Only in America.

Three words that easily explain the friendship between WWE United States champion Zack Ryder and Mr. Belding — Dennis Haskins.

Considering the iconic “Saved by the Bell” principal’s love and appreciation of pro wrestling/sports entertainment, the relation isn’t so farfetched.

“I’ve known Bill Goldberg for a long time,” Haskins said.

“I’ve always had some connection. Living in Chattanooga, Tennessee I watched Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. I just grew up with it. It’s part of our culture. I met Bill at a celebrity golf tournament.

“I also went to a WWE event in Chattanooga when WWE was there and ran into The Rock, who was a fan of the show. He said, ‘Hey man. They used to call me AC [Slater] down at the U [University of Miami].’ I’m really blessed to have that connection to get to know a lot of people. That’s kind been my history all along with all the wrestlers.”

Ryder, a longtime fan of Justin Bieber, boy bands and “Saved by the Bell,” recently had the beloved Bayside High principal on his popular YouTube show “Z! True Long Island Story.”

“I know Mike/The Miz back when he was on the reality shows,” Haskins said. “He always wanted to be a wrestler. That was his dream, and he made it happen. The same thing is happening to Zack. He is a good wrestler. He has skills, but he found a way to create interest through his own thing. He contacted me through The Miz. I went on episode 43 of ‘Z! TLIS.’ He gets 150,000 or more views a week. That’s amazing. Then we did another thing the week after.

“I actually bought the Broski hat to surprise him. It’s great to bring joy into people’s lives. That is what Zack Ryder is doing. He is the underdog. He is bringing joy to people’s lives. They can identify with him. I’m Blessed to be a small part of it on the edges and support him. I think his story is an inspiration.

“He is a big fan of mine because he grew up watching the show, which I’m thrilled about. That’s what made our connection work. He is really creative and industrious. Now people are pushing WWE to do something with me.”

Ever since Haskins appeared on the leader of the Ryder Revolution’s show, he has been embraced by fans from around the world. Mr. Belding has received tweets from the likes of Beth Phoenix, Josh Mathews and CM Punk.

“I’m just really happy for Zack,” Haskins said. “He has earned it. A lot of people will help you, if you are helping yourself. He obviously put a lot of time in himself and made himself worthwhile to WWE. The fans know he is the underdog. I love on Raw when John Cena was in the middle of it and took himself out in order to have Zack go on to beat Mark Henry to get the shot at Dolph Ziggler.

“You have to respect Ziggler, too, because he was also on Ryder’s show. These guys are working hard and are in the game. For me to get to recently meet Hulk Hogan as well was great. He was the man that left his blood across every canvas across the country and brought the whole game up. Then guys like The Rock took the torch and carried it. Cena is as well. I’m really happy for Miz and all those guys. You can’t have good guys without bad guys.”

Haskins has been very interactive on Twitter with fans. In turn, a Twitition is on Twitter with members of the WWE Universe petitioning for the company to make Haskins the Raw general manager. Kevin Eck, WWE writer, mentioned the outpouring of support in a WWE.com column. He wrote Mr. Belding would make a “decent” GM. Despite all the love, the response of his involvement has not been all positive.

“I just had a guy tweet me saying they didn’t want me anywhere near WWE,” Haskins. “You can’t please everyone. I retweeted him, so he had his say because it was funny. Then I blocked him. Everybody gets a voice.”

Haskins and Ryder have never met in person. Mr. Belding hopes to change that soon.

“If I got to go and say Hi to Zack, I would be happy,” Haskins said. “I think they are coming to Anaheim in a few weeks [Jan. 16], and I’m going to try to meet him. Maybe take him out to dinner. I really like the guy and really do believe he is an inspiration.”

In the authority role, Haskins feels Mr. Belding found the right balance. Viewers saw this every week on “Saved by the Bell’ whenever Zack Morris got into trouble. As Raw GM, I’m sure we’d hear, ‘Hey hey hey hey hey, what is going on hear’ a few times a night from Mr. B.

“Mr. Belding was a silly principal who liked hanging out with his students, but when it came down to it, he was the principal,” Haskins said. “He always did what was right for them. He never crossed that line. We had a rule. Mr. Belding can be funny on Tuesday, but he has to be the principal on Wednesday. If they had too much fun at his expense, people wouldn’t respect him.

“With all the sad stuff going on today, there is still the Mr. Belding character I was so Blessed to play that people looked to do the right thing. That’s the character. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and try to learn from them. Nobody is perfect. With that said, Mr. Belding came pretty darn close. He always did right by them, even if it meant wearing a Screech mask when the military was trying to get Screech.”

Respect is something the interim general manager John Laurinaitis doesn’t get from the WWE superstars. In the past, the company had Pee-Wee Herman and The Muppets, so Mr. Belding on Raw isn’t out of the question. Haskins is open to the idea.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything to disrespect Mr. Belding,” Haskins said. “I have scenarios that I think would work. I turned 61 this year. It’s not like I’m going to be coming off the top rope. If J.R. [Jim Ross] is in the ring, I think Mr. Belding can get in the ring. Wouldn’t that be something having Mr. Belding versus Michael Cole? I better go to the gym.

“Zack could also set up The Max backstage with Zack hanging out with his buddies, and Mr. Belding coming out to support him as friend and ally. If I got to do anything with him, it would be a great thing. I do know he did this on his own, and it’s his moment in the sun. I want to support him. It’s all about Zack Ryder.”

• One of Haskins’ favorite memories was watching Hogan slam Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. The actor remembers a day on set where the wrestling fan came out.

“I remember doing a scene where Mr. Belding goes to the guys’ houses because he is in trouble with Mrs. B. When we were rehearsing, and Mario [Lopez] was leaping off the bed on those beanbags doing Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka moves, it was fun.”

Sign the Mr. Belding for WWE general manager petition at http://twitition.com/irctx.

• Haskins has a number of projects in the works for 2012. His movie “Chapman” is currently in post-production.

The “Saved by the Bell” alum also appears in the “Can’t Get Arrested” web series with “Full House” cast members Jodie Sweetin and Dave Coulier. Watch the episodes at http://cantgetarrestedshow.com.

• Follow Haskins on Twitter @mrbelding.

• Follow me on Twitter @smFISHMAN, (http://twitter.com/#!/smFISHMAN), where I post links and information. Opinions expressed reflect no other entity. I can also be found tweeting incessantly during wrestling shows weekly.

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