Rapper Wale Talks How Daniel Bryan Has Been Used, Sting, 'Mania Build, NXT, Seinfeld, WaleMania

By Raj GiriMarch 25, 2015 11:44 pm EST

This interview was conducted before the passing of Perro Aguayo Jr. last weekend. However, please note that Rey Mysterio is still confirmed to appear at WaleMania this Thursday.

I recently spoke with Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Wale, who will be a part of WaleMania this Thursday, March 26th at Taste Nightclub in Santa Clara, CA during WrestleMania week. In the second and final part of the interview below, Wale discussed this year's WrestleMania and his thoughts, how Daniel Bryan is being used for this year's show, Sting vs. Triple H, Rey Mysterio's WWE departure, collaborating with Jerry Seinfeld for his new CD, his favorite wrestling games, what the best wrestling show is today and more.

Click here for part one of the interview, where Wale talked about being a life-long wrestling fan, wanting to work on the WWE creative team, his Razor Ramon tribute, Uhaa Nation signing with WWE, NXT, and more.

WaleMania is this Thursday, March 26th at Taste Nightclub in Santa Clara, CA. Tickets start at $15, while VIP tickets are $60 and include a special meet and greet with Rey Mysterio and friends as well as Don Julio Tequila. There will be a fan Q&A with Mysterio and the panel. There will also be a major after party featuring Rey and other wrestling luminaries after the live in-person MLW Radio session where Wale will perform songs from The Album About Nothing. The event begins at 6:30 and goes to the club's closing. You can order Wale's "The Album About Nothing" at this link, and purchase tickets for WaleMania at WaleMania.com.

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What do you think of this year's WrestleMania? A lot of people aren't happy with the build up.

I'm worried, especially for Sting. He's looked a little unsure of himself when he's moving in the ring. Then there's the Undertaker match, it's a roll of the dice. I think they need to use their can't miss guys. You know that Adrian Neville and whoever he's with would go crazy, even if it's five minutes. You should be branding your younger guys at the biggest guys at the highest level. Who wouldn't want to see Adrian Neville and Finn Balor at WrestleMania, even if it's just five minutes? Maybe I'm just a big dreamer. I wanna see Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt go at it. Guys like Cesaro. He's supposed to be the champion. After the battle royal, he should have been a champion at some point. When Daniel Bryan went down, they could have built the Cesaro story. Then they could have sold out a big ass arena in Switzerland somewhere. Could you imagine Cesaro vs. Cena outdoors on a pay-per-view somewhere in Switzerland. Bret Hart and British Bulldog in Wembley Stadium, that was a success. What happened to those days? You have guys like Sheamus, international superstars. Even Great Khali, he's not there anymore, but he's a legend where he's from. They live in their box.

What are your thoughts on how Daniel Bryan has been used for this year's WrestleMania?

Aww, man. It's really kind of sad. Maybe they know something we don't know. Maybe his neck's not ready. He took some pretty severe bumps. People want to see him on top for a run. He had one crummy feud with Kane and that was it. That's crazy to me.

You mentioned Sting. Do you think they're making the right move by having him wrestle Triple H instead of the Undertaker? The one with Undertaker was kind of a dream match.

I don't know that they'd be able to carry each other. They both have reputations to maintain and I understand that.

Do you think they made the right call last year, ending the streak?

Eh, Brock Lesnar is a shootfighter, so you believe it. Some of the booking has been questionable, but since then it's been good for Brock.

What about Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns? What do you think of the build, and do you have a prediction on how that match is going to go down?

Everybody liked Roman when he was the strong guy in the Shield. It's our inner smark. We all think we know what's best. I think he'll get over more when he has more high energy matches. I think they'll have a decent match by their standards, and we'll see a cash-in by Seth Rollins. I don't know if you can give fans their money's worth with Lesnar and Reigns. I'm not hating, I'm a fan of both. I just don't their styles contrast very well.

