Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com recently caught up with former WWE Superstar Richard "Ricky Ortiz" Young, who spoke about playing in the XFL, his start in the business, being hired by WWE, his WWE departure, Scott Hall, the UWF and more. Here are some highlights (printed with permission of the author)...

Getting the call to join the ECW brand after being in OVW for a year and a half: It was maybe a year and two months that I have been working. I was trying to put the brakes on it but the thing is that I'm trying to learn the correct etiquette. Every locker room, every dojo, every place of business has an order of operation with the way things are running. Everyone's got their role. I was just trying to take the whole scene in and whatnot and it was completely different than in the sports world. I had a lot of trust and understandingly, it comes with time.

I had put 22 years into a different industry and I was starting all over. So, I knew what it takes to dedicate your life to something. I knew that with timing and what feels right as a competitor and professional athlete, so my natural instinct was to pump the brakes. But, what do I know? Know what you don't know and just shut your mouth and do as you're told. Trust them.

If being drafted to SmackDown was a surprise: I think everything was a surprise. [Laughs.] Every time I'd be sitting in the back, they'd say, "We need a baby face." Jamie Noble would say, "We need a baby face. He's Ortiz. That's my man!" My boots aren't even tied up, I'm eating. That's sports-entertainment. It can happen on a drop of a dime. That's kind of the draw to it for myself, too. You always have the mystique and the unknown of it that may occur. I think it lies within that.

His WWE release: They [WWE] basically said, "Why don't you give that Atlas DaBone character another try," and basically, "Go and refine your skills. There will be an open door here and hopefully, we'll be in contact with you in the future with each other." They made a call for me to go to Puerto Rico right after my release and that was it.

You sensed it and then you knew with the squash match I had with Great Khali before that. With the call, you know, it hurts because you've put everything on the line. But, if you want something, you've got to be willing to pay the price for it. Everybody's got to pay dues and has to go through hard times. That was just the beginning of it.

Young also spoke about The Rock being one of his early influences, being the only WWE Superstar to have played in the XFL, his relationship with Scott Hall, his favorite opponents in WWE, if he's ready for a WWE return and more. You can check out the full interview at WrestlingINC.com by clicking here.

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