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That attitude, that persona I carry is something I've always had with me. I mean, that's what made me successful, especially in football, and is making me successful now.
Wrestling is an opportunity to go to a show, be a part of it, and feel the emotions from anger to frustration to sadness to pain - everything that music can make you feel.
My dad brought me up not to accept second place. I lost a karate tournament once and got a trophy for fourth place. My dad tossed that trophy out the window on the way home.
I love just getting to experience the different types of fans and getting to perform in front of thousands of people every night; that is icing on the cake for me. That is the fun.
I grew up watching 'Taker, and he used to scare me as a kid, so I think it would only add to the excitement to be in a casket match with a guy like that. There's definitely some jealousy.
John Cena - say what you want about the guy, but he is unbelievable in every aspect of WWE: what he does with kids from Make-A-Wish and to how he controls a ring and a crowd in the moment.
I've always been a guy - I ran my mouth in NXT about the little guys who come through, and they are tough and feisty or whatever it is. To me, they're no more dangerous than a little chihuahua.
I think, ya know, he's called out a few WWE Superstars; I wouldn't mind taking a crack at Conor McGregor, and he's, like, 165 pounds, 185 pounds soaking wet. So, I would like to slam him on his head a few times.
I think I was given an opportunity, and I ran with it. I think I've made a lot more of it than anybody thought I was going to, and that's why it's gone so well, but it's opened a lot of doors and a lot of eyes to what I can do.
It's the fun part of this business: you never know what your day is gonna hold. Some things could be very, very last-minute. It could be at that very last second. So, it's pretty wild, and it keeps you on your toes. That's for sure.
It's two guys in particular. Norman Smiley, he got his hands on me the day I walked in the door - started teaching me the fundamentals and teaching me things that I use - but Billy Gunn, that guy has helped me evolve more than anyone.
What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it. It's that arrogance, that confidence, the belief that I'm the best, and there's a true attitude that I don't care what others think.
Growing up, I idolized Big Boss Man and Bam Bam Bigelow just because they were big guys who could move and were tough. I felt like they both rode motorcycles. And Bam Bam had his head tattooed. Those are the guys who really got me into wrestling.
Everybody always asked why I wanted to be an offensive lineman. I told them that I had 11 different people I can hit on every single play, while everyone else is chasing one person. I prided myself on being an extremely physical and dominant player.
I think everybody wants everybody to be successful. There is that competitive nature, in a sense that everybody wants to be the best, but if A.J. Styles is more successful, and Braun Strowman is more successful, that makes the company more successful.
I would challenge anyone who thinks that what we do isn't taxing on your body. People see what we do and think it would be fun to try, but I would challenge anyone to do what we do and show them how physically demanding it is. It deserves a lot more respect.
Honestly, I was a little bit arrogant because I came in and thought it was going to be easy and that I'd be on television in a year, no problem. Then you realize how many different things it takes to become a successful superstar, and it really is a rude awakening.
It's a competitive business, and everybody wants to be the best. And when there's a new guy coming in, and there's buzz about him, 'Oh, he was a pro football player,' you instantly have people that don't like you because they're afraid you're going to take their spot.
It was great to get rid of the long hair. It's such a pain that, if you look at it, it's always wet when guys wrestle: you dump gallons of conditioner in it to keep it wet so you're not choking on it. You have all kinds of stuff in it, and just maintaining it is a lot of work.
Sometimes I just go, 'Is it me? Am I really just not that likeable?' The cool thing is, when you go out there and see a lady get mad or a guy get mad, or they hate you because you didn't come from the independents, or whatever, what I like to do is just pour kerosene on that fire.
Metal fans have a connection. There is something there; just like the wrestling world, they are die hard about wrestling, and it's that passion that makes you enjoy what you do. That is why I go to metal shows; you watch these dudes on stage just shredding and letting loose. You can't help but love it.
In college, practice is draggin'. Coach goes, 'Oh, hey, go on over there and start a fight with one of the linebackers.' Okay. So I'll go and start a fight with one of the linebackers... It's just an attitude that really developed in me, and now we just amplify it times 100 and make sure everybody understands what I do and what I'm about.