THE original big bad Wolf has warned Viper that he will never match him as the Gladiator that everyone loves to hate.
Quang Luong has been described by fans as a “Poundland Wolf” for rowing with the referee, snarling and cheating during the BBC’s reboot of the challenge show.
But appearing as Viper, Quang has often lost out to contenders, being knocked off the podium in duel after two seconds last week.
In an exclusive interview Michael Van Wijk, who appeared as Wolf for eight series of Gladiators between 1992 and 2000, says: “There’s only one Wolf. He’s a carbon copy of me but the original is always the best.”
Viper is nowhere near as menacing as Wolf, who rugby tackled commentator Jeremy Guscott and ruthlessly demolished opponents.
Michael, 71, tells The Sun how he learned from his impoverished childhood to stand up for himself.
He would brawl with other kids who made fun of him being on free school meals.
The bodybuilder, who now runs a chain of gyms in New Zealand, also reveals that even in his late 50s he wanted to get in the ring to compete as a Mixed Martial Artist (MMA).
Michael was born in Mumbai, India, and moved to England when he was aged three after his Dutch sea captain dad, Beppo, walked out on the family.
He was brought up by his Anglo Indian mum, Moira, in South London, where it was tough being poor in the 1950s.
Michael recalls: “Because I came from poverty we had nothing. When I was a little boy the other kids would be showing their new football boots, and I’d have my clothes from the church jumble sale.
“I’d put some newspaper in my jumper because they weren’t the right size and gaffer tape them up.”
He continues: “At school we had a system where for lunch kids who couldn’t afford it they’d get these chits to pay for their lunch.
“There was a box next to where you paid, and all the kids would see you put the chit in the box and make fun out of you that you can’t afford lunch. So you ended up getting in a fight, you know.
“And through my whole schooling people would be invited to birthday parties, but I would make excuses that I couldn’t go.
“It was because I couldn’t afford to buy a birthday present – you can’t turn up without a birthday present.”
If I went into a shopping mall within two, three minutes 200 people would gather around me
Wolf
Michael worked “three jobs in one day”, including working as a bouncer at night, in order to get the money to start a business.
Protecting nightclubs was tough though. Michael says: “When I was doing the doors I did the door on my own and many times I had to throw someone out and in those days when you’d throw out someone they’d sometimes come back and threaten you.”
Eventually he had enough cash to start his own gym in south London.
Learning how to get by with so little toughened Michael up.
Michael explains: “You accepted that you had nothing, and that was a good thing because there was only one way, and that was ‘up’.
“I had done well for myself before the show came up.”
He had a son, Dean, with his partner Mariette Oepkes, but they split up shortly afterwards and Michael married Paula Keen in 1997 on the tropical island of Bermuda.
Paula had to get used to seeing her husband be mobbed in the streets by Gladiators fans.
He remembers: “It came to a stage where my wife couldn’t go shopping, I couldn’t go shopping with her.
“If I went into a shopping mall within two, three minutes 200 people would gather around me.”
The father-of-four also grew accustomed to wannabe beefcakes telling him how easy it would be to take down a Gladiator - and then finding out they were wrong.
He reveals: “I had so many guys in my gym who would come up to me and say, ‘I’m going to go for it this year. I’m going to be up against you.’
“They would get 5,000 people turn up for these trials and they would be doing this all day long.
“I said to the guys who failed the trials, they can’t complete them trials so how are they going to go on the actual show? Till you actually are doing it then you realise how hard it is.”
I accepted that I had nothing, and that was a good thing because there was only one way, and that was ‘up’
Wolf
There were also rumours of drug taking among the Gladiators to contend with, a problem which saw Shadow, real name Jefferson King, kicked off the program in 1995.
Investigative TV journalist Roger Cook accused Wolf of steroid abuse in 1994 but Michael was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Michael denies taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and tests by the Gladiator’s then ITV producers showed that he wasn’t taking any.
He recalls: “Roger Cook was just trying to get something sensational at the time, we were all clear. They did drug testing with us.”
When the original Gladiators came to an end in 2000 due to falling viewing figures, Michael was able to move on to his next project, which was opening a gym in New Zealand.
But he didn’t lose that urge to grapple for a living.
And when the former kick-boxer saw the rise of MMA he thought it would be better to learn the skill rather than have anyone from the sport take him down.
The former kick-boxer reveals: “I never pick a fight but if they want it, I don't walk away from one either. That’s my attitude, that's the way I’ve been brought up.
My wife said, if you fight and get injured you’ve got responsibilities
Wolf
“After watching MMA I thought if someone did MMA, unless you know better, once you end up on the ground you wouldn’t know what to do.”
Michael trained with Dave O’Donell, who ran the MMA Cage Rage Championships in Britain.
He enjoyed it so much that Wolf wanted to pounce on the canvas.
Michael admits: “I wanted to fight and I was in my late 50s but my wife said, if you fight and get injured you’ve got responsibilities, who’s going to look after all this?
“I wanted to compete but on top of this you have to be rational and say no, it’s too late.”
