Ex-WWE Star: “Bob Holly Hated Everybody Until You Earned His Respect”
A former WWE star recalled what it was like working with Bob Holly.
Some wrestlers have reputations that are earned due to having long careers. In the case of Bob Holly, the man once known as “Sparky Plugg” became known as a legit tough guy, so the nickname of “Hardcore” Holly fit him very well.
Bob Holly had an incredible 15-year run in WWE from 1994 to 2009. While he wasn’t a main event talent, he was a three-time Tag Team Champion and held the Hardcore Title six titles. Holly also had a significant role as a veteran on the roster that was used to help newer talent.
In a new video on his YouTube channel, former WWE superstar Maven talked about his experience with Bob Holly.
“Bob treated me like everyone in the locker room. Bob hated everybody until you earned his respect. Bob is hard to get to gain his respect. Why? Because he demands perfection. We were going out there and having our match.”
“I would come back every night and immediately ask, ‘Hey, how was it? Was it okay for you?’ One night, he just laid into me, and he just so irate and angry with me. It was because I wasn’t clotheslining him hard enough. He was literally mad I wasn’t hitting him hard enough.”
Maven would go on to earn the respect of Bob Holly
As he continued, Maven spoke about how he would end up earning Bob’s respect.
“So you bet, the next night, and the next subsequent nights after that, I made sure to hit him as hard as I could. Going back and talking about the match backstage, like all wrestlers do, he immediately grabbed me and hugged me and embraced me, and was hitting me on the back, telling me, ‘That’s what I was talking about.’
“Bob was the testing ground for a lot of guys in WWE. If you got through him, some did, some didn’t. But once you got through Bob, he would greet you with a smile, rather than a scowl.”