right in front of them. In a big arena you can’t move too quick because the fans can’t keep up with it, and he realized early on in 205 Live that he needed to slow down a bit.

Swann informs that he likes working with bigger guys because it allows him to tell an easy story and he likes the challenge of coming up with those ideas. X-Pac notes that he made most of his money over the years by working believably against bigger men.

Swann says he’s happy to have signed with Impact Wrestling recently. He feels the company is growing and he thinks the roster is stacked with talent. He’s not sure where he’ll ultimately end up on the depth chart there, but he’s just excited to be part of the team.

X-Pac asks Swann if he enjoys working tag team matches. Swann informs that he really enjoys tag team matches because it allows performers to show a different side of their character. He points out that some performers might not like being placed in tag matches, but he doesn’t feel that way at all.

That sums up this week’s episode of X-Pac 1, 2, 360. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!