0:01

Are you ready for this? Jean

0:04

Merriman a one hand effect. Boom

0:06

boom boom, out go the light. This

0:10

his Lights Out with Sean

0:12

Merriman. What's up? Guys

0:14

were back again with another Lights Out podcast

0:16

Me Shawn Merriman and today is you know,

0:18

I say we've got some special people on some time, and we

0:20

do. We got some great guests, guys, come on, always

0:23

shown love sharing these great stories.

0:26

Uh. For me is someone who were

0:28

probably more closer to a family member

0:30

than anything else. My Maryland

0:32

terrapint brother. Uh w

0:34

w E let's say former WW

0:36

superstar because he you know, was just released

0:38

in party ways. But w

0:40

W Superstar Mojo rally,

0:43

um, one of the most exciting, most

0:45

charismatic, most energy, always

0:48

keeping it hype guys that I've

0:50

ever came across No Mojo in his family for

0:52

years. Um, he was just released by

0:54

the w W. Sometime agost we'll get into

0:56

that. We'll talk a little bit about his uh

0:59

his next move for one, and also his past

1:01

in the NFL career and how

1:03

he uh can make that correlation

1:06

isn't the same with night. So I got a good

1:08

convo coming up with my boy here. Mojo

1:10

rally. What's

1:13

up brother? How you feeling man? Man? Big?

1:17

What's gonna see you with that? Lights out to you on? Man?

1:19

Come on, man, this is my favorite one right

1:21

here. I rocked this thing very

1:24

frequently. It's my go to. I know you sent

1:26

me a lot of stuff which I also wear, but this

1:28

was my favorite one, so you know, we had

1:30

to bring it on the cat. I've

1:33

probably seen you with that shirt on in

1:35

five different countries at least. I

1:38

was like, look. I was like, look

1:40

at my man overseas rocking man, showing love.

1:42

That share brings me luck. Baby, I'm

1:46

not gonna actually look at it, but uh

1:48

yeah, but how you feeling, man?

1:50

A bunch of changes you have? You guys had some stuff

1:52

coming up, a bunch of changes that you're going through

1:54

right now, right with the release and everything. How you

1:56

feeling about that? Bro? I feel great,

1:59

man. You know, I wasn't

2:01

expecting to be feeling this good this fast.

2:03

You know, like I just got released.

2:06

I don't even what is the July seven or

2:08

like a month a month ago or something

2:11

like. And and I'm filling

2:13

up quick, man. I'm more busy now than I

2:15

feel like I've ever been. And you know, just

2:17

a lot of good things coming up. You know, I'm in the new

2:19

G I. Joe movie Snake Eyes, which I'm stoked

2:22

about, and that comes out in July,

2:24

twe so that'll be big. Yeah.

2:27

And just so you know, I started a business with some buddies,

2:29

you know, representing former w W wrestlers,

2:32

getting the marketing, gigs and appearances everything,

2:35

the Paragon and Talent Group and uh,

2:37

dude, the best part about being

2:40

free now is the freedom.

2:42

You know, I can do everything. I can do anything.

2:45

I don't have to ask permission anymore to

2:47

post on my Instagram or do anything,

2:50

bro, And I'm just loving it doing honestly,

2:52

on all the years that I've known you, and we go back

2:54

and we'll talk about the Maryland time and everything

2:56

else, but out of all the years I've known you, I don't think

2:58

I've ever seen you in a bad move

3:01

ever. I mean, even even

3:03

times where I'm like, dude, he got to

3:05

be piste off about that, Like, Nope,

3:07

not not not one time, and not not one

3:10

single time I've ever seen you in a bad move

3:13

there. You know, you used to have to work hard

3:15

to keep it that way, and then eventually it just becomes

3:17

a state of mind and you know, roll with

3:19

the punches, as you know, and you know, sometimes

3:22

things suck and get out of your control. I mean, what

3:25

are you gonna do. You're gonna complain and cry about it, complaining

3:27

online and just you know, smiling and moving and

3:29

keep it moving and find the next gig. You

3:31

know what's you know what's crazy about that? Because and

3:34

I tell anybody this, I don't care if you're w

3:37

W W entertainment, if you're with NBA,

3:40

NFL, doesn't matter. At some point in time, you're

3:43

gonna get cut, released, traded.

