MVP Recalls Shad Gaspard Sharing Video Of Their Reaction To Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship Victory
MVP admits that his friendship with Shad Gaspard was good, however, he found Gaspard and his positive attitude to be too much at times. While discussing Gaspard's passing on Chasing Glory, MVP couldn't help but praise Gaspard for how many lives he touched throughout his career, including his.
"Shad used to irritate the hell out of me sometimes. He was like my annoying big little brother," MVP jokingly recalled. "I used to tell him all the time, 'Dude, I can only handle you in small doses.' He was always like, 'Oh dude, you know you love me.' [I said], 'I do but in small doses.' It became a running thing – oh boy, here's Shad. He would like to come up to me and give me a big bear hug, and I'd say, 'Man, would you let me go. Why are you being so extra?' It was our running thing.
"Having been to the memorial service and seeing the vast array of people that were in attendance from all walks of life and backgrounds, Shad was accessible to everyone. When Shad opened up to you, you were his boy or his girl. You were his people. He just had that kind of heart."
When Kofi Kingston won the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, both MVP and Gaspard were at a sports bar watching the historic moment. Gaspard, posted of video of him and MVP embracing each other with a hug, celebrating the newly crowned champion. While most will find this video sweet and sincere, MVP was not too happy that Gaspard shared their personal moment online.
"I was very upset with him for doing that, yeah," MVP admitted. "I felt upset because that was a private moment. That wasn't for public consumption. That wasn't for the dirt sheets, or whatever and you know, I know Shad is very ambitious and he likes to do the social media thing and at first, I was kinda hot like, 'Don't post that sh-t for likes.' That was a moment.'
"I was just angry about it and I let him know about it. I hit him up and said, 'That's bullsh-t, man.' When I saw the response to the video and I saw what people were saying and when I saw people say what it meant to see Kofi win the WWE Championship to us."
When MVP heard the news about his friend's passing, the first thing he did was explain it to his son. Though his son is still quite young and may have found it hard to comprehend, his son's compassion made him realize how valuable and rewarding it is to be a father.
"I got choked up a little bit when I was at home. My son asked me, 'Daddy, why are you sad?' I explained to him what happened, and I explained that daddy's friend and daddy's friend's son and the incident at the beach because my son loves the beach. I was honest with him. He said, 'Daddy, I'm sad too now.' I said, 'Why are you sad?' [He said], 'Because your friend's son doesn't have a daddy anymore.' And, the tears came."
Before ending his interview, MVP took a moment to reiterate that Gaspard's passing has taught him that there's more to life than just the fame and fortune. The loss of Shapard has helped motivate him to reevaluate his life, and what steps he can take to make it better.
"Shad left an impression on me to reevaluate how I am so I'll be a better person after his passing, and I'll be a better father after his passing," MVP concluded.
You can view MVP's full interview above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory-Lilian Garcia with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.