A WWE Hall of Famer has shed light on how respect and discipline shaped the backstage culture during his time in the wrestling business.

Speaking on a recent episode of his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi opened up about the unspoken rules that governed the locker room, especially for newcomers during his era. The former WWE Superstar recalled how the presence of groups like BSK and The Kliq set a serious tone, making it clear that anyone stepping into the locker room had to carry themselves with humility and professionalism.

Rikishi said most new talent were already prepared to walk on eggshells, knowing they were entering a highly respected and often intimidating environment.

“No, there isn’t Joey. I can’t even tell , because you know, the people that came through was already smart, was already prepped. Because when they, when they walk into that dungeon of a locker room where you got BSK, The Kliq , the whole nine is in there, they were already walking on eggshells already. So nobody ever came with a loud mouth. Nobody ever came like they already knew it all. Everybody was they were already prepped and understand.”

He went on to highlight how veterans expected rookies to earn their place quietly by watching and learning rather than speaking out of turn.

“It’s that old school mentality. You come in there, you respect. There’s a word called respect , ‘Shut the fk up. You don’t know what the fk you’re talking about. Okay, you got a job here. Now, just sit in the corner and learn why. Watch the OG’s, watch the pros that know and just learn.’ The only time you really should open your mouth, if you got a question, open your mouth up and then we will probably want to teach you."

“But if you’re the type that talk a lot and just , that’s those types of people, that’s their fear. They don’t know any way but to run just their mouths like. Almost like they’ve been bullied in school, right? So now they take that and they try to run [their mouth]. It gets to a point where it’s like, ‘You know what, I ain’t working with you no more. I’m not working with you out there. I’m damn sure not gonna work with you in the locker room. I’m just gonna tell you, shut the fk up. That’s it. Knuckle up or shut the fk up.’”