Roman Reigns talks "failed" babyface run & Bloodline stress | What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon

0:01I wanted to be the first guy who could do both.

0:05Damn near lead a movie.

0:06And then also still, you know, main event, a pay per view.

0:09I don't want to stop being a WWE Superstar in order to wear other hats.

0:14I'm always going to be a WWE Superstar.

0:16I'm always going to be Roman Reigns.

0:24I think. Well, Randy's just.

0:25Randy.

0:26So I think he was in gym clothes one day, but I saw a bunch of clips from that one.

0:31That one was.

0:32That was a good one.

0:33>> Speaker 2: It really was.

0:33>> Speaker 1: I was with you guys when y' all were going through, like,

0:36the junk food and all.

0:37>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

0:37What's your go to?

0:39>> Speaker 1: Well, I just like chocolate anything.

0:41Chocolate, peanut butter, but just sweets.

0:43I'm. I'm a fatty.

0:44>> Speaker 2: It doesn't matter.

0:45>> Speaker 1: You can.

0:45With Randy, it's.

0:48You're like, really?

0:49>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: But, yeah, but

0:50you have to look at him.

0:51You're like, there's no way this guy binges.

0:53>> Speaker 2: Right? >> Speaker 1: You know what I mean?

0:54>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: He's always in really good

0:56shape and he's always been that.

0:57>> Speaker 2: Hello, my husband.

0:59Yeah, yeah.

1:00>> Speaker 1: H is the same way.

1:01Yeah, yeah.

1:02I don't think I've ever seen him eat real, like, normal food.

1:05It's always in a container.

1:06Yeah, it's always.

1:07>> Speaker 2: It's very annoying.

1:09He's super disciplined, like, and just always, always is.

1:13There's never really a binge.

1:14He doesn't really have, like, cravings.

1:16>> Speaker 1: We were in FCW years ago.

1:18I forget it might have been Bo.

1:20I think Bray's brother Taylor.

1:25He. This is back when we were just picking up

1:27all kinds of these, like, little.

1:28Just myths and rumors.

1:30And he was like, yeah,

1:32I'm pretty sure Triple H eats one slice of pizza every day, but that's it.

1:36>> Speaker 2: Everything's strict.

1:37>> Speaker 1: But he loves pizza so much that he has one slice a day.

1:41I was like, that makes sense because he's always in great shape.

1:45>> Speaker 2: Right?

1:46That's the trick.

1:47>> Speaker 1: Well, that's the type of stupid shit we tell each other, like,

1:50when you're on the island.

1:51You know what I mean?

1:51>> Speaker 2: Sure, yeah.

1:52>> Speaker 1: Whatever it takes to like, you know,

1:54like to make the carrot seem like it's a little closer.

1:57But yeah, it's.

1:58>> Speaker 2: I can do that.

1:59I can eat one piece of pizza a day.

2:01>> Speaker 1: I don't know, man.

2:02I can see his spine through his abs.

2:04I don't think he's eating pizza.

2:06>> Speaker 2: Yeah, no, there wasn't a lot of pizza eating.

2:09But he also.

2:10He just doesn't love sweets in general.

2:11Like, God bless him, right?

2:13Like, he can eat.

2:14>> Speaker 1: I Don't understand those people.

2:15>> Speaker 2: I don't either, and I'm married to one.

2:18And it's so ridiculous.

2:19>> Speaker 1: My wife is that way, too.

2:20She doesn't eat well.

2:21You know, it's like.

2:23And then she forgets to eat, and then it's like two hours later.

2:26>> Speaker 2: Like, did you eat five kids.

2:28>> Speaker 1: That's a thing.

2:29>> Speaker 2: She has no time.

2:30>> Speaker 1: No.

2:30>> Speaker 2: She might think about eating.

2:32She might get one or two bites in there, but then she's on to the next thing.

2:36Yeah. >> Speaker 1: That's it.

2:37Yeah. Or it's, mom, do this, and

2:39of course I'll be right there.

2:40>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: And they don't ever.

2:42I don't know.

2:42It's. It's a.

2:43It's a good gig.

2:44It really is, because they don't ever come to me for anything.

2:46I'm sitting there, perfectly available, ready to.

2:49>> Speaker 2: You know, ready to help out.

2:50>> Speaker 1: I can make all this stuff.

2:52I can do series, make that stuff.

2:54>> Speaker 3: I say to my husband all the time as I'm like, I have two on me, and

2:57he's there.

2:58I'm like, in my next life, I'm coming back as you.

3:00>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

3:01>> Speaker 2: Right. Just as a dad.

3:02And in the middle of the night, who do they need?

3:05Mama. >> Speaker 1: It's never me.

3:07>> Speaker 2: They need Mama.

3:09But I have to say, it's the best.

3:11I mean, it really is.

3:13And it goes so fast because I'm kind of on the other side now.

3:17You know?

3:17You still have young ones, right?

3:20>> Speaker 1: Yeah, my. My little guys are, like, five and a half.

3:23>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

3:24>> Speaker 1: Starting, like, junior kindergarten and everything.

3:26>> Speaker 2: So cute.

3:27Kindergarten.

3:28>> Speaker 1: But we just.

3:29Like, the past couple days, it's not emptiness, but it's half day in, like,

3:33they're all in school now, so that was a weird.

3:36>> Speaker 2: Like, it's quiet.

3:38>> Speaker 1: It's really quiet.

3:41But, yeah, it's something we have to get used to.

3:44But it's nice.

3:46>> Speaker 2: You will. I was gonna say.

3:47You will. Yeah, it's nice.

3:49>> Speaker 1: Like. Yeah. We got daytime to do things now, so.

3:52>> Speaker 2: Yeah. Accomplish what you want to get done.

3:55>> Speaker 1: All kinds of stuff to get done.

3:56>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: I don't know.

3:57This is the busiest time of my life and just all facets,

4:00I feel like it's always been one way or the other, you know, like, work.

4:03Well, for a long time,

4:04it was just busy with work because our schedules were much different.

4:07But now it's like, every hat that I wear is busy as.

4:13>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah.

4:14So. But it's.

4:14That's good.

4:15Like, busy's blessed.

4:17>> Speaker 2: Busy is blessed.

4:18I agree.

4:19>> Speaker 1: Am I too, or is this all right?

4:20Should I get it?

4:21>> Speaker 2: Do you want a pillow?

4:22Because I kind of took them away from you.

4:25>> Speaker 3: She wants you to relax.

4:26>> Speaker 2: Yeah. I wanted you to be, you know, on the boat.

4:29You were very like way back.

4:31>> Speaker 1: Well, we're on a boat.

4:33We're on a boat and I'm just craving beer the whole time.

4:36>> Speaker 2: I feel like that's what happens.

4:38Mine's good.

4:38>> Speaker 1: Yes. >> Speaker 2: I like to sit up straight.

4:40I drive.

4:41It's better for me sitting straight.

4:43>> Speaker 1: Yeah, me too.

4:43>> Speaker 2: I don't mean like up against the steering wheel, but

4:46you're one of them.

4:46No, no.

4:47Although.

4:48But I like to sit straight.

4:49But actually I always drive with my left hand because I drove stick when.

4:53>> Speaker 1: Okay. Yeah, I'm super right hand dominant, but

4:57I always drive.

4:58>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

4:58>> Speaker 1: Cool guy. Left hand.

4:59>> Speaker 2: Right. >> Speaker 1: Right in the center.

5:03I'm the same way.

5:04My, My daughter just started driving, so.

5:06>> Speaker 2: My gosh.

5:07>> Speaker 1: So now like we take all the boy.

5:09I take boys to school and then an hour later,

5:11because she doesn't have first period cuz she's older.

5:14Yeah. She's a senior now in high school, so.

5:16>> Speaker 2: Senior.

5:17I know mine's going to be a senior this year to my middle baby.

5:21>> Speaker 1: I don't like it.

5:22>> Speaker 2: It's the worst.

5:22I'm so sorry.

5:23Is the worst.

5:24>> Speaker 1: There's some good stuff about it.

5:25It like gives me nostalgic feelings that, you know,

5:28we went through in high school and just being that age.

5:31But I don't like it.

5:33>> Speaker 2: No, it's terrible.

5:36I'm not sugarcoating it.

5:37There's nothing good about it.

5:40>> Speaker 1: But.

5:41So she's driving to school as I'm headed back and I'm just looking for

5:44those little white knuckles.

5:45>> Speaker 2: Right, right.

5:46>> Speaker 1: They're like just 10 and 2.

5:48Perfectly face at the steering wheel, driving.

5:51She doesn't have any swag yet.

5:52>> Speaker 2: No. >> Speaker 1: That's good.

5:53>> Speaker 2: It comes. Yeah, that's right.

5:56I hate it when they call me and they're driving.

5:59>> Speaker 1: Well, she's still pretty new.

6:01She was like a late bloomer driving.

6:02So we haven't gone through that yet.

6:03It's still very like point A to point B.

6:07>> Speaker 2: Yes, yes.

6:08>> Speaker 1: Don't go anywhere else.

6:09>