We have the freedom of speech. We are able to hold hands in protest and stand up for what we believe in and have people hear what you have to say.
I got a bad conduct discharge, was at home for a few months in late '99, and basically said, 'Dad, I want to give wrestling a shot. I sure as hell don't wanna go to college, and the Marine Corps wasn't for me. And I need to make some money, so let's see if I can do it.'
I had very bad acne growing up. I had braces for six years, from the fifth to the 11th grade. I didn't look in the mirror and feel like someone who should be on TV.
Jake 'The Snake,' getting the chance to talk to him all day and just picking his brain - you know, he has his demons, but he's an intelligent person, and he knows the business like no other.
Teaming up for Evolution, I think Batista and I credit a lot of our success to Ric Flair, but especially Triple H. He has an amazing psychology for the business. He understands how to tell a story, and you just pick his brain the best you can while riding with him. It was a great advantage for us in terms of learning our craft.
My father, my grandfather, the wrestling business, the WWE in particular, has really given me everything. A lot of happiness, my kids are taken care of, my wife is happy, they get to travel. A lot of pluses come with it; the Hall Of Fame would just be the cherry on top.
I don't take myself too seriously, as I think I used to years ago, when I was younger.
Guys like Jack Lanza, Pat Patterson, Bruce Pritchard, Tom Pritchard - those guys all helped me get a tryout. And I'd never been in the ring, so they went on a lot of faith and signed me and thought that they could help mold me into a WWE superstar. And now I'm glad they did, because that was a big turning point in my life.
If anything, I'm overacting in the ring because of the facials and the body language. I want the guy in the cheap seats to be able to see what I'm thinking, the expression on my face. But when you're filming a movie, it could be a two- or three-camera shot, and you're doing it over and over and over again. It's not live TV; it's a lot different.
Being born into the business, I had the connections. A lot of guys aspire to be professional wrestlers, but you need to get trained the right way. And then, once you're trained, you need to get to that next level, and really, the WWE is the only place to do it.
I wasn't some stud athlete at school that was destined to be a professional wrestler. I was just an insecure little guy that didn't want to go to school because I had zits on my upper lip.
I graduated boot camp with meritorious promotion.