Mr. Stone recently opened up about competing with WWE legend Scott Steiner back in the day and recalled how his colleagues feared for his well-being.
Stone is currently gearing up to square off against Bron Breakker at this week's edition of NXT Halloween Havoc. Though he has never wrestled Breakker before, he's not a complete stranger to his family, as he once faced his uncle, Scott Steiner, back in the day before he made it to the global juggernaut.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Mr. Stone revealed before he got into the ring with Steiner, everyone around him feared for his life. The NXT star added that by the end of their match, he had earned the WWE Hall of Famer's respect and admiration as he put up a brave effort.
"I respect Bron's uncle, I respect his father. But Scott Steiner, Big Poppa Pump, if you're in the ring with him, I remember when I wrestled him, everybody else in the locker room was, 'Are you crazy? You're gonna get killed.' But I didn't get killed. I don't wanna say what the outcome of the matches was, but I would say this. I didn't make a fool of myself, I didn't get killed, and I earned his respect," said Mr. Stone. (7:07 - 7:34)
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Bill Apter feared for his life after a backstage encounter with WWE veteran Scott Steiner
On a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Bill Apter recalled an incident when Scott Steiner almost tripped on his camera bag kept backstage.
The veteran wrestling journalist added that a furious Steiner confronted him, but he managed to control the situation by making him laugh by imitating Jerry Lewis.
"One time, I had left my camera bag in the middle of the catering room, and Scott Steiner walks in and tripped on my camera bag, and he looked around and he says, 'Who's is this?' Dead silence. All the wrestlers, they all pointed to me. I heard Stu Saks, the editor of the magazine, was with me, and he said to one of the wrestlers, I believe Scott Steiner is going to kill Bill Apter. As you all know, one of my heroes growing up was the comedian Jerry Lewis. As Steiner came over to me, I turned my head, and (imitates Jerry Lewis) 'Oh please Mr. Steiner don't hit me' and he cracked a little smile, and the heat was off me, but I thought I was gonna die," Bill Apter said.
Scott Steiner, alongside his brother Rick Steiner, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame 2022 for their immense contributions to tag team wrestling.
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Fans can watch WWE NXT every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network. This Tuesday will feature the second part of HALLOWEEN HAVOC on NXT and a huge matchup between Mr. Stone and Bron Breakker.