When I was nine years old and dreamed of being a pro wrestler, the thing I was most fascinated by was how much love the wrestlers got.
Seeing myself as a champion in WWE is something I've seen from the first day I stepped into the Universe and the realm of the company.
My goal when I first started in the WWE was to stand out.
Growing up, I wanted to be in WWE because of watching characters like Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman. They just are such incredible storytellers, such incredible, compelling characters.
I loved reminiscing with my dad about his matches with the Bulldogs and his partnership with my uncle Bret Hart as the Hart Foundation.
I haven't wanted to portray a manager since Paul E. Dangerously was with the Samoan Swat Team in 1989. I've always wanted to do some different presentation in that role. I don't consider myself a manager - I'm an advocate, and I truly believe that that is the description for the role that I play.
Samoa Joe is a good friend of mine, and I'm very impressed with his in-ring abilities.
It's kind of beating a dead horse if you're talking about going out and saying wrestling's fake, or this or that. People don't want to hear that. They want to hear, they wanted to find an inside story.
My dad had a habit of giving me the Abdullah the Butcher matches as well as the ones with tables and chairs - basically, the matches that went all over the building.
I learned everything from WWE. Ken Anderson trained me in Green Bay. The were looking for a midget for Fit Finlay, and Ken said that I have the guy. He can take bumps. He can work. He will do great, it was literally off to the races from then on.
I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I signed on to work with a wrestler.
I didn't do choreographed fighting for a living. I was a professional wrestler for 15 years; there's a big difference.
If you watch wrestling like I do, you watch for the wrestling. There's so much talking. There's some 'twit' back there with a pencil behind his ear writing down all these things for wrestlers to say.
Ever since I was a little kid the only thing I've ever wanted to do was be in the WWE, and not just be on the roster but to be a champion.
That's why I like the indies: because I like being who I am. I get to be who I am in the ring, on the microphone, everywhere. It's great. I never have to get out of character because I am Matthew Riddle.
Amateur wrestling was never considered a big box office draw because they're really competing but they're not getting a chance to call each other 16 kinds of names before the fight to get you interested.
My favoirte wrestler is 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair.
The Bullet Club from the beginning was just a group of talented guys who were having fun together and tried to make pro wrestling as exciting as it can be.
Pretty much my entire life has been played out in front of wrestling fans, even the stuff - I guess you could say the legend and lore - which has grown.
Do not try doing the things that we do one TV in WWE. We're the entertainers, we're the professionals.
There is a difference between being a wrestler and being a pro wrestler.
If you're in the WWE, you're a superstar.
Tully was the first young, handsome, cocky, well-dressed bad guy. He was our version of Ric Flair before I knew who Ric Flair was. This was before cable TV or any of that, and Tully was our Ric Flair.
If I wanted to do a fixed fight, I'd be doing WWE.
You can't just run through a cookie cutter press and crank out a wrestler that looks like Bill Goldberg.
