Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I like going to Japan where they treat it like a real sport. I like doing the entertainment stuff with the WWE. I really like doing the small venue stuff, like Ring of Honor, because everything is so intimate. There's different feelings and different experiences, and you have to be good at different things to do all of that.
For me, because of WWE programming, it's easier for me to slip into someone that I'm not or someone that I always wanted to be and just haven't had the guts to. So this super, horrible mean person, I personally don't think it's who I am outside of the ring, but maybe it's someone I have always wanted to be and I just snapped.
I remember my agent calling and saying 'this may be really weird, but would you have any interest in WWE?' I was like, 'isn't that wrestling? And the last time I saw a WWE match was in my women's studies class at the University of Michigan, and they picked it apart. But she implored me to watch, and instantly I was interested.
The way '205 Live' came about, there was a lot of trust put into our roster. Because if you look at it, the majority of our roster had not been in the developmental system and NXT. And the majority of us had not been on TV prior to that. So for WWE to trust us and literally hire us and throw us on live TV, it was very, 'Whoa!'
A lot of what we do is built on trust, because basically, you go out there with a live mic on live television, and the WWE is putting their brand in your hands. Basically, they are entrusting you to go out there and to be a role model for children and keep everything that you are doing within the PG confines of this great brand.
Nicole and I got into wrestling through diva search. It used to be this competition WWE would put on. I found them when I saw the Divas wrestling in the ring, and I kind of just knew it was our calling. I felt like this was exactly what we are meant to do in life. Not only are the girls so glamorous, but they are also very tough.
I think the free agent process is a little bit different because other major pro sports like the NBA or NHL, you're looking at 30 teams. You have 30 options. You don't really have that in this industry. There is one name that stands above all else, and that's WWE. So to really be on top, that's where you have to apply your trade.
I did go to TNA when I left WWE briefly in 2005 for three years. When I went there, it was solely to prove to myself, even if it was on a smaller platform that I could carry main event matches, programmes, and promos and be the face of a show. I needed to do that. I needed to gain that confidence and go back and be able to do it.
It really hurt my heart because 'WWE Fastlane' was in Cleveland, Ohio and I was on the road shows on Friday and Saturday, and then Cleveland was my hometown and we had 'Fastlane' there and I looked on my travel app and it said: Friday booked, Saturday booked and then Sunday not booked and I was like, you have got to be kidding me?
It's just insane because, as a longtime WWE fan, I still have all of my action figures in storage. Now to have my own, and to see my nephews play with them, to see kids tweet me pictures with them, and to see people are actually going out of their way searching all of these stores trying to find them, it's really cool and humbling.
I've been lucky that I've got myself through various opportunities and platforms and people believing in me - my wife helping in a lot of different areas - and growing up a lot, I've shown I am ready now to be a top guy, to hold that position for the company and show what it is to represent a giant, publicly traded company like WWE.
Undertaker certainly is a cornerstone of WWE, and just as I say to myself that I really would have liked to been able to get to know and certainly get in the ring with Andre the Giant, just because of all the respect and folklore that went around with Andre, I think The Undertaker has that same sort of respect and folklore around him.
I really have to accept the fact that I'm not a young man anymore, that I've probably taken one lifetime's worth of punishment already, and I really do need to be careful. Certainly I don't want other WWE superstars taking the shots I did. That makes me feel very uncomfortable when I see somebody get hit with an unprotected chair shot.
The thing is, in the WWE, we have the WWE title, the World title, the United States title, the Intercontinental title, the Divas title, the Tag Team titles. And I feel like, in this business, when Mr. Perfect had that Intercontinental title, that was the belt we saw as the stepping stone to becoming 'the man.' The franchise of the WWE.
I always had fun with my great friend Rey Mysterio Jr. I think it would be fantastic to have my very last match against someone like him because my very first match in WWE was against Rey Mysterio Jr. I know that all the pro wrestling fans, in particular the Mexican fans, would love to see Rey Mysterio against me for my very last match.