3:46

And so did you at any point because obviously

3:48

you play, you had a short stint in in in the

3:50

NFL, so that was your first time like

3:53

okay, you know what, I'm

3:55

being released cut or I didn't make the squad or

3:57

something. Did that prepare you at all

4:00

for like something like this to happen or you just

4:02

like okay, that's that's one part. Oh

4:04

yeah, absolutely, man um.

4:06

You know, going into Green Bay as an undrafted

4:09

rookie, you know you're fighting an uphill

4:11

battle. And for me, like it was the first

4:13

year they were switching to a

4:15

A three four from A four three, So they

4:18

had way too many d linement as it is.

4:20

So you know, I knew no matter how well I played,

4:22

you know, it wasn't gonna be anything personal against

4:25

me. It's just you know, they already they already got their guys.

4:27

They had a first round pick at my position anyway,

4:29

So you know, you just enjoy the experience.

4:32

You work as hard as possible so you're getting no

4:34

regrets later. And then you know, I go to

4:36

Arizona and I had a calf injury which

4:38

kind of ended that run. So kind

4:40

of two different ways of of exiting

4:43

a team. Um, but you know that kind

4:45

of like rejection and you know, even being a

4:47

college walk on and stuff like all that kind

4:49

of stuff just just prepares you for these

4:52

moments. You know, it's not you know,

4:54

it's not your first rodeo. This

4:56

isn't the end of your existence. You

4:58

know, if you would have told me when I got when I got

5:00

cut in Arizona for that injury,

5:02

that I was gonna go off and have almost ten years

5:04

in the w w E, like, I wouldn't

5:07

have been upset one bit. Like That's it's

5:09

a pretty good transition right there. So I

5:12

was kind of looking at this the same way, man, Like,

5:14

these these things happen, like you said, it's gonna happen

5:16

to everybody, And when your name gets

5:18

called and it's your turn, just keep rocking,

5:20

and you know, prepare yourself. You know, when you

5:22

see that the writings on the wall, be

5:25

realistic with yourself, know that this

5:27

could possibly happen, and

5:29

start to put play b in place. What

5:31

which which better? The

5:33

locker room in the NFL, but on the locker

5:36

room in the w W, Because I noticed

5:38

something, man, with my time that I was around

5:40

a lot of the talent, around a lot

5:42

of the announcers and and people

5:44

to work there. I think

5:47

the w W locker room is tougher. I mean

5:49

in my opinion, right as far as

5:51

like you might have your older vents,

5:53

right, so when you walked in the locker room with Green Bay and ever,

5:56

like you might have your older vents and you're like, okay,

5:58

you get the hazing and all that stuff. That's that's

6:00

part of it. But I felt like there

6:03

was a there was a lot more tension and

6:06

maybe personalities is what I can't don't

6:08

I can't really put a finger on it. But it was a

6:10

different feel being in the locker room with in the w

6:12

B that

6:15

I'm definitely with you on that. I mean, you know how

6:17

it is a football man, everyone's kind of kind

6:19

of boys. Even if you're like competing with a guy,

6:22

um men, you want his job or he wants yours,

6:25

you kind of understand it's part of the game. It's

6:27

not as dirty. You don't

6:29

take it as personal, you know. Um,

6:32

you know, it's a little bit more of a brotherhood. I mean,

6:34

w W you have that too. Um.

6:36

And of course all it takes is one one

6:38

bad dude in the in the locker room to kind

6:40

of ruin it for everybody. But there's

6:43

just a lot of like unspoken

6:45

rules like traditions

6:47

that um, you know they might the

6:49

vets might not check you on or alert

6:52

you to but you know you'll get buried

6:54

for that stuff. Like for example, like every time

6:56

you walk in the locker room, you're supposed to shake everybody's

6:59

hand in locker rooms, say hello,

7:01

greet everybody individually, you know, for like

7:03

football players, man, we see each other

7:05

every day the same way. So it's like, man, that's no,

7:07

you don't dude, you don't have to shake my hand fifty times.

