I believe in hard work, but I believe in vindication as well. You have a few nightmares, I imagine, before you reach your dream.
A lot of times when people are released or, unfortunately, get fired, they almost scramble for what it is they are going to do next. I think when you are no longer working under a big, corporate umbrella, you have to be your own brand, your own enterprise. That was my thought process before I left.
The feeling, the sensation behind it is, it's exciting to cherry pick and select and be your own boss and to be in control of your own brand; however, it's a lot of work.
'Final Countdown' would be a welcomed tune, even as a competitor.
I'm in the best shape I can possibly be in, and I'm drug-free. I'm doing what I have wanted to do my entire life, so life is good.
I love politics. It could be that, or it could be that my dad was always really big on, 'This is your job. You are going to work...' You know, it's really funny cause he was such a cowboy, and he doesn't like the concept of guys coming in like cowboys - unshaved and wearing flip flops - and stuff like that would eat him alive.
A lot of times, guys leave WWE or get fired by WWE, but there's always that little bit of buzz right when they get out on the scene, but like all buzz, it fades. But I feel really flattered that, for whatever reason, it seems to be trending upwards.
Sometimes I just revert back to Dusty's kid. I'm trying to chase his ghost, and it's a pretty hard ghost to chase.
There is an honor to what we do, and there are no shortcuts.
Whenever they bring out a new Zelda game, I'm there. I don't know if it's Link or if it's Zelda with the pointy little ears. I remember thinking as a kid that she was pretty hot.
When guys leave - whether they decide to leave or they're forced out - there's usually this period of time we see them around the world, and they can ride that WWE wave and use it, and then it goes away. It loses its luster after a few months.
There are fans who just like their indie stars, and then there are your more casual fans that are more familiar with somebody like Kurt Angle, and their interest might be piqued.
I am the best in the world. It's 1: Cody; 2: Kenny; 3: Okada; 4: Charlotte; 5: Cena, with Ospreay creeping up on the list. It's my responsibility with the event to live up to that ranking. I am unbelievably good at this because of hard work and dedication.
To have a record crowd for What Culture, to be in there with Kurt Angle and not to be just, like, Kurt Angle plus garnish, for it instead to be Kurt Angle v. Cody Rhodes, our second match, actually - it was very vindicating. It's also nice, you know: the greatest revenge in all the world is success, so it's nice to be vindicated.
I loved the idea that I had an alter-ego but that my true identity was very well known and very much on the surface. I was the only one who didn't know who Stardust really was. So it was very much tied to comics - everything I've done. I did a whole run where I'd wear a face mask when I was on SmackDown, and that was based on Dr. Doom.
Entertainment is changing so much because of the devices we have at our hands. I'm really proud to be on the forefront of that. You don't have to work one place. It's our generation. As much as we get knocks against us, we don't accept non-quality work in our entertainment. We're no longer force-fed. Wrestling is going through that.
I reached a point where nothing scares me in this industry, mainly because I grew up in it. My earliest memory is 4 years old, getting in a wrestling ring.
I had several decorated characters within the WWE that I was really proud of, coats of paint that changed that I could show a different side to the audience, because I've been in front of them since I was 20 years old, and none of them were necessarily the right one.
The fans never gave up on CM Punk. If CM Punk wants to be part of 'All In,' he can be part of 'All In.' But I am not putting it on him to draw those 10,000 seats. If we did have CM Punk, we would not tell you we had CM Punk - unless we didn't sell any tickets.
One of the last things that my dad and I discussed, and it sticks with me today, is that he no longer believed in the concept of Good Guy/Bad Guy. He believed in the idea that one guy is trying to beat the other. However, he would say, 'You can be a Good Guy/Bad Guy, or you can just be a star.'
