Bob Backlund Talks Darren Young, Donald Trump, Kurt Angle in WWE Hall of Fame

WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund is one of the greatest champions in wrestling history, but he is far from done contributing to the industry.

Now, instead of just being remembered as one of the legends of the sport, he has introduced himself to a whole new generation of fans by working as the manager for Darren Young. Unfortunately, an injury has sidelined Young temporarily, and Backlund isn’t working with WWE while his protege is on the disabled list.

In a recent interview promoting his new book, Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling’s World Champion, Backlund spoke to Ring Rust Radio about his recent work with Young, his attempts to offer Donald Trump help with education and his thoughts on Kurt Angle’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Old-school wrestling fans remember Backlund as one of the longest-reigning world champions in wrestling history—he held the title for a combined 2,138 days—but younger fans know him mostly from his Hall of Fame induction and his recent work with Young.

As Young’s mentor on WWE programming, a new generation of wrestling fans has felt the energy and excitement Backlund brings to the sport. Add in his ability to make his protege an even better performer, and the duo was working well before Young’s injury.

“He’s got potential, but you have got to have the writers behind you. He is a great person outside of the ring, he does a lot of good things, and it’s a shame he dislocated his elbow on Monday Night Raw a couple of weeks ago,” Backlund said.

“He is coming along real well and going to rehab every day. He is starting to feel better already, and I think he will be back pretty soon. He loves the business just like we all do, and he misses it a lot.”

While Young is injured, though, Backlund is off the road and back home working on personal projects. In addition to his website and supporting his book release with appearances, Backlund is also looking to improve the United States.

One way to ensure he makes a difference with the youth of today is by meeting with president Donald Trump and pledging his commitment to educating children by using the life lessons he learned throughout his career to teach kids right from wrong:

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I’m on a mission right now. I was at the White House last Wednesday, and then I was at Trump Tower the next day. When I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Donald Trump was inducted on the same night. When I was done with my speech, he came over to me and said I could light up New York City if they could plug me into it.

I’m trying to meet him and tell him that I would like to be plugged into the United States and light the United States up and help him make this country great again. I’d like to go to schools and give speeches to people about training, working hard and getting ahead in life. We live in the greatest country in the world, and there are opportunities out there. You can’t stay at home with your parents and just sit there; you have to get out there and do it. I’m going down to Trump Tower and see what I can get done.

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Not only is Backlund attempting to be an educational ambassador for Trump, but he is also an ideal ambassador for WWE as a company. As one of the greatest champions of all time, he was asked his thoughts on the induction of Kurt Angle into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class.

As an amateur wrestler himself, Backlund appreciates what Angle accomplished before stepping foot in a professional wrestling ring—he won Olympic gold with a broken neck—and feels he is a worthy recipient of the great honor.

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That would be fine with me. He was an Olympic champion. He did some great things in the wrestling business, and I think that would be very appropriate for him. I would love to be there for him being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I haven’t seen him for a long, long time, though. I was sort of a manager for him back when he came on, and I got to know him for a bit. He is a great wrestler. We actually did a promo, and he put the cross-face chicken wing on me, and he was going to run with that for a while as his move.

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While Backlund has been portrayed as eccentric at times on WWE programming, few men in history have contributed more to the business of wrestling. His place in history has been cemented as one of the best of all time.

Now that his in-ring career is over, though, Backlund has dedicated himself to impacting the world in a positive way by using the life lessons he was taught to educate the next generation of Superstars and fans.

With a one-of-a-kind personality and an unparalleled energy, Backlund is winning over a whole new generation of his fans as the manager of Young. When Young returns from his injury, the hope is that he and Backlund will get a real opportunity to shine.

WWE programming is always more entertaining with Backlund on the screen.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).