7:10

But I don't want to shake forty hands before

7:12

this practice starts. Man, Like, all right, man, I'll

7:14

see you over there. But wrestling, you

7:16

know, it can be like that too. But sometimes you

7:18

just never know dudes. Dudes might take that

7:21

that mad personal and there's just there's

7:23

a little bit more of a learning curve and you know, growing

7:25

pains, uh coming in and

7:28

um, it just can get it can get trickier.

7:30

Man. I'm not gonna say it's necessarily

7:33

better or worse, but there it's a lot more

7:35

complex. I'll say, yeah, no,

7:37

it's definitely I'm gonna use the word hell

7:39

man, less friendly, you know. I like,

7:42

like you said, man, it's just less friendly when you're getting

7:44

there. And I don't know if everybody's like kind of getting

7:46

ready for the show they you know, getting ready for going

7:49

character whatever it is. But to me, I was like, man,

7:51

this is I'm gonna walk around and say what's

7:53

up? You know, if I see you, are you doing whatever?

7:56

I'll keep molki on, kind of keep it moving. And

7:59

I didn't get a lot that over there when when

8:01

I with my time's working there. But it was definitely

8:03

an experience. So you you said you got

8:05

the you got the movie coming up. Yes, sir July,

8:08

I know I've seen it. I've seen a small clip you

8:10

showed me some time ago. But when does that drop? Yes,

8:14

sir, So we filmed at the end of nineteen

8:18

I think, and dude, it was

8:20

just it was dope. Bro. I was so excited. You

8:22

know. I literally just got a call out

8:24

of left field and got asked if I wanted to

8:26

be in the movie. It kind of came as a

8:28

complete shock to me. So for me, I was like,

8:31

hell, yeah, I want to be in the next g I

8:33

Joe movie? Are you kidding? Me? Huge

8:35

fan as a kid. And you know, we just went out

8:37

there and we did our filming.

8:39

It went great. It was so fun. Everyone,

8:42

the director, of the producers, all the actors

8:44

that you know I got to work with. We're all just great

8:47

people, very friendly, uh you know,

8:49

curious, you know, coming in and the former

8:51

football player and a wrestler at the time.

8:54

You know how it is when you walk into a locker room sometimes

8:57

guys might look at you like, Yo, this guy's going

8:59

in for my job. Screw him. You know, I don't want

9:01

anything to do with this guy. Didn't

9:03

get that by it at all. It wasn't like any rookie

9:05

hazing or anything. I think they just looked

9:07

at me as here's a guy that you

9:09

know, comes from a different industry

9:11

who's put in his time there, but you know he

9:13

can add value to this movie maybe, And

9:16

you know that everyone was just all aces

9:18

bros a great time. Man. I'm just stoked

9:21

it's finally announced some in so I can talk

9:23

about it, and I think it's gonna be dope.

9:25

I mean, this movie was really exciting

9:27

and the trailers look incredible. H

9:29

Henry gold in the League was just top

9:32

notch to work with. Bro. I literally felt like

9:34

this dude was coming in, you know, after

9:36

a football or wrestling career, like he's a

9:38

great athlete. I kind of wasn't expecting that,

9:40

you know, for someone that's you know, been

9:43

in Hollywood. You know, you

9:45

can't really expect all those guys to be great athletes.

