December 19, 2002

I sat down with Hawk Younkins who is better known for his role on MTV's Tough Enough 2 program. Hawk discusses his past, present, and future. It’s time to concentrate on who Hawk is now and what he wants to become. He no longer wants to be known for his role in TE2. He is his own person and it is time to learn who that is and find out what kind of impact he wants to make on the wrestling world and on Hollywood. Below is the interview in its entirety.


Steve: To what extent have you been involved with wrestling since your departure from Tough Enough 2?

Hawk: After the actual TE finally in New York, I went back home to Florida to get started in wrestling and to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I began wrestling for IPW in St. Petersburg Florida. I appeared on a lot of radio shows and ate up all the publicity from TE2. I then decided to move to L.A. where I am currently. That was at the end of August. I began training at UPW here in L.A.

Steve: Do you still keep in contact with any of your former cast mates?

Hawk: Certainly. I still talk to Al Snow, Ivory, Bob Holly, Kenny, Pete, Annie and Danny. Annie and I both train in UPW and Kenny is just a few hours from me in Las Vegas.

Steve: Has Al, Bob, and Ivory expressed they will help you all they can in the business and see that you possibly make it to WWE?

Hawk: Ivory and Hardcore were both sympathetic and expressed they wanted me to keep pursuing wrestling. They pointed out how Chris Nowinski made it and how it is proof that opportunity knocks around every corner. Keep up the good faith, work your ass off in the ring, and be confident. Al has been very hard to get in touch with. Anytime I do get in touch with him, it is always small talk and then he has to go. He’s just very busy being a trainer on Tough Enough 3.

Steve: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from the Tough Enough experience?

Hawk: The most valuable lesson I learned was how to wing it. How to go all out with your life and not give a damn. Just be yourself and do not try so hard and not worry if you fail at something. Just because you fail does not mean it is the end of the world. If one door closes, another one is opened. On top of that, I learned humility. Not that I did not learn humility before TE2, but I just learned humility to a whole new degree. Running around in a jock strap on national television and having Bob Holly beating the crap out of me will bring humility to a new level. I think everyone involved with TE2 will agree that we not only learn a lot about wrestling, but we learned a great deal about each other and about life in general. It changed each one of us as individuals

Steve: How is your training progressing so far?

Hawk: I am satisfied. Since I started UPW in mid September, I have learned the difference in training to be a pro wrestler in TE and learning through the Indy circuit. There is a big difference. Not that one is better than the other, but you just learn at a different pace. TE2 was a crash course in learning to be a pro wrestler. I had to be broken down and start all over again. I have taken plenty of bumps and bruises along the way. I’m starting to get the hang of things and understand things to a much fuller degree in many areas. Learning individual move does not seem to be a problem at all. My biggest challenge now is putting all the moves together and being able to tell a story in the ring and putting together a great match.

Steve: Has your outlook on wrestling changed since you are more experienced in the business?

Hawk: My view definitely has changed. I have much more respect for the business than anyone out there. TE was like professional wrestling handed to us on a silver platter compared to the Indy ranks. Not that I was ignorant of the Indy ranks before, but being there, you get a first hand view that it is not luxury and you really pay your dues. I have met just wonderful people so far and I can’t really say that I have met someone with a big head yet and anyone how looks down on me because I was on national television. As long as I don’t go into things with a big head, then no one will give me any crap. So far, my motto is to keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open. That will take you much further in life.

Steve: What short-term or long-term goals have you set for your wrestling career?

Hawk: Well, obviously every wrestler’s dream is to make it to the big show. I was being looked at for the role of Colossus in the new X-Men movie. They thought I did a wonderful job, but they needed someone who looked younger to fit the role of a 17 year old. They ended up picking a kid who was actually 17 and 6’8 inches tall. So, obviously he was the better pick for that character. After that, several other companies have been looking at me for other roles. I just received the lead villain role for a movie called Satan’s Helper. I just finished a small role in Rob Schneider’s movie, The Hot Chick, where I play a High School jock. I’ve decided to play my hand in acting a little since acting is a part of wrestling as well. Throughout college, I majored in theater arts, so I have always loved performing. Whether it is on stage or cutting a promo in the ring. With all the movies I’m doing, I have been making more money acting than with wrestling right now. So, I have taken a couple of months off and I will then go back into training. I’m certainly not The Rock (laughs), but I’m just trying to make the most of my life.

Steve: Are you working on a particular character style in the ring?

