I'm not one of these guys who is going to build myself up to you for an over and put myself over. I do my talking in the ring.
I remember when I was younger and seeing guys like The Rock cut these promos telling the world how terrible they are. How they are a bunch of losers and stuff like that. He was so funny when he did it that you couldn't wait 'til he came out and started insulting you.
Savio Vega kept pushing me, pushing me, as he was teaching me, too, how to be a heel and things. And how to... 'Let's just try this tonight: just, we'll lock up, you'll go behind me, rub up and down my chest.'
Samoa Joe is a good friend of mine, and I'm very impressed with his in-ring abilities.
This isn't CM Punk talking to Triple H, this is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque
I hate in-ring promos. I've never done a promo in WWE that I liked.
When you see who I am, you're getting a real character, a real person. R-Truth, that's me.
When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.
When I was a kid, everybody loved Hulk Hogan, right? 'Eat your vitamins. Eat your vegetables.' Everybody over 25 hated him because he was corny, right?
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.
Let The Rock understand this, he beats your ass in cage match last week and now your the number 1 contender? Well The Rock knows exactly why that is; you've got a three foot nose you turn it sideways and stick it straight up Vince's ass!
When I started this character, it was me being 12 years old again. We would have other wrestlers come to our promos, and I'd geek out over them and show my excitement. I would just grab them and not let go.
As for regret, more than anything else, my regret lies in that the WWE Universe never really got the real Austin Aries. Outside of commentary, they missed out on the chance to hear and see me be me, and do what I do best.
The athletic part I never struggled with. It was the promos, the talking and, being uncomfortable in front of the crowd. Especially being a 'bad guy,' having people call me names, that was hard getting used to.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels and all those guys are more than happy to let me be myself. They want me to do my thing.
I've always said this: Edge is purely a character.
From a backstage perspective, one of the things I always tried to do in wrestling was maintain that I was Adam. Edge was a character.
The toughest opponent for me would have been Randy Savage, the Macho Man, because his intensity paralleled mine.
Arn Anderson - I loved 'The Enforcer' Arn. He cut the best promos. He always looked cool because he had that Polo with the rope chain, the rose-colored glasses, and that mean beard.
I knew no one had better ring psychology than Jake Roberts.
I just loved Jake The Snake because of that character and how he cut a promo. That dark nature of his character was amazing.
For me, I prefer to be the heel.
I've had so many cool moments on 'Monday Night Raw.'
I love doing the in-ring promos more than doing the backstage promos because I love being able to interact with the crowd.
Whether I was The Legend Killer, The Viper, The Apex Predator, nothing's really changed.
