I think second place is the first loser in the competition.
There's certain elements involved in pro wrestling that aren't solely down to the performer. There's only so much I can do. I've kind of stopped beating myself up about things not working out the way I want them to every time.
I couldn't just be good on the mic. I needed to be good on the mic; I needed to be good in the ring; I need to be good in my presentation; my ring attire need to look good, my appearance. Everything about me needed to be the best. I couldn't be weak in any area because you're only as good as your weakest aspect.
I think the digital revolution and the opportunity for smaller brands to get big platforms now is fantastic for professional wrestlers and professional wrestling in general.
So in the pro wrestling world, everything is massively over the top and every reaction that you do in the ring is kind of corny if we're honest - it's not supposed to be serious - it's a comic book world.
For the majority of guys, their character is just an extension of what they are really like. I'm generally a pretty nice guy but I'm a bad guy in WWE. So I always say it's like an extension of my dark side.
The difference between me and other Superstars is that I am more intelligent, possess a superior streetwise viciousness and am motivated by money.
With my intellect, I'm somebody who can think fast, think on my feet and can think under pressure.
I'm lucky that I have a deep, strong voice naturally, and the rest of it I just worked on as far as confidence and projecting myself.
I've done a lot of work with recruitment, which involved me giving sales pitches and things like that and spending a lot of time on the phone selling my services to people.
When I became King Barrett, the influence I had in the character was taken away. I was told, 'This is your outfit, and here is your promo that you have to say word-for-word.' Any time I tried to tweak the storyline because I thought it wasn't working, or because it wasn't me, I was denied.
I think one of the things that happened to me in the last couple of years in the WWE where I realized how unhappy I was in that environment, was that I realized that I needed variety and balance in my life.
I'm not a terribly popular person in life. I can handle that.
I've had a lifelong passion, and really obsession, with professional wrestling since I was a very small kid.
The only thing that matters in WWE is winning and getting paid.
You just have to look at my nose to see what kind of lifestyle I led... sports and fisticuffs.
Even in terms of the technical stuff there's a very traditional British flavor that comes out. Our characters are influenced by our culture so there's definitely something unique about British wrestlers in the U.S.
I was always a fan of wrestling, right from the time I was nine or so. But eventually I decided I wanted to do professional wrestling myself, not just watch.
One of the problems with being a WWE Superstar is that I literally get zero time off unless I'm injured, and usually when I'm injured I'm sat on the couch unable to move because I've just had a surgery.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, I'm pretty laid back and relaxed, but I can get very intense quickly.