Hawk: I have decided to play off the TE angle. First off all, I hate being referred to as “Tough Enough 2’s Hawk”. I loved being on TE2, but that is over. I thank WWE and MTV for everything they did for me. People should look at me as just Hawk and not Tough Enough 2 Hawk.
People got the idea that I was crazy and I talk to myself. Believe it or not, I am crazy and I do talk to myself. I have decided to play my split personality to my advantage. I’m like the good Hawk and evil Hawk. Which one is more dominant? They both fight each other and I fight myself. Whenever I am in the ring, you never know if I will be a face or a heel.

Steve: Well, I was going to ask you if you preferred to be a heel or a face, but with this character, you get the best of both worlds.

Hawk: Exactly. First of all, it is an extension of who I am. Then, the idea really became clearer to me when I saw the movie Pitch Black with Vin Diesel. His character is a vicious bad guy, but he is portrayed as a good guy throughout the movie. So, that is the way I’m going to play it. Even though I am evil, I still have good intensions. A vicious SOB in the ring, but I’m still going to get the job done. You are either going to love me or hate me.

Steve: Do you feel all your hard work and sacrifice is worth having a career in professional wrestling?

Hawk: Absolutely. Whether you are a doctor, a wrestler, a soldier, or a politician, if you believe it is right for you and you work your heart out, good things will happen. The Rock or Hulk Hogan did not become famous overnight. They had to work at it. I have always been an athlete all my life. When it finally came to a point in my life when my dreams of making it to the NFL or NHL got shot out of the sky, I knew that my life served some unique purpose. What more unique purpose could it serve than to be a professional wrestler? I looked a TE2 as a blessing. Before that, I was wandering around not knowing what the hell I was going to do. I reached that point in college where I worked hard and made good grades, but I had no passion. TE2 came along and it has forever changed my life for the better. Here I am now in L.A. trying to make it as a professional wrestler and an actor.

Steve: Who or what has influenced you to become a professional wrestler the most?

Hawk: I think it would have to be the whole TE experience itself. People do not see everything that goes on with the Tough Enough show and scenes are cut and pasted in to tell a story. Most people don’t know the whole story behind everything. They might assume certain things about me or they feel they have an idea of who I am. I feel I was portrayed very well in the program. Before TE, I was a student athlete. I did not bother watching the first TE program. A friend brought TE2 to my attention and said that I should apply. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. I then went to ToughEnough.com and saw what it was all about. If it were not for my friend, I would have missed out on the opportunity of my life. A small 3-minute videotape that I sent in for the program has changed my life.

Steve: Who is your favorite wrestler to watch in the ring?

Hawk: I would have to say The Ultimate Warrior. He was a wild man and that is how I view myself, the wild man that did not give a damn and was out for the whole thrill of it all. My favorite overall as a wrestler and a regular human being would be The Rock. After meeting him and reading his book, there are certain things about him that seem to be parallel to my own life.

Steve: Is there a particular wrestler you would love to work with in the ring more than any other?

Hawk: I would have to say Bob Holly. I would love to do a tag match with him.

Steve: If I were Vince McMahon and I was considering hiring you as a new talent to broadcast on my show, what would you say to me to convince me you were worthy of getting your push?

Hawk: That is an interesting question. I would tell him to look at how lively and loveable I was on Tough Enough. So many people were drawn to the show. If you would allow me to be a part of your show, I will give you an immediate boost to your ratings.

Steve: What would you like to say to all the wrestling fans and wrestling critics who are reading this and may be seeing more of you in the near future?

Hawk: Number one, a lot of people ask me why I quit the show. First thing, I will never look at it as quitting. If I quit, I would never be here in L.A. learning and striving to become a professional wrestler. A quitter just doesn’t want to do it anymore. I left the contest. Some people thought I had to deal with personal demons. The question I was asking myself was if I were caught between my past life and what I was trying to become. I was not ready at that time and was not sure what I wanted to do. Was I ready to wave good-bye to my college degree and my life as a student athlete to become a pro wrestler? Becoming a wrestler was something I did not come up with overnight. I had a lot to think about on the plane ride home from Africa after I left the show. I think it was in New York when they picked Jackie and Lynda when it finally clicked. I just let go of all that other crap in the past. I said to myself, “That’s it, I’m moving to L.A., I’m going to train to become a pro wrestler and I’m going to make it my career. I’m also going to pursue Hollywood.” So be it, here I am now!

Steve: Hawk, thank you for taking time to do this interview with me.

Hawk: Thank you for taking the time to interview me.