9:47

But he was. Man, he he was awesome to

9:49

work with. Fox Sports Radio has the

9:52

best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch

9:54

all of our shows at Fox sports Radio

9:56

dot com and within the I Heart

9:59

Radio app search that's are to listen

10:01

live. So many guys

10:03

are making that transition from wrestling to

10:06

the big screen. Right, so you had you know, Hawk Hogan

10:08

obviously a long time ago, but you

10:10

know Stone Coast, Steve Alston lately, you know

10:12

day Bautista, Um,

10:15

God, obviously you know. And at the Rock,

10:17

right do you start looking at a lot of these

10:19

guys say, you know what they they did it, I

10:21

can do it too. Was like, you know what, I'm making

10:23

my own way in this thing, you know, I think,

10:26

um, a little bit of both man. You know,

10:28

like it shows you it can be

10:30

done. So that's always good. I think that's even

10:32

more important for the rest of the world to

10:34

see that, Hey, these wrestlers. You

10:37

know, it's a very different business, but there's

10:39

a lot of similarities and a lot

10:41

of cross over here, and these these guys can come

10:43

in and be successful. Um. I think

10:46

that's that's more important for the for

10:48

the world to see than even like some of us

10:50

to know. No, it's possible because you know, if

10:52

you're worth your salt and you're an athlete and a professional,

10:55

you're gonna at least believe in yourself a bit.

10:57

To an extent, I mean that you're not gonna be

10:59

successful you have no self confidence. But

11:01

yeah, man, I also want to come in and I want to do

11:04

my own thing. I think, um, my skill

11:06

set and what I'm good at is a lot different than

11:08

than some of those guys. Um. You know, of course

11:10

there might be some crossover, but you know

11:12

the you've heard the Rocks say there's only

11:15

one the Rock. You know the same

11:17

thing from Mojo. I know there's only one

11:19

Mojo, one guy out there that has the combination

11:22

of my assets, And it's just finding

11:24

a way to to research that business,

11:26

to study it, to become a

11:28

student, and um, take take what I'm

11:30

good at, hang my hat on it, and find a way to

11:33

transition in. So I'm definitely looking forward

11:35

to more for sure. No, Look,

11:37

I know you've got plenty of stuff lined up

11:39

because I know you.

11:41

I know you're long enough to say you know what he's

11:44

he If the writing was on the wall

11:46

already, I know you had to start to sniff around

11:49

and look, you know, I know the opportunities whatever,

11:51

man, So I know you got the movies and

11:53

and businesses and everything you know going right now,

11:56

it's a possibility you could be stepping back in the ring.

11:58

Uh, Honestly, I I

12:01

hope so I want to. I definitely think

12:03

that will happen because that's I mean, that's your that's I

12:05

mean, you built what you've done, you Aloyse

12:08

Tagures, you built a name for yourself, and you

12:10

build a fan base audience,

12:13

it will almost be crazy not for you to at

12:15

least test awaters. But

12:17

at this point, like being fresh

12:20

out, you know, I want to kind of diversify,

12:22

expand myself, like try these new businesses

12:24

and these new industries that I haven't been

12:27

able to do while I was under contract before.

12:29

You know, with nine years, we can't really

12:31

do anything outside of uh, outside

12:34

of the company. So at this point, in

12:36

the short term, I want to heal up. I

12:38

want to get my body feeling a hundred so I

12:40

can get back in the game and make the

12:42

biggest flash. But yeah, one my

12:44

I don't think my wrestling career. I

12:47

don't want my wrestling career to be done. I definitely

12:49

plan on returning at some point.

12:52

I just want to make sure that when I do, it's

12:55

with the biggest impact um and

12:57

I can I can do the most, you know, like doing all

12:59

these other things is only gonna get

13:01

my name out there more kind of increase

13:03

my star power. So when I come back you

13:05

know it can be and hopefully a more a more favorable

13:08

position. I built my equity up more so

13:10

I can get a little bit more of a rub, a little bit

13:12

more of an opportunity than I have before.

13:15

What you're gonna miss about it, though, man, because

13:18

obviously it's politics and all

13:20

this ship, right, it's you know, when you play in NFL,

13:22

you you canna ask everybody. You're gonna

13:24

miss the locker room, right, You're gonna miss being around the guys.

