I kept myself in shape, and the stuff they were doing in the South, I wouldn't go for. They wanted to whip me on TV, like they used to do with the slaves and all that. I said, 'No. I came in as an athlete, and I'll leave as an athlete.' And they respected me for that.
I like to think I proved a wrestler's skin color doesn't matter.
I had my own mind made up in that I was going to do my own thing. I wasn't going to copy from this guy or that guy.
When you drop-kick someone you have maybe a second's time to jump into the air, hit your opponent directly with both feet and then land without getting hurt. If you lose your balance in the air, though, you'll wind up with cracked ribs and bruised kidneys.
I cant remember the last time I went in the ring feeling whole. The pain is something you learn to live with. Some guys don't and they don't last.
I met Muhammad Ali in Toronto when he was still Cassius Clay... We got to talking and it was like we knew each other for 50 years. We just clicked.
When I wrestled, I always considered myself an athlete and a wrestler.
I wasn't an Uncle Tom and I never was gonna be.
The system in which I came up in was that every territory had to have a black, a white... if you went to Texas you had to have somebody that was a cowboy or one that was from Mexico. There wasn't that many Afro Americans in the business at the time so I moved around a lot. But every time I moved around, I made money.
I'm glad my son doesn't have to be labeled black or Samoan or mixed. He has instead been labeled as the best.
Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion, so I took part of his name. I admired Rocky Marciano, so I took part of his name.
I am proud of my family.
Georgia is too cold and wet for me. I have knee problems and hip problems.
I broke my neck.
I was headstrong.
I'm proud to be known as The Rock's dad.
I've got more soul than I can control.
A lot of wrestlers put on 30 to 40 pounds after they finish wrestling. Some have heart attacks because of the weight. I made working out my hobby.
It seems every bouncer, every bodybuilder wants to become a wrestler. Every day, people will come up to me and ask about it. So few actually make it but if you do make it you can now make into the millions. You have to know your character and have a lot of ability.
My dad was a big man - six-foot-seven and 300 pounds - and very strong.
