I like to fly close to the edge. I like to play with fire.
I'm trying all kinds of crazy stuff at house shows just for my own amusement and to see what the people are gonna do.
I've always fed off negativity and wanting people to hate me. That attitude really fueled me for my entire career. So being a guy that people like and want to cheer for is the weird part.
Having that main event load to carry is very comfortable for me. Anything less is uncomfortable.
I don't really try to pattern myself after any particular person. I pretty much make it up as I go along.
You're always going to get comparisons. Everybody comes out and says, 'He's the next so and so,' or, 'He reminds me of so and so.' I have so many influences and stuff in my brain, who knows what's going to pop in and come out.
There's a lot of guys in WWE - you would know who they are - you know you're going to see the same thing every single match. You know you're going to hear the same thing every time they pick up a microphone. You know John Cena is never going to get mad at you no matter what you do.
I probably don't have any more of a bigger following on the Internet than anybody else does - I just probably have a stranger one.
As far as social media and all that, I understand connecting with fans on a different level, but I don't feel the need to open myself up to the opinion of everybody in the world with a phone or computer. I just don't get that, being connected to everybody on such a superficial level like that. It's not really for me.
I'd rather have too many weird fans than no fans at all.
I listen to some Hank Williams before I go out. I tell some jokes. I have fun. I don't waste too much energy thinking about it - I like to save that all for the ring.
The calmest part of my day is right before a match.
If you're a wrestling fan, and you watch it on TV, that's great, but there's nothing quite like being there live.
I can't remember a time when wrestling wasn't my thing that I watched. As far back as my memory goes, I was already obsessed with wrestling.
I was pretty happy with what we were able to do on 'SmackDown.' It was one of the best, most fun runs of my career because it was essentially a new show.
From day one, The Shield was a vehicle. It wasn't, 'This is what we're doing for the rest of our lives.' It was, 'This is the vehicle we'll use to bust into WWE, to ride to the top of it, and then we fight each other.' That was always the plan.
WWE prepares you for so much other stuff in entertainment.
I want my performance to be at the highest level of anybody in the company. I want to make everybody step up to me.
