When I first got to WWE, people thought I was going to be fired within three months. No one liked me; no one wanted me there, whether it was the fans or the people backstage. I had to fight and fight and fight to earn my spot.
I wanted to be a part of charities when I saw people doing all the charity stuff in WWE. I wanted to be a part of that but because I was a heel, I couldn't, so it felt like I wasn't doing anything.
Doing fight scenes in movies is a lot different than in WWE, but it was still relatively easy.
Sure the fight was fixed. I fixed it with a right hand.
As long as I can remember, I was a WWE fan. I wanted to grow up and be a WWE superstar just like my favorites.
WWE was far more tougher than working for a film where you could take a shot and go and rest in the trailer, but for WWE, one had to exercise, eat well, fight, and even deal with injuries.
A big reason why I signed with WWE in the first place was because my son wanted to see me wrestle in WWE, and he wanted to see me wrestle John Cena.
WWE had years to develop and train their staff. WWE makes sure the production team got exactly what Vince McMahon was looking for and how he wanted it.
Anything can be changed. Anything can be fixed. Things that are broken can be fixed. And you don't have to be some billionaire or millionaire to do it. You just have to be a person with a vision and the passion to do it, and be willing to fight for it every day.
Of course, to be WWE world champion is definitely on my list. Anybody who is not reaching for that proverbial brass ring is doing something wrong if they're in the WWE.
Walking into the WWE I was brand new; I did not know how things worked. Deep down I wanted everyone to cheer and adore me but this is the WWE where it doesn't work that way all the time.
I started doing MMA and boxing at the same time - I always wanted to try an MMA fight to see what it was like. I had one fight, and I was hooked.
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.
Really, it was either fight in the UFC or fight in the WWE. There wasn't the option of both. That was a key factor. What am I going to do? I didn't want to juggle two careers anyway.
It's the most important prize in WWE, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. You'll do anything and everything to keep it and to get it, and that includes putting your body on the line and doing whatever it takes.
From the moment I became a free agent, the WWE opportunity was the one I wanted. Obviously, there were strong plays made by some other companies, but in the end, when WWE offered me an opportunity, I could not turn it down.