13:26

But what what's like some of the things with some of the

13:28

people or stories, like you're gonna miss kind of being

13:30

around the thing. I'm this is a

13:32

no brainer for me. Bro. The

13:35

international tours were

13:37

just the best, man. So it was

13:40

like two and a half

13:42

three weeks of travel every

13:44

single day. You're doing a show every single day

13:47

in a different country or a

13:49

different city. You'll go in the Middle East for

13:51

two three days, and then you trek over

13:53

to you know, maybe the United Kingdom,

13:55

and then you're hitting Europe and you might finish

13:57

an Asia. Like you're you're all over

13:59

the ice and it's a lot of travel, but man,

14:01

it turns into one

14:04

big NonStop party the whole

14:06

time because you know, that's the only time of the

14:08

year where we don't have to get rental

14:10

cars ourselves. You know that we're

14:12

paying for to transport us from show

14:15

to show where we're we're doing the actual

14:17

drive, and that's that's like, all right, we're on this

14:19

this charter plane or or the charter bus

14:22

and they're driving us around half these shows

14:24

are you know, the streets. The traffic

14:26

moves in the opposite direction, so that would be a disaster

14:29

if we tried to drive. But you're

14:31

just pretty much you're usually wrestling the same

14:34

same guy or the same couple matches the whole

14:36

tour, so you can get a good chemistry and a good

14:38

field with somebody and and really go

14:40

out there and kill it and have a good match. And you're

14:43

you're wrestling similar matches in front

14:45

of different crowds every single

14:47

night, so you're getting to see how they react.

14:49

And then during the day or even afterwards, you're

14:51

either going out and partying in

14:53

Spain, or you know, you're going out and you're touring

14:56

room and seeing the colosseum before

14:58

the match, and then you then you go to

15:00

the show, wrestling in front of a room crowding

15:02

then you go party in a row, that

15:06

being around the boys, that locker rooms, feel

15:09

on the road, traveling a bunch

15:11

and just doing what's like literally everything

15:13

that I love every single day

15:15

for three weeks straight. I mean that was that

15:18

was it. My first tour was the best

15:20

time of my life. Yeah. I've heard some

15:22

of those stories. We talked about it, some

15:24

incredible ones. All right. So so so the last

15:26

thing, what is

15:29

all dirty churchs Maryland Terrapin is gonna

15:31

do this year? Man? What what we what do we got

15:33

going on? Man? Like, there's

15:36

a lot of excitement with obviously Mike

15:38

Locksley and those you know, the Mike Locksley,

15:40

head coach of the University Maryland Terupins.

15:42

Well we both me and Moja

15:45

we're home grown over there. Um,

15:47

there's a lot of height going on right

15:49

now with recruitment and just what they're

15:51

building on over there. What what are you feeling

15:53

that's gonna happen this year? Now? I know on my

15:56

end when I feel, But what are you feeling over there? Bro?

15:58

We're about to have a breakout year man. And I mean,

16:00

you know, it's a tough situation when you're

16:03

coming in as a new coach for locks to come

16:05

in and the the guys that he's taken

16:07

out on Saturdays, they're not the guys

16:09

that he hand picked. It wasn't the team he put

16:11

together. I mean, those guys will become like

16:14

sons to him, of course, but you know now

16:16

that he's been able to be there for a little bit and spend

16:18

some time with his troops, and now they're his

16:20

and he can put his stamp on him and

16:23

he's killing it in the recruiting game,

16:25

which we all knew was coming the second the

16:28

second they announced that he was going to be the coach.

16:30

That's like the first place you know my

16:32

mind when it was like, yo, finally

16:35

all this homegrown talent is gonna finally

16:37

start to stay, you know at Maryland.

16:40

You know, because the d m V is one of the most talented

16:42

areas in the country and it drives

16:44

me nuts when our five star guys bounce

16:47

out to other other schools. When you got

16:49

just this this massive school

16:51

that has something for everybody that's in

16:54

the nation's capital, with that

16:56

media outlet there and those all that

16:58

opportunity and of course the

17:01

best jerseys in all of sports.

