I was thankful that TNA saw the potential in me and put me in a position to fulfill something like winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
The heavyweight championship of the world was the most coveted title in sports. Everyone knew who the heavyweight champion was. And not only when it was Muhammad Ali or Rocky Marciano: they knew when it was Ingemar Johansson.
I got into this business for one reason, and I stayed in this business for one reason: To be the World Heavyweight Champion. I think if you are in professional wrestling, and you don't have that dream or aspire to be the best and carry that World Heavyweight Championship, then you are in the wrong business.
I'd love to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I would love nothing more.
Everything in the business is based around the idea of a World Championship. WWE, World Heavyweight Championship, Universal Title, the ROH Title, or the IWGP Title - they are all World Championships. The best of the best.
Obviously, when you come onto a team that's playing in the Finals and the standards are so high that nothing but winning a championship is success, coming in new to that kind of environment, of course you're going to put pressure on yourself.
I just can't put the pressure on of winning a championship, winning a championship, because then I'd never be able to sleep.
A lot of people talk about the Fab Five, and they were wonderful, one of the best teams you'll ever see in college basketball. But the '89 team is the best one to ever play at Michigan in my opinion because they won the national championship. Winning a championship is winning a championship.
I set out in the beginning to be the heavyweight champion of the world. From a very young age, I was going to be the heavyweight champion of the world. Nothing else was a problem to me. That's what I'll finish doing.
The greatest single moment Ive ever known in Detroit was Jim Northrups triple in the seventh game of the World Series in St. Louis. It was a stunning moment because not only were the Tigers winning a world championship that meant so much to an entire city, they were beating the best pitcher I ever saw-Bob Gibson.
It was truly an enjoyable moment in my life that I will never forget having the opportunity to play for two gold medals. But I think nothing sticks out more than winning a championship in 1991 for me.
Winning the world championship in '66 was really the pinnacle of the whole thing, because to win a championship with an Australian made engine was a fantastic feather in our cap.
To be recognized as one of the best, you need to win that WWE title or the World Heavyweight Championship.
In 1968, I fought and won the world middleweight karate championship by defeating the world's top fighters. I then held that title until 1974, when I retired undefeated.
Big Poppa Pump is your hook up, and the next heavyweight championship of the world!
When I was a kid in New York, long before saturation sports coverage, the world heavyweight championship was, with the baseball World Series, the great national event.