Bow Wow’s plans to join the WWE are underway. As Wrestling Inc. reported, WWE legend Rikishi will help to train the “Bounce with Me” emcee and prepare him for his wrestling debut.
“I’m very excited to be able to be the guy…to give him this knowledge and help train him,” Rikishi said. “For me, it’s good for business. If Bow Wow can come into our industry and put asses in seats at WrestleMania, then why not? And everybody should motivate him or help him because him coming in, or anybody coming in from hip hop or the movie industry into our industry. Obviously they’re green, and they need to be smartened up.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also said that Bow Wow — who will go to his California gym later this month — will be trained like all of his clients despite his celebrity status.
“In order for him to really understand the industry correctly, we got to put that all aside,” the wrestler said. “He’s got to understand what it is when he gets in the ring, how to protect himself, how to be a storyteller and all that theatrical movement.”
Rikishi and Bow Wow’s relationship stems back to around 2000 when they met each other on a flight to Atlanta.
“I was actually coming onto a flight in Atlanta, and as I was making my way to my seat in first class, there Bow Wow was,” Rikishi told Wrestling Inc. “I think he was about 9 or 10 years old at the time, but he was already making hit records, and we just kind of kicked off.”
“Me, I was on my way to work, and I knew who he was,” he went on. “My father figure kind of kicked in saying, ‘I’m very proud of you and continue the hard work. Make sure you do good in school and that kind of stuff.’”
Nearly 20 years later, after establishing a career in hip hop and Hollywood, Bow Wow announced his plans to tackle the world of wrestling in a tweet that got Rikishi’s attention.
“I just put a message out to him,” said the wrestler. “I just felt like I knew this kid for a long time, and again my passion for the business and for those coming in, I just felt obligated to teach him the right way.”