People love to be entertained and love the different storylines that go on in pro wrestling.
You realize, as time goes on, there is a certain expectation now in 2018 where fans want to see cool, exciting, hard-hitting sports entertainment or hard-hitting pro wrestling, and there are ways to give them that without necessarily putting yourself in the hospital that night or not being able to move the next morning.
I'm the best, not Omega. I love New Japan more than Omega, and I will continue to prove that.
I grew up in rural Missouri about two hours north of St. Louis, and if the wind was blowing right on a Saturday night, I could catch All Star Wrestling out of Kansas City, which was run by Bob Geigel, and some of the stars there were Bulldog Bob Brower and Ray Candy.
Pro wrestling fans love what they watch, and they go out to enjoy and have fun.
Drax isn't your average stereotypical soldier/warrior/musclehead. He actually has some depth. It was a character that I wanted to play, not only because I love acting so much, but also, I needed to play to get people to actually take me seriously as an actor and get away from the pro wrestling label.
I've sort of always pulled for the heels, like the bad guys. So I think if I were a pro wrestler, first I'd need to bulk up, and second I'll need to get sort of a bad-boy persona.
I always said to myself when I first started wrestling that I was gonna put absolutely everything into it - into becoming the absolute best pro wrestling that I could be.
Professional wrestling has moved so far to the athleticism side and people are overly indulging in the stunt monkeys, but that's why there are so many injuries all the time. You need to break open your soul, break open your mind, and remember that pro wrestling is magic.
Back in the day, when I was getting into the business, you could watch Pro Wrestling Noah. You could watch Ring Of Honor Wrestling, and a lot of people would say, 'the best wrestling in the world is actually at Ring Of Honor.'
McMahon 3:16 says 'I just pissed my pants!'
Pro wrestling has always been ingrained into American culture. It was one of the first things that was ever on television, so everybody watched it. Countless people tell me, 'I got into wrestling because my grandfather watched it.' It was always there.
I'm a geek of all general types. I like a little bit of everything, I love comic books, I love pro-wrestling, I love video games.
Pro wrestling has absolutely helped my fighting.
Jericho uses tried and true, fundamental pro wrestling villain techniques to make him effective. He's a master in ring psychologist.
Kick him when he's down, he's easier to reach.
The Young Bucks and myself are always full of ideas.
I lived, ate, breathed, slept Shawn Michaels. I wouldn't call it pro wrestling back in the day when I was a kid. I just called it Shawn Michaels.
Being real in pro wrestling has paid off. Just being myself - that really translated to the fans.
NXT is the part of the WWE that is about competition. It's not sports entertainment, it's the pro wrestling side and that's what we do.
We've been very lucky with the 'Being the Elite' crew that everyone is very passionate about pro wrestling. There's no crooks in the group. Everyone's ideas are valued. And everyone who has something they pick and put on the map, they are fully going to commit to that.
Hopefully, when people watch 'Lucha Underground' and WWE, Ring of Honor, New Japan, AAA, and any other promotion out there, they fall in love with pro wrestling. Pro wrestling, as it affects pop culture, is bigger than any one promotion.
I like pure pro-wrestling, when it's serious in its orientation and presentation - like it's a legit sport with Jim Ross calling the action.
When I started wrestling, I never wanted to go to WWE. It was the Japanese life for me.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pro wrestler. Other kids wanted to be cops and astronauts, but I wanted to be Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake, and Jake 'The Snake.' I wanted to be those guys! I used to tape matches on my trampoline and body-slam my brother.
