5 things learned from former WWE Superstar Lash LeRoux's Sportskeeda interview

Former WWE Superstar Lash LeRoux experienced a successful run in World Championship Wrestling during the late 1990s.

While he competed primarily in WCW's cruiserweight division, LeRoux's greatest success came when he captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship in late 2000.

During his time with WCW, LeRoux competed in tag teams such as The Mamalukes and the Misfits In Action. He also had memorable feuds against the likes of Billy Kidman and Disco Inferno.

Following the purchase of WCW, LeRoux was signed to a three-year WWE developmental contract in 2001. However, the former WCW star negotiated his release in 2002 to pursue other options.

Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone recently interviewed Lash LeRoux for another episode of UnSKripted.

A variety of topics were discussed in the interview, including LeRoux's pro-wrestling career, his time in WCW, and much more.

Let's take a closer look at five things we learned from former WWE Superstar Lash LeRoux's Sportskeeda interview.

---

#Former WWE Superstar Lash LeRoux explains his decision to retire from professional wrestling

Lash LeRoux departed in WWE in 2002. After a handful of wrestling appearances in the mid-2000s for TNA and other independent promotions, LeRoux retired from pro-wrestling in 2006.

Since leaving the world of sports entertainment, the former WCW World Tag Team Champion has transitioned into a pastor for his post-wrestling career.

LeRoux explained that his transition from the WWE to becoming a pastor was a strange one, yet it felt completely natural:

"Retiring from wrestling and transitioning into a pastor is strange in a sense that on the one hand it was extremely natural, and on the other hand it was extremely impulsive. What I mean by that is from the wrestling standpoint, I kind of felt the writing on the wall for a while. You can feel your days become numbered or you lose a little bit of your passion for the business and that generally will coincide with a down trend for yourself physically. You start feeling the injuries a little bit more, you care less about your work. That's not good and that's not a healthy place to be. I was a little disheartened with where the business was and where my place was in the business," said Lash LeRoux.

#4 Lash LeRoux explains how he signed with WWE after the purchase of WCW

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made the blockbuster announcement in March 2001 that he had purchased his main competitor, World Championship Wrestling.

The Monday Night Wars were over, and the majority of the wrestling world was now owned by Vince McMahon.

This led to a lot of confusion about which WCW stars would move to WWE. Shortly after the purchase of WCW, Lash LeRoux was offered a three-year developmental contract by WWE.

LeRoux explained that he took a one-hundred thousand dollar pay cut to sign with WWE in 2001:

"Good news and bad news. That's the way Johnny Ace put it. 'Lash, I got good news and I got bad news. The Bad news is Vince [McMahon] is only interested in 24 guys from WCW. The good news is you're one of them.' So, I was just happy to be on the team. So I took a hundred thousand dollar pay cut and ended up going to Cincinnati where I was working more than I was in WCW," said Lash LeRoux.

---

#3 Lash LeRoux explains the difficulty of adjusting from WCW to WWE

Several former WCW wrestlers have openly spoken about the difficulty of moving from WCW to WWE.

Whether it be the hostility from talent, politics, or a different in-ring style, there was certainly a major adjustment for many of the former WCW stars.

LeRoux explained that it was very tough for WCW guys in WWE developmental. He revealed he was only meant to be in developmental for four weeks, however, he remained there for over ten months:

"It was difficult for the WCW guys, man. I won't be dishonest about that. The reason why is that most of us and I should speak for myself, more than anybody else. I was brought in on a talent deal. I was asked to go there for 4 weeks to knock the ring rust off so that they were ready to bring me on television. And 10 months later man I was still there," said Lash LeRoux.

#2 Lash LeRoux recalls being singled out by WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan as "one to watch'' in WCW

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most popular stars in pro-wrestling history.

In the late 1990s, after years as a babyface in WWE, Hogan reinvented himself as a top heel in WCW, founding the New World Order and launching WCW to major success.

LeRoux recalled a time when the professional wrestling icon singled him out as an upcoming star in WCW during a media interview:

"In fact, he was interviewed one time in a magazine and I probably took this more seriously than I should have, but he mentioned some of the up and coming guys. And he mentioned by name Billy Kidman and Lash LeRoux. And man, that was one of the largest compliments I could have gotten in my life. I thought I was on his radar. And I went up to him the next time I saw him at a show and thanked him for going out of his way to mention me," said Lash LeRoux.

---

#1 Lash LeRoux describes his interactions with WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling

Former WCW World Tag Team Champion Lash LeRoux admitted that he was a huge Hulk Hogan fan growing up during the height of "Hulk-a-Mania" during the 1980s.

LeRoux recalled his interactions with the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion in WCW, explaining that The Hulkster was always great to him:

"It was tremendous for me, man. I always thought that he was tremendous. He was a superstar that deserved to be treated like a superstar. Of course, I grew up being a big Hulk Hogan fan. So it was awesome for me to meet him. Someone that I idolized when I was younger. Even more so, he was always down to earth to me. He was really cool to me, very good to me," revealed Lash LeRoux.