In his first run with WWE, Montel Vontavious Porter was the most valuable player from 2006-2010. Labeled as shameless, arrogant, and turbulent, he did it all in style. His presence was so intoxicating, that WWE had to conjure up the right price to pay him, which turned out to be the highest paid contract in “WWE SmackDown” history (on-screen wise). The character suited the man playing the role. While Vince McMahon had a way with creating the characters and gimmicks for his wrestlers, it was MVP who educated the former CEO and chairman on who and what MVP was about.
“I mean, to be real, the MVP persona came gritty. There was nothing to that, that Vince was going to coach me about regarding the MVP persona, because I created it. I knew what it was,” AEW star and Hurt Syndicate manager said on his “Marking Out” podcast. “I had to explain to Vince what a ‘baller’ was, what it meant to be balling. Now Vince, coached me on presence and we can make our money here with facial expressions and, you know, how to work the cameras…things like that. But not once did Vince ever tell me to study.”
In his first run, MVP stunned his opponents and audiences by becoming a former two-time Men’s United States Champion. His first reign with the title was historic, as he was the first man to ever hold the title for 343 days, the longest in company history at the time. He also went on to carry the WWE Tag Team Championship with Matt Hardy. Now, the former Superstar is enjoying each and every match he participates in, as he announced last year that he’s winding down his in-ring activity to concentrate more on his managerial duties.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze,” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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