Eric Bugenhagen (fka Rick Boogs): Life After WWE, WrestleMania Injury, Shinsuke Nakamura, Guitar

If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: Eric Bugenhagen (@ericbugenhagenOfficial) is a professional wrestler known for his time in WWE as Rick Boogs. He joins Chris Van Vliet in Orlando, FL to talk about what his plans are after being released from WWE in September 2023, his YouTube channel focused on fitness and weightlifting, what his PRs in the gym are for squats, deadlifts and bench press, being brought up to the main roster with his guitar gimmick, performing Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme song, the knee injury he suffered at WrestleMania 38, his new brand “Thick As Frick“ and much more! Check out Thick As Frick here: @ericbugenhagenOfficial’s YouTube channel: @ericbugenhagenOfficial BONCHARGE: Go to and use coupon code CVV to save 25% Quote I’m thinking about: “Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.“ - Dale Carnegie 00:00 Intro 00:47 His weight was mislabeled in WWE 02:53 Memories of his run with Elias 03:51 Being typecast in his acting auditions 06:18 How much coffee does he drink? 09:01 When did he lift his first weight? 11:02 How did he get started in amateur wrestling? 13:09 Is he constantly bulking? 14:18 How many calories does he eat in a day? 14:45 The origins of his powerlifting YouTube videos 18:45 Making money off of Cameo 20:58 Does he still want to wrestle after his WWE release? 22:33 How long did it take him to get signed to WWE? 25:34 Was he ready for his release to happen? 27:05 Memories of his WWE debut on Smackdown 28:11 The Old Spice Commercial getting him air time 28:52 How did he get the guitar gimmick? 30:05 Learning to play Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme 32:05 Making comments on YouTube that were deleted 34:29 Vince McMahon’s regime ending hurting his career 36:03 How did Wrestlemania 38 change his career 40:37 What are his lifting records? 44:25 His mindset about life post-WWE 47:19 3 Things Rick Boogs is grateful for Subscribe to Subscribe to my podcast: Get awesome CVV t-shirts & merch: Email me: cvv@ Follow me on Instagram: Like me on Facebook: Follow me on Twitter: #wwe #wrestling #smackdown #wrestlemania