My hats off to anybody filming action, because you get beat up. If I'm going to get the crap kicked out of me, I would love 15,000 people on hand to tell me that I'm doing good or I'm doing bad. So, if I'm going to be in any physical duress, I'd really like it to be in a WWE ring, which is why I was so amped to be a part of 'Trainwreck.'
When John Cena came to Raw, he immediately got off on the wrong foot with Eric Bischoff. Eric Bischoff said that he thought John Cena was a would be Eminem, and Lord knows one Eminem is enough, but since that time, I have come to respect and really like this kid. This John Cena is a good guy. You can't say anything differently than that.
Before I came to WWE, they sent me samples of all of the entrance music, so I told them, 'I don't use this,' and 'I don't use this,' and, 'Please mix music with violin,' and they would make samples, and I would give my opinion, and this would go back and forth until, finally, they made 'The Rising Sun,' and I was really happy to have that.
When I went to Impact, it was me proving myself on a daily basis to a lot of different people. I mean, I had matches with Austin Aries, matches with Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre. I mean, I wrestled everyone. During that time, I wasn't just sitting back saying, 'Man, I hope WWE picks me up. I hope they see me. I hope to get back.'
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.
My brain can form thoughts that come out through my mouth. The problem is sometimes I stumble the words because I speak five different languages - we know all that - so the thing is, I like to speak the language that everybody speaks all around the world, that the WWE Universe loves... that's the language of wrestling that I do in the ring.
The wrestling world lost Pedro Morales... I knew Pedro from all the years that I worked with WWE. From the time I first started there, he was always such a nice guy, very classy, and even later on, you could totally understand why someone would trust putting a world championship on a guy like that. And Pedro was ready for all types of action.
At 15, I refereed my first match, and I was training at my dad's school even prior to that, so the only thing that I was concerned about - I guess the only thing that made me reluctant and was the reason I was in L.A. and the reason I went to acting school - was I thought maybe I wasn't big enough - physically big enough - to compete with WWE.
I know people are going to be surprised to hear me say this because they think I'm such an advocate for women's wrestling... But I truly believe that the best time in wrestling, for me, was when I first got into WWE and they had a strong women's division and they also had girls who strengths weren't in the ring and were more for entertainment.
It's not what I want, Trish. It's what you want. It's what you need. And even though we're opponents tonight in the 6 person, tag team table match, I see how you look at me. You could cut the sexual tension between is with a knife. So I just want to let you know no matter the outcome, I'm always available to give to a healthy dose of Vitamin C.
I got a call from someone at WWE and was flown out for an appearance, knowing I had to do Revlon training the next day. I was open to it as long as they got me to the airport so I could make it to my gig in San Francisco on time. When the company picked me up, I had all my Revlon stuff for the class the next day and took it with me to the arena.
One of my first overseas trips with WWE was to France. I walked out of our hotel, and I see a little kid walking toward me with his mom. He gets a couple of steps past me and he stops in his tracks. I see his mom do a little bit of a double-take, then he runs over and just grabs on and starts hugging my leg as hard as he can, then he starts crying.
In WWE there's a huge degree of acting you need to have to become legendary, to become popular. You have to become a great actor in WWE and that's something I've honed from a young age. I could never be the biggest guy on the show when I first started wrestling; it was all about the giants. But I could have the biggest personality, the biggest character.
Alex Riley and I will be driving from live event to live event and if Ke$ha comes on it is blasted throughout the entire car and we are singing at the top of our lungs. So if you ever see A-Ry and me in a car you might catch us in an embarrassing moment of two 30-year-old grown men screaming 'You know we're Superstars.' We are who we are. DJ turn it up up up.
For me, it's a responsibility to represent my family every time I step foot in the ring. When I came into this WWE business, there was a bar set for me. My goal is to push it as high as I can to make my family's legacy even stronger. To add to the history that's already been created. So for me, it's a huge challenge that I'm willing to fight for every single day.