You'll be in San Jose for WaleMania this week. Rey Mysterio will be there. What are your feelings about how all that went down with him and WWE?

I think he just wanted to do what was best for him and his family, and you could never knock a man for doing that. I think Rey Mysterio singlehandedly changed the game with his skill set. I saw a huracanrana done from every angle. I believe the first time seeing him was when Hogan went heel and Rey was on the Bash at the Beach undercard. I was like "Who is this guy?" To be able to work with him now is dope. We hear rumors about New Japan, about Lucha Underground. I hope we see more of Rey. I like what they're doing with Lucha Underground. It's creative, it's different.

Yeah, what are your thoughts on Lucha Underground so far?

It's a little too scripted. Like a movie. If this was going to be our big company I'm not going to be mad at it, because it's a change of pace. It's not Cena vs. Orton part 700 million. I think NXT is the best wrestling show on TV right now, with Ring of Honor PPV's second and WWE pay-per-views a close third.

What happens when guys like Kevin Owens and Finn Balor move to the main roster?

Oh, there will always be people, man. I'm selfish because I want Hideo Itami to still be KENTA. I want Uhaa Nation to be Uhaa when he goes, but I know when it goes. If Kevin Steen has to be Kevin Owens and Prince Devitt has to be Finn Balor, then nobody's going to be able to keep their original name.

You have the big WaleMania event coming up [on Thursday]. How did that come together?

It was an idea that Court and I had. It's going to be a long process to bring professional wrestling and pop culture together, because they still talk about things that are super outdated. I'm not trying to force it or make everybody a Wale fan. I just want people to know that a person in a position of acclaim is a fan just like you are and wants to provide a source of entertainment. If its a form of another company or contributing to WWE, I just want to be a voice for people who enjoy it and haven't given up on it. When it's good, it's so good and you're so proud of it. You see people that are closet fans, and something ridiculous and you see why. In the Attitude era, everyone was out of the proverbial closet of wrestling fans. You would see people name drop Steve Austin and The Rock, and they can't even get Michael Sam on the show now.

You're going to be performing at WaleMania, right? It's a launch party, too.

We're just showing people love. I have an album coming out, which is actually available for pre-sale now on iTunes. The Album About Nothing, which is a collaborative effort with Jerry Seinfeld. I'm really excited about it. It's a hip hop album where Jerry plays my conscience. We've been working on it for about a year and a half.

How did the collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld come about?

He's always been a friend of mine. I first did the Mixtape About Nothing in 2007 and it grew after that. He's cool.

When is your album out?

March 31st.

Will you be performing any songs from your new album at the launch party?

Sometimes I let the DJ lead the way. I try to to vibe with the crowd and play some of the classics. I might do some newer stuff. It depends on how over I am.

Are you going to go WrestleMania?

Oh yeah. Ringside is like $4000. I'm trying to talk them down a little bit (laughs). I gotta be there. I have to sit ringside, it means that much to me. My album releases the next day and I'll be on stage at Jimmy Fallon. I'm literally watching WrestleMania, then getting on a red eye to get to Jimmy Fallon. It's that important to me. My whole record label is like "Why is this so important to you?" and I just say "Because Roman Reigns is fighting Brock Lesnar, that's why." It matters because it matters. They all think it's ridiculous, coming from the world we come from.

I know you're gamer, do you have a favorite wrestling game?

I loved Royal Rumble on Super Nintendo. That was dope. I mean, I have 2k15. It's a little bit tricky, a little too complicated, but I make it work. My favorite? The Arcade one on SNES and Sega.

Thanks for talking to us. Do you have anythings to let the fans know?

Follow me on Twitter @Wale. I know it sounds like it sounds like it's spelled different but it's "Wah-lay." Guys like Mick Foley have been showing me love, and I really appreciate it.

Rapper Wale Talks How Daniel Bryan Has Been Used, Sting, 'Mania Build, NXT, Seinfeld, WaleMania

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