WWE tag legend Pierre Carl Ouellet reveals why he does not think of the Hall of Fame

Veteran wrestler Pierre Carl Ouellet said "living in the present moment" was the real driver of his incredible career recovery.

The three-time WWE Tag Team champion, who made his debut in the sector in 1987, has been for two years one of the most fashionable names in the independent scene.

And in December 2018, the 51-year-old Canadian, aka PCO, embarked on the next stage of his career in the US promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) by signing a 12-month contract.

The "French Frankenstein" not only seduced fans with his fearless high-intensity offensive, but also gained popularity with his unbridled social media videos.

Along with his trainer, Destro, he has created a huge follow up online by sharing intense training videos, including tearing up a pack of cards, bending a frying pan and even electrocuting him!

In an exclusive interview with Tony Quant of Mirror Sport, PCO explained what exactly had led to his rebirth, why he had signed with ROH, his thoughts on the upcoming 17th Anniversary show and the potential of the fight at Madison Square Garden on next month.

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You've had a huge recovery over the last two years and most of all, you seem to have fun every time you're in the ring. What exactly has led to this change?

Every night I played, I thought, "There is no yesterday or tomorrow, so I focus on the moment I live right now." I did it every day of my life recently, but at the time, I was trying to think about the future and what would make me happy, I'd never really been in the present time. From the wisdom that I have acquired over the years, I have started being in the moment. It's almost my thing, being so focused on what I do all the time.

I had more fun and had better times in the last two years than I have for a long time. It's by far the most fun I've had in this area. Every time I pack my bags for the weekend, I feel full and happy, I enjoy even more this race. It's a combination of things that makes me feel like that. I had so much fun last year traveling alone around the world. I was on a very difficult program, but I always had fun because I enjoyed every game as if it was a WrestleMania match.

After such a strong pbad among freelancers, I suppose there were many offers to sign for several promotions? What attracted you to ROH?

There were many offers on the table at the time. Just about every big business. Without blaming anyone, I chose ROH because I really liked their approach and the way they work together with their talent and creativity. They try to get the best out of you by asking you what you think of yourself and how you envision your character. They certainly do not do anything against what you are. Sometimes the fight is too scripted for and sometimes they can look at it like movies, but we do not make movies, we do live shows. The best thing about the fight is a bit of fiction and a bit of reality. You must be yourself and for me it is the feeling that I had and the atmosphere that I had with ROH.

I felt that they were really trying not to change the BCP or do anything else, they just accepted the BCP and that's one of the main reasons I signed up with them. The other reason was all the talk about Villain Enterprises. They wanted the three guys in a group. I knew Marty Scurll since 2008 and I got along well with him at the time. I knew we had good chemistry and it would be fun to work with him. I was arguing with Brody King on the independent stage and our chemistry was good too. I felt we could be the biggest faction of professional wrestling. I like the chemistry we have and it's something that interested me. These two factors are important to me. On top of that, ROH was professional with his approach and his way of doing business with me.

You mentioned being part of Villain Enterprises as an important reason to sign with ROH. After spending the majority of your career as a tag fighter, how different is it from being in a barn?

Being in Villain Enterprises is very different from being in a team. With a team team, they are always the same two guys. Now we get to mix everything up and sometimes I'll take matches with Marty, then I could be singles, then six-a-match, and so on. That's what's cool about it. It 's not always a draw and it can go in all directions, I like it being in a team.

At the next ROH 17th show, Brody King and you challenge the Briscoes for the ROH Team Championship. How much would it mean to capture the titles on such a big show for the promotion?

I am very excited for the game. I think it's a great opportunity to fight for the titles at the 17th anniversary of ROH. It's one of their biggest pay-per-view programs and it matters a lot to me. It's a very important date. We are looking forward to the moment.

If you beat the Briscoes, you have every chance of winning the MSG card as a team champion. As a person who has had the chance to play Garden, is it always something that fascinates you as a performer?

ROH in MSG is going to be special because it's one of my favorite buildings in the world. There is so much mystique around MSG because it is there that so many great stars have occurred. For me, when I did it for the first time, I was so impressed and once there, we (Quebeckers) won the WWF titles against Marty Janetty and The 1-2 -3 Kid. There was also a game that I had with Bret Hart in the main event, it's something I will remember for the rest of my life. Back to MSG with ROH and the "new me" so to speak, it's going to be bigger and bigger. It will be very very cool, probably one of the greatest experiences of my life on April 6th in the garden.

About Quebeckers, what do you think about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Is it something you hope for?

I'm not big on the Hall of Fame, it's not a big deal for me. This is not something that is really a target for me right now. Maybe when everything is behind me. I am still very involved in the action, so I can not think of it. I have so many other things that are important and that I want to accomplish. The HOF can wait until my list of priorities is complete. It's not that I'm plugged in, but my goal is not there and I would not see myself going while I work elsewhere, that makes no sense to me . This is a subject we will discuss once the struggle is over.

Having been in the business for so long, do you still feel like learning?

I am learning from many people and we are still learning. If there is not a day in your life that you do not learn, then something has gone wrong. Because business is so important that you need to be aware of new psychology, faster combos / sequences, there is so much to learn. One of the things I like about the company is that I evolve. A lot of older people in the company wanted the situation to stay the same, but it's like with everything in the world, where there is stagnation, things are dying. When you try to stop the evolution of something that is beyond you, so you have to accept the changes.

It's crazy to think, but at age 51 you do not show any signs of slowing down. But do you also have a period of time in mind when you think you will call it a day?

Depending on how everything goes, I think I still have five years left. But I must also continue to improve and continue to improve, and to do everything I have done in the past two years.

ROH 17th Anniversary will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on Friday, March 15 at 8 pm Eastern Time. [1am in the UK on Saturday, March 16] on the traditional à la carte providers, free for HonorClub VIP, 50% off for HonorClub Standard, and on FITE TV.

Please visit ROHWrestling.com or the ROH app for more information.