17:05

I got my little uh terp swall

17:07

over there. And then come on, here

17:09

we go. But yeah, dude, I'm

17:11

stoked. Man. I think Loxley was the man

17:13

for the job, and uh, it's time to

17:15

get rocket man. They've already put up some big

17:18

wins against big teams while he's been there,

17:20

and now that he's got some time with him now

17:22

to you know, we can be more consistent

17:24

with that and showing everybody what we got.

17:27

I say this all the time, and people argue with my

17:29

ass and say, look, if everybody

17:31

from the d MV area stayed home

17:34

and went to Maryland, we can compete

17:36

with anybody in the country Texas,

17:38

Georgia, Florida, California.

17:41

It doesn't matter. We have just

17:43

as many athletes, if not more than everyone

17:45

else. Now we might miss out on some of

17:48

the five star offensive linement or you

17:50

know one one of you know, one of those positions.

17:52

But I said, pound for pound, player

17:54

for player, skill for skill, if

17:57

every student athlete

17:59

and at DC Maryland Virginia stayed at home

18:01

and what to Maryland will be number one, Oh,

18:04

no doubt in my mind. I mean, they put out

18:06

the top high school you

18:08

know athletes, the number one you

18:10

know what, Gatorade Player of the Year or whatever it is

18:13

in the d m V. That guy is always in the DMV,

18:15

you know. Uh, there's just so much

18:17

talent, bro, And I'm right there with you and for

18:19

me, like I'm actually not from

18:22

you know, as you know, I'm not from Maryland.

18:24

Originally, I'm from Alexandra, Virginia, which

18:26

is um, you know, the border of

18:29

you know, Nova, the border of the d n B. But

18:31

like I never wanted to go to Virginia

18:33

Tech or uv A even though those were technically

18:36

the the end state schools, Like I paid

18:38

double in the beginning as a walk on to

18:41

go to Maryland because it was less than a half

18:43

hour from my house and that was

18:45

always the hometown schools for me. Like,

18:47

you know, forget what the state says,

18:50

this is the region the d m B. I claimed

18:52

the d m B DC Maryland, Virginia, not

18:55

the rest of Virginia. That's a whole different

18:57

states to me. So yeah, I'm with

18:59

you, man to keeping them hometown

19:01

boys home. And uh there there's

19:03

nobody that can touch us if that was the case.

19:06

Absolutely, my dude, my brother, Hey,

19:08

I appreciate you for coming on man as always,

19:11

Uh tell your pops, man, I love your pop.

19:14

Well, dude, he's been upstairs waiting for this, was

19:16

he Oh my god, But I

19:18

had the funniest thing. I was standing out standing

19:20

Mojoe's trip and I was just sitting

19:22

there kicking, and he got this love seat. I don't know if you

19:25

call that in your living room love cushion, love love

19:27

love sack. There you go. I fell asleep

19:31

the damn love sack that thing is. I

19:33

sat down for two seconds and that was the last

19:35

thing I remember. Uh So, anyway, man,

19:37

I appreciate you as always tell you, Pops, I said,

19:40

what's up? And I'll be down here soon. Bro.

19:42

You know we're always holding it down for lights out.

19:44

And you know too that every time

19:46

before I hit that big forearm

19:49

knockout shot my you know my w

19:51

W Matches, which was my finisher right

19:53

before I hit it, it was always lights out the

19:56

lights out. Man, Dude, you're

19:58

the best bro. I appreciate ate your brother. I'll

20:01

hit you when we get off. You got a brother. Thanks

20:06

guys for listening to another lights Out podcast.

20:08

Me Sean Merriman, Um and cool.

20:10

We have good story some of those stories

20:12

we left off, we got some really good ones we

20:15

had. We had some good time. So I appreciate

20:17

Mojo for coming on, and thank you guys

20:19

for listening always. Um,

20:21

and we got a couple of guests man, probably come up

20:23

within the next week or so. And I'm gonna

20:25

keep bringing some heat, So thank you guys. Keep leaving

20:27

those great reviews, keep leaving um

20:30

you know those comments, man, I love it. And then

20:32

those reposts always help on social

20:34

media because more people get a chance to see. So we'll

20:37

be back next week again, Thank you guys.