I'm just going to take this in a minute. The wrestling world, we're kind of our own breed and different from maybe some movie stars who have their big speeches that they do that ends their long career in a roast. You're entire career in the WWE kind of like one big roast, but this is the moment where you get to soak it in and just see what's going on for a minute.
We are inducting Connor "The Crusher" Michalek into the WWE Hall of Fame with the Warrior Award, and it's going to be really hard with the waves of emotion that will set in. I will have to share with everyone what he meant to me and also deal with how sad his story is. He was so inspiring to people, it is going to be really emotional for me. It should be very special!
The first time ever seeing a great talker was The Rock. It took a while for him to develop, but a great talker like The Rock, he was just incredible. Every time he was on the show, you wanted to see exactly what he was going to do which is what I try to do but I don't try to do it like The Rock. I don't want to be like anybody else.I want just want to be the No. 1 Miz.
I'd told Taker before the promo that I was gonna stick it to him and he told me to go for it. However, I crossed the line and insulted him by saying what I said. I can't believe the lack of respect I showed him and so many of the other guys in the locker room during my first month in the company, especially since I knew how important the hierarchy of the business was (and still is). Respect your elders.
You want to know why I am the perfect champion? Because you can take the strength of John Cena; the intelligence of Triple H; the desire of Cena; the athleticism of Triple H; the determination of Cena; the ruthlessness of Triple H... and if you combine these attributes into one person, you get Randy Orton. The only difference is that I have one thing that neither Cena nor Triple H has: the WWE Championship.
I have been to rehab nine times. They were high dollar and some of the best ones around. Vince has picked up the tab the last couple of times. If you ever work or worked for WWE, if you ever need help, he will give it to you. He is really cool. Thanks to Vince, his wife Linda, Stephanie, Shane and Paul. Thank you for helping me. It's hard to ask for help. It's even harder to accept it, when people offer it.
Michael Cole does not deserve to be piled on like many are doing. He deserves respect. Michael is fulfilling a role on a fictional, TV show. He has been 'cast' to play this role as best as he can. For those that have never sat in that particular seat, let me assure you that it isn't easy. Cole's new persona must be working because never before have so many fans, for better or for worse, commented on Cole's work.
Welcome to RAW is Jericho! And I was just listening to your list of problems and grievances that you have with all my Jerichoholics, and I have a solution - and that solution is to SHUT THE HELL UP. But finally, Al Snow, tomorrow people WILL be acknowledging you - they WILL be talking about the greatest moment of '99 - they'll be talking about the night that Al Snow was brutally beaten by the Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla.
I love The Miz. His approach to his job is second to none; it's extremely important to him that he prepares on a daily basis. I travel with him and from the moment he gets up to the moment he goes to bed it's all WWE, all sports entertainment. He keeps his body in shape and he is a true champion in the ring and out. He's a great representative of the company and I'm learning a lot from him, not only on TV but outside as well.
I am the best wrestler in the world. I've been the best ever since day one when I walked into this company, and I've been vilified and hated since that day because Paul Heyman saw something in me that nobody else wanted to admit. That's right, I'm a Paul Heyman guy. You know who else was a Paul Heyman guy? Brock Lesnar, and he split just like I'm splitting, but the biggest difference between me and Brock is I'm going to leave with the WWE Championship.
Undisputed ends when I return to the WWE in 2007. There is already 3 ½ years of material including the 3 best years of my career. Undisputed is going to do even better than A Lion's Tale, there is no reason to not do #3. The material I have for #3 is just as good as the first 2. I still have a few years to go before I write but I would definitely like to write another one. But it is not about the numbers, it is about the quality. If I don't think it would be as good, I won't do it
Coming here, I sharpened and fine-tuned everything I had and needed. What I thought of as myself as a performer, I looked back and was like, ‘Wow, I improved from where I was.’ I thought I was ready and then saw the improvements I made which were unbelievable. It makes the transition from down here to up there (the WWE roster) so much easier because you’re prepared for what they need you to do. It’s not like you’re jumping into a whole other world. You’re prepared for what they need.
