By James Caldwell, PWTorch columnist

Former WWE tag team champion Rob Conway was released from WWE in May 2007 and is currently wrestling for the NWA and with the now-independent Ohio Valley Wrestling school/promotion in Louisville.

Conway says WWE's creative team never understood his "Con Way" gimmick to promote it correctly on TV when he left tag team wrestling for a singles run in 2005.

He was looking more for a Rick Rude character that was arrogant, and was a threat as a wrestler in the ring, but WWE using the cheesy theme music killed the crowd response. Conway isn't looking to return to WWE anytime soon, but it would be great if it happened.

"It's not really my ambition to back there," Conway said on the In Your Head radio show yesterday. "If things aligned, then that would be great, but I don't get up every day thinking, 'Man, I hope I make it to the WWE again one day.' I feel pretty satisfied."

Conway says he's found success working for the NWA and returning to OVW after achieving goals in WWE by having tag title reigns with La Resistance and being on TV.

"It would be fun to do again," Conway said, "but a lot of guys - the day they get released, they think, 'Man, I'm going to show them and I'm going to come back here.' But, I've never really thought that way."

Asked about his former tag partners, Sylvan Grenier and Rene Dupree, Conway said, "I loved all the times I spent in La Resistance, especially with Sylvan." He said he got along just fine with Rene, even though there was a major age and maturity difference.

"He couldn't rent or drive a rental car, so I always had to drive and make all the arrangements," Conway said. "Age-wise, he was still a teenager, so we didn't have that much in common."

In 2005, the La Resistance team was broken up after three World Tag Title runs with Sylvan. He says the reason was to accommodate Muhammad Hassan's heel push as the anti-American character.

"The reason that they broke us up was because when they brought in Muhammad Hassan," Conway said. "They wanted to make him like the featured anti-American gimmick. They didn't want us to share the heat, so to speak."

Related to his current run with the NWA, Conway says he wishes them all the success because they have a lot of things going for them as the longest running promotion in wrestling. "I know they're not where they once were, but they have the heritage behind them," he said. They're not just a start-up."

NWA recently drew a crowd of over 2,500 in British Columbia, which Conway says is a testament to the brand name value of the NWA when they're not on TV or heavily advertising - they're just trying to get a foot in the door in certain markets.

"TNA, as much as they are growing, aren't consistently doing big numbers like (the NWA) at the house shows, and they have a great TV show," Conway said. "I'm pretty excited about what the NWA is doing."

Finally, Conway was asked what is the Con Way. He said Vince McMahon got a kick out of approaching him in the hallway and saying, 'Do it the Con Way,' but the can't reveal what it really is. "Better left unsaid," he said. "Left up to the imagination."

Link: In Your Head radio show with downloadable interview.

Caldwell's Analysis: Listening to the audio interview, Conway is a confident, well-spoken former WWE wrestler who doesn't come across bitter or angry about his past in WWE. It's refreshing and there's a certain "veteran presence" he has that will translate into success in wrestling down the road. He has a certain look that could be money down the road on national TV, but just wasn't the right fit a few years ago when WWE gave him that horrendous entrance music where he mouthed the words to his song.

VIDEO SELECTION: Conway vs. C.M. Punk from May 2007 in OVW.

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