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In the U.S., I've had the opportunity to grow up around a lot of Arab families, and the one thing that always stood out to me is the incredible hospitality; it's out of this world.
My first remit when I came to WWE was to help build up NXT as a global brand. It was a mission that I took on fully and was more than willing to attack, and lo and behold, here we are.
I think something that escapes a lot of people is my entire career... I call myself the 'often unwanted' because when I got to Ring of Honor, I was told it was supposed to be one-off deal.
It was not very difficult for me to adjust in WWE because of my previous experience. Stylistically, this company is quite different from other promotions, but adapting to it is part of the job.
NXT was at a really exciting place and transforming in and of itself, and I find it's always good to be around that kind of environment and those kinds of companies. It just felt right. It was a good fit.
I think Conor McGregor is a promoter, and I'm not here to promote any of his fights. If he were here in WWE, that would be a different story, but until that happens, I don't feel like I need to address it.
People understand the simplicity of violence, and martial arts has always been about the more efficient way to deliver said violence upon an adversary. I've kept that philosophy as the focal point of what I do.
There is definitely a Japanese influence on my style. I spent several years back and forth training over there, training at the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles and picking up various techniques from wherever I go.
I grew up watching Transformers. I think it was one of the first cartoons that I started watching as a kid. It was awesome. I would set my clock every morning before I went to school. It was a big part of my childhood.
I think, for an artist, when you're drawing somebody who actually exists, it's a much steeper critical curve, as there is an actual representation of that person out there. You can't just interpret it any way you want.
I'm a big believer in the idea that one of the greatest advantages we have here in the United States is freedom of expression and freedom of speech. You should be able to say whatever you want, and I firmly believe that.
I had the greatest deal in the history of professional wrestling. I could work for WWE, anybody else that I wanted to, and collect income from every one of those companies, including merchandise. It was a really good deal.
Backstage, I do my own thing and have my own spots in the locker room, so environmentally, it's not very different for me. But the backstage environments are vastly different, but that is mainly because of the personalities.
I tremendously enjoyed my journey in professional wrestling, and I wouldn't want to trade a time or a place, even the low times, because it was those things that kind of tempered me and forged me and pushed me ahead to be here now.
I've had the opportunity to wrestle Daniel Bryan through several phases of his career, except for his time in WWE. What I remember is that he was great the first time I wrestled him, and he kept getting better every match afterward.
Anytime I've travelled to the Middle East, I've always experience the very best in hospitality. They are some of the most kind and wonderful people I've had the chance to meet, and I feel that Saudi Arabia shares those same qualities.
People talk about the Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn relationship and how they'll be fighting forever, but in reality, when it comes to me and A.J. Styles, I defy anybody to find two guys who have been battling against each other longer than us.
WWE is very good at doing things that are advantageous. If you have the ability to go out there and get on a mic and be captivating, then they're going to do everything in their power to support that ability and make it even bigger and seem better.
When guys are in NXT - not me, but the guys who are signed to developmental deals that are there - they're setting up the ring. They're tearing it down. They're working every day at the PC. And it's arduous training, man. Those guys go through a lot.
I think part of my journeys here and the places I was able to be at and the styles of wrestling I was able to experience and the friendships and just the world experience that I garnered before I came here to WWE helped me tremendously when I got here.
I relish any chance to punch A.J. Styles in the face, because he's a man I respect greatly. And I find that I want to punch people in the face that I respect greatly. I like to say it's an island thing, but it's not: it' just something that I like doing.
Not a lot of people get into Brock Lesnar like I did. Brock is every bit as intimidating as you'd imagine he would be times two. No, I mean, he's a shaved gorilla. It's just, he's stronger than strong. I don't even think he even realizes how strong he is.
Anybody that got in your way or stopped you or barred your success, you either push through them or work around them. I don't have enough time for excuses or crying about people saying how someone wasn't given a proper opportunity. Nobody gave me an opportunity.
I think when you are dealing with Brock Lesnar, you have to show up ready to deal with Brock Lesnar. Brock is the type of guy who is not going to give you an inch. If you are going to get anything from him, you have to take it, and he's going to dare you to take it.
They've kind of backed off and allowed me to do what I do. I think that's the biggest testament is that they know when to have a hand in things, and they know when to back off, let me work, and let me do my thing. During my time in NXT, they have definitely done that.
When it came to eliciting a reaction from an audience, especially at the time, I think Ric Flair is the guy who is constantly up there. Especially when you talk about speaking with passion and being able to convey a ton of emotion with his words and his body language.
In WWE, they're real big on letting you sink or swim, and they let you go out there, and they're going to give you the stick and a live mic in front of a packed house and millions watching at home, and if you're not prepared for that moment, you're going to go down in flames.
The biggest thing here in WWE is that if they see some really valuable qualities in you, they're really going to do their best to maximize them and put you into the scenarios and into the situations where that's going to make the most impact. For me, they've definitely done that.
My relationship with Shinsuke - I mean, he's a tremendous guy, we've maintained our friendship for well over a decade, and he's one of those incredible, rare, once-in-a-lifetime athletes whose ability transcends international border, which is something that's not often able to be done.
John Cena's match with me, the one that kind of got him hired with WWE, I remember they were there to look at John, obviously. He looked great - he was like the blue-chipper - and John was a good friend of mine, so I had no problem whatsoever helping him kind of highlight and do his thing.
I don't care where you go or what company you work for - and I've pretty much worked for them all - WWE by far is the most brutal road schedule in the world. It takes a special kind of individual to navigate that and be able to thrive in that environment. It's a challenge that I've enjoyed.
The sixth move of doom? Yeah. So John Cena went to China, took some lessons, and all of a sudden, now he's got a bad palm strike. Listen, I've been traveling the world for years and I've been beating up people with martial arts techniques from far superior styles and techniques. So, I ain't worried about that.
Anybody who has wanted me to go out there and pull some emotion out and act like we are going to get down, that's what I specialize in. That's fine. That's something that I do, and that's something that I've done over the breadth of my career. With Brock Lesnar, regardless of who he is, it was going to be no different.
Intimidation is an unusual animal: it's a lot about body language and understanding the human psyche. Knowing that usually a direct stare will crush most human souls, and that's just the basic gist of it... The soul-crushing stare, the fatherly disappointment, mixed with a little bit of hate and rage - you're on your way.
I think the biggest thing is kind of working everywhere and working with different people that, when I did walk through the door at WWE and looked around, I didn't really feel that out of place because every second face I looked at is somebody I've known for over a decade or worked with or I've been around in some capacity in the industry.
You never know with Punk. He is definitely somebody who does things his own way, and I think the biggest thing is that you can never count out what his next move will be. I think no one would have predicted his move to UFC - nobody would have predicted a lot of things he does - so whatever he chooses to do, he will do what feels best in the moment.