Former WWE Superstar Scotty 2 Hotty recently spoke with The Portland Press Herald. Here are the highlights:

How he got his nickname:

“I had changed my name to Scott Taylor for wrestling. I was going to use “TNT” for my middle name but someone was already using that. In 1998 I became a tag team partner with “Too Sexy” Brian Christopher. I soon became known as Scott “Too Hot” Taylor. We became known as “Too Much” as a tag team. We were both renamed a year later. Christopher became known as “Grandmaster Sexay” and I became “Scotty 2 Hotty,” and it stuck.

“For the first six years I was in WWF, I was just another wrestler and got beat most of the time. I worked my way up and got an identity. Once you find a character that works, you stick with it. I would say I’ve been a good guy more than I’ve been a villain. I won three titles with WWF – two tag team titles and one light heavyweight title.”

How many organizations he’s worked for:

“Hundreds. I’m not working for any particular group right now. Basically I’m an independent contractor and hire myself out to wrestling companies. In the past year I’ve wrestled on both coasts, the United Kingdom, Australia, and last December I was in Japan. Every wrestler’s goal should be to make it to the WWE.

“Because I wrestled in the WWF, I’m able to do what I do now. Wrestling fans know me all over the world. At this point in my career, this is right for me. I’m having a blast 220 days a year. A lot of times I get to a location early and do some sightseeing. I wasn’t able to do that when I was with WWF. I wrestled in Fall River, Massachusetts, recently in the same building I started my career in 25 years ago.”

His current physical condition:

“I feel I’m close to the best shape of my career. My weight is 190 pounds. The heaviest I’ve been in my career was around 205. I take better care of myself now, I eat better and I’m home more often. I’ve had neck and back surgeries in the past. You kind of learn to work smarter, not harder.”