If you go back in time to the '60s, the '70s, probably the early '80s, British professional wrestling was the most respected region of professional wrestling on the planet, and somewhere along the way that got lost and wrestlers were forced to America or Japan or even Mexico to make a living.
I was just lucky to be there ahead of the curve to be the driving force behind bringing this amazing style of wrestling from Japan that combined Lucha Libre, American professional wrestling, Canadian professional wrestling and Japanese wrestling all into one beautiful mix that fans worldwide absolutely can't get enough of.
I am into professional wrestling. Only Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling can qualify in Olympics. I chose professional wrestling for fame and limelight and good money.
When I was coming through as a professional wrestler, as a young man in 2003 and 2004, there really wasn't much of a wrestling scene in the U.K. to take advantage of or make a living in, so I was forced to have to go to the U.S. and kinda make a living from it out there.
The nWo was the greatest time in professional wrestling because we were going into mixed stadiums like the Georgia Dome. That was one of the greatest times in pro wrestling and was the most profitable time in pro wrestling.
I was told I have to work 10 years to get a doctorate. Well, I have worked all that time to become a doctor in professional wrestling. So to speak, I have a Ph.D. in professional wrestling.
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.
I quit wrestling in 2006 because I just got lost. My mom didn't want me wrestling. I was wondering if I was going to make it in wrestling; I got injured in a match. I was 19. I was away from home, living in Florida, and I just got lost. I couldn't face it, so I stepped away.
My mom found a wrestling school that was in Maryland, and she told me to go down there. From there, I really got my head out of any negativity, and I focused on trying to become a professional wrestler, living my dream from when I was a kid. Wrestling saved my life.
In my first fight, I acknowledged it. I'm a professional wrestler, this is who I am, who you know me as. But guess what, I've also been wrestling since I was 5 years old - real wrestling - amateur wrestling, Olympic wrestling.
The most important thing in the professional wrestling industry in this day and age of technology and the Internet and social media is to be able to make wrestling unpredictable.
I'm going to make an appearance in professional wrestling, but it won't be for the WWE. If I put wrestling boots and wrestling trunks on one last time - and I'm going to - it's going to be done by me and me only.
In the '60s and '70s and early '80s, the trainers would grind you, and eventually they would break something - they would break an ankle in ways that it would heal. It was just the way of the business, to ensure that you learned respect for wrestling.
And so it's sort of a fine line where you want to be recognizable as professional wrestling but you also want to set yourself apart from what some people consider the standard of professional wrestling, which is the WWE.
I got no support from USA Wrestling. I was competing against professional Russians that do nothing but wrestle for a living, and I was forced to take a job working for this lowlife loser, John du Pont, who I didn't want in my life. I just wanted the money.
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.
You go from Olympic wrestling into pro wrestling, and it's a very difficult transition, but if you make it, you can earn a great living while at the same time giving amateur wrestling a lot of exposure by being on TV every week. Fans know where you came from.