Former ECW star Rhyno is making a run at politics
Rhyno is running for state representative in District 15 of Dearborn, Mich.
There is an open seat in District 15, and Rhyno–campaigning under his full name of Terrance Guido Gerin–is running as a Republican.
“Growing up as a kid in the '80’s, I really looked up to Ronald Reagan,” said the 40-year-old Rhyno. “I liked that feeling that you could be anything you wanted to be, and as a kid that really resonated with me.”
After traveling the world while working for the past 22 years in wrestling, Rhyno explained that he does not simply view people as Republicans or Democrats–he is inspired by people.
“Social security is very important, welfare is very important, and so are Medicare and Medicaid,” said Rhyno, but every so often we need to reform it to make sure the tax dollars are being spent wisely toward it.”
In addition to his status as a veteran of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Rhyno also spent time working with the talent at NXT in 2015.
“Hunter has really put together something special with NXT, and I was very fortunate and blessed to be part of it,” said Rhyno. “Baron Corbin and Finn Balor are the real deal, and I really like [Samoa] Joe’s role, which was similar to mine. I’m also proud of a lot of the trainers. Sara Del Ray is one of the top female wrestlers that I’ve seen in a long time, and she’s passing on the knowledge. They’re a lot more than coaches in NXT–they’re connecting on a personal level.”
The extensive time on the road allowed the opportunity for the history buff to read extensively on Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Rhyno also worked for two incredible leaders in wrestling, beginning with Paul Heyman and culminating with Vincent K. McMahon.
“Paul has such a great, creative mind for wrestling,” said Rhyno. “But as a man, I learned so much of the business part of wrestling. I learned how to communicate with people from Paul. Let’s face it–he rallied troops in ECW when there was no money. He got guys to be the best they could possibly be, and the reality of it is that he was trying to build a movement and he got guys to perform to the best of their ability for very little money. Those speeches he gave to the locker room were from the heart. Paul would say, ‘Let’s go out there and make history,’ and he brought something out of you that you didn’t know you had.”
Rhyno also received a political blessing from McMahon.
“I watch how Vince interacts with people and how he leads, and I always watch him when the pyro is being set off before the show,” explained Rhyno. “The fire department needs to make sure it’s all up to code. It’s really loud, and there will be an announcement in the arena that there will be a pyro check. Everybody plugs their ears except Vince McMahon. He never covers his ears. To him, that would show a sign of weakness. When you lead, you can’t show weakness. I noticed that and I stopped covering my ears.”
Michigan, Rhyno explained, is on the right track–but the train will still run you over if you are headed the wrong way.
“I love the state of Michigan, even in the winter time,” said Rhyno. “But our roads are terrible. Eleven percent of pay was cut in education, so morale was shot. We don’t have Paul Heyman rallying the teachers–and we can’t cut teachers’ pay and expect them to perform at 110 percent. We need to get the teachers’ pay back, and let teachers go out there and teach. This is home, and I will work for the people.”
