Separately, they are known as former SMW "Beat The Champ" Television Champion Bryan Clark, and former All-Asian Champion & former WWE World Tag Team Champion Brian Adams. Together, they are known as former WCW World Tag Team, All Japan Triple Crown Tag Team, and Intercontinental Tag Team Champions, KRONIK! In this interview, Kronik discusses WWE, WCW, TNA, the WWA, and more.
Q: How long have you both been involved in the business?
Bryan Clark: I started training in 1989.
Brian Adams: I started in 1986 in Japan. I was in the Dojo for a year, where we were trained to be wrestlers.
Q: Why did you both enter the pro-wrestling industry?
BC: I wanted to try it because of the one on one competition, and I felt I was big enough and strong enough to make it.
BA: I was stationed in Japan in the Air Force, doing various things from commercials to strong man competition, and that is what got me noticed. I was called one day from my agency, saying Antonio Inoki wanted to discuss it with me about becoming a pro-wrestler, so that was the beginning.
Q: Where did you both receive your training to become a pro-wrestler?
BC: Although OX Baker got me started, the major part of my training was at the Power Plant in Atlanta.
BA: My training was in Japan for a year with Antonio Inoki with New Japan at the same time as Chris Benoit. I'm one of 5 Americans to do that.
Q: What do you both like the most about being in the business?
BC: The competition.
BA: When I was in the business, I would say the friendships, making really good friends, having fun outside the ring while hanging out with the boys.
Q: Which persona appeals to you the most: Face, Heel, or Tweener?
BC: Heel, but it was difficult to stay that way when the fans like you no matter what you do.
BA: I would say Heel. The fans made Kronik Faces, even if the promoter wanted us to be heels.
Q: What is your favorite gimmick?
BC: Kronik, most definitely.
BA: Kronik. It could have went somewhere with the right push.
Q: Which do you feel has been your best match so far?
BC: I would say as Kronik against Steiner and Buff.
BA: I've had some really good matches with Randy Savage that weren't televised, like in Europe. WrestleMania 10 was too confusing for us. As far as tag matches, me and Bryan Clark had some really good ones.
Q: Which has been your favorite match so far?
BC: I don't know that I had a favorite except when we were against guys our own weight and size. The funniest one was as Kronik when we were paid to take the place of the Boogie Knights in WCW, and they didn't have enough money to suit us. We told them they could only get one of us for the amount they had, but they insisted on the two of us. We agreed but for half the time, and took a stop watch with us to the ring. When the time was up, we left the ring. Everybody seemed to love that one.
BA: That's difficult to answer. I'd have to think about that one, but I would have to say one of the matches I had with Randy in Europe, since we had the best match on the card.
Q: Is it true that The Undertaker played a role in the Kronik team being brought into WWE?
BC: Yes. Enough said on that.
BA: Yes, which probably ended up hurting us, I think, because of Stevie Richards. I knew we were dead when I saw him and heard what was going on. I knew right away.
Q: The match that you had with Kane & The Undertaker at WWE Unforgiven 2001 was the subject of negative criticism by WWE management, fans, and the pro-wrestling media. What was your personal critique of this match?
BC: It was the worst ever. We told them we weren't ready, and they made us do it anyway. Somebody was out to hurt us career-wise.
BA: Horrible. We weren't in wrestling shape and they didn't give time to get in shape. We'd not wrestled for a year, so to work for them, we should have had several house shows, but they didn't give us that. Whatever they could do to hurt us, they did. We just weren't in shape from sitting on the side-lines for a year. They had told us one thing about being a gimmick match, use tables, chairs, whatever, then the night of the match, they changed it on us at the last minute. There was no storyline at all. Somebody was out to get us.
Q: Is it true that before WWE assigned both of you to their farm system (HWA), they offered a buyout of your contract that both of you did not feel was acceptable?
BC: Yes.
BA: Yes, that is true.
Q: Brian Adams, is it true that while you were in the HWA, you took part in both helping with day-to-day operations as well as working with the talent?
BA: Absolutely. I ended up working as the booker up there. It wasn't intended to be that way, but that's how it turned out.
Q: Bryan Clark, you will be taking part in a new wrestling game later this year. In what way will you be involved?
BC: I will be one of the wrestlers in the game.
Q: Brian Adams, when you worked for WWE as Crush, the character was used as both a face (Kona Crush) and a heel (Demolition Crush & NOD Crush). Which persona of Crush did you enjoy most?
BA: Probably Demolition, or when I was with Mr. Fuji.
Q: Do you both think that it was a good idea that Kronik turned heel in WCW, or do you feel that the team should have remained face?
BC: Face, I would think.
BA: Remained a face 100%. Don't fix something that isn't broken.
Q: Brian Adams, you have been a member of 3 factions during your career: Demolition, the NWO, and the Nation of Domination. Which faction did you enjoy being a part of the most?
BA: Demolition.
Q: Both of you have been a part of promotions that have come and gone, such as WCW and the WWA. If either company had given either of you creative control, what would you have done differently? Do you think that either company would still be here today if you had been at the helm?
BC: WWA couldn't be saved, I don't think. As for WCW, they were trying to change things that didn't need to be changed, trying to out do Vince McMahon, and they should have left it as it was. They should have let Vinch hang himself instead.
BA: WWA just didn't have the capital to be successful. WCW, I would have trimmed all the fat to where it needed to be. They paid out too much money, so it needed to be trimmed.
Q: Brian Adams, in your opinion, what made the NWO angle as successful as it was? What made the angle die out?
BA: WCW seemed to be getting stale, and bringing in the tough guys to take over seemed to shake it up. It died out because the writing went stale. They ran out of angles.
Q: Brian Adams, this is your opportunity to respond to one of the most memorable WCW rumors. The following is a rumored Demon/Vampiro angle that was supposed to take place in 1999, but was scrapped:
"The Demon was to have been revealed to be the son of Satan, who disagreed with his father's ways and battled his father's servants on Earth, one of them being Vampiro. The feud would end on a WCW New Years Eve PPV, with the climax being that Vampiro would be cast into Holy Water and be born again as a face, free of Satan's influence."
Was this really planned to happen, or is it merely another Internet rumor?
BA: I think that was more of a rumor. It was supposed to have been part of the Kiss gimmick as far as I knew. I didn't really care because I didn't like it. I was just glad to get out of it.
Q: Whom would you both like to wrestle, that you have not yet done so?
BC: I think as of now, it would be nice to give the guys in WWE a run for their money and show them what tough guys are like. They've never had a really tough tag team match.
BA: I don't know that I have an answer for that one. It's hard to say.
Q: What do you both do in your spare time?
BC: I still work out 2 hours a day and I like to watch football.
BA: Right now all my spare time is spent in therapy for my back.
Q: Do either of you have any interest in returning to WWE, or working for TNA?
BC: No interest whatsoever for WWE ever again, but TNA is a maybe.
BA: Good question. WWE, probably not since it was on bad terms when we left. TNA is a possibility for the right kind of contract and money, provided I get my back in good enough shape.
Q: What has been your proudest achievement in the business?
BC: The World Tag Team Titles and the All Japan Triple Crown Championship and having Stan Hansen present them to us. That was awesome.
BA: Without a doubt, the World Tag Team Titles and the All Japan Triple Crown. I knew we could do it, and the first night there, we won both the All Japan Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Tag Team Titles.
I hope you enjoyed this interview with KroniK (Bryan Clark & Brian Adams). In 2003, I began running my own website, World Wrestling Optimum, which consisted of news, articles, and interviews, including this one.
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