Former WWE star Rico Constantino recently opened up about his departure from WWE and the frustrations he had with the company during his run on the main roster from 2002 through 2004.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Rico reflected on the moment he approached Vince McMahon about receiving a pay rise after feeling he had proven himself as a valuable member of the roster.

Van Vliet asked, “Were you surprised when you got released?”

Rico admitted, “Yeah, and I went and asked Vince for a raise because I had already filled my three-year rookie contract. I’ve held the tag titles twice, once with Rikishi, once with Haas. I was going to almost every show and on TV. I said I want $1,000 a week.”

Van Vliet then questioned the numbers behind Rico’s deal.

“What were you making before?”

Rico replied, “Minimum, which was $75,000 a year.”

Van Vliet pointed out, “But $1,000 a week is less than that?”

Rico clarified, “No, I wanted a $52,000 raise on top of the $75k. I thought I was worth it, and Charlie and I and Jackie were about to come out on the SmackDown magazine front cover, and he told me I wasn’t popular.”

According to Rico, that conversation ultimately played a major role in WWE deciding to part ways with him.

“So that’s what led to you being released?” Van Vliet asked.

“Yeah. Vince didn’t like me because of my age in the beginning, he was forced to put me there,” Rico claimed.

The former WWE Tag Team Champion also spoke in detail about his background outside of wrestling and how different it was from the flamboyant character he portrayed on WWE television. Rico explained that before entering sports entertainment, he built a career in law enforcement and emergency services, something he felt contrasted heavily with the gimmick WWE assigned him.

“And if anybody out there looks at my background, I’m an Action Man. I’m a straight to law enforcement. I’ve been to two police academies, graduated number one in both of them, I’ve got life-saving awards. I was voted one of the officers of the year by Crime Stoppers for catching a person who was escaping her parole, who led me to a person who was wanted for murder, and I caught a homicide suspect and shipped them back to LA.”

Rico continued by saying he has always been the type of person to run toward danger instead of away from it.

“So I’m that type of guy. EMT, paramedic, people running this way, I’m running to trouble. I want to help people. So here Vince gives me this style in some feminine character, they may be hoping I fail. Well, I turned it around.”

During his WWE run, Rico became one of the more memorable midcard personalities of the Ruthless Aggression Era thanks to his over the top character work and partnerships with stars including Rikishi and Charlie Haas. Despite the polarizing presentation, Rico managed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship twice before exiting the company in 2004.