When it comes to success in the pro wrestling world, charisma and connecting with the crowd are just as important as physicality and one former WWE superstar who had that in spades was Real1, the wrestler formerly known as Enzo Amore in the WWE (and you canât teach that).
Real1 recently sat down with former superstar Marcus âBuffâ Bagwell, where he divulged his thoughts on two big names in the WWE who helped shape his pro wrestling career.
âFor me, there wasnât wrestling; there was Shawn Michaels. It would be like âHey mom, could you put on Shawn Michaels?'â Amore told Bagwell.
One enduring memory of Michaels that solidified him as a favorite for Amore was the 1995 Menâs Royal Rumble, where The Heartbreak Kidâs perseverance and toughness, especially for what was considered an âundersizedâ performer at the time, prevailed.

âIf weâre talking about storytelling, thatâs David versus Goliath in a modern-day world,â Amore admitted. âYouâre just a kid and you see the smallest guy in the Royal Rumble outlast everyone. Then the British Bulldog, whoâs jacked, that guy looks like he should win it, and then Shawn goes over, he hangs on, he flips himself back in, skins the cat, so he gets back in a ring and he Sweet Chin Musics brother out. He gets Pamela Anderson as his prize, which if you were a kid at that time, âBaywatchâ was the hottest thing on TV. The smallest guy just came in, all he had to do was be the man, be smaller than everybody, take a beating.â
Amore also thanked Paul âTriple Hâ Levesque, former WWE superstar and current chief content officer of the WWE, for being a huge part of shaping his career.
âI got to thank you, Triple H. Paul Levesque, thank you for saving me that three grand on wrestling school and giving me the best school in the history of the world with the greatest coaches in the history of the world,â Amore said. âWhen people ask me about wrestling, I say I learned how to wrestle on WWE TV. I watched it and I understood what I was watching. I got it.âÂ
What do you think of the comments made by Real1 (FKA Enzo Amore) on how Shawn Michaels and Triple H shaped his pro wrestling career? Let us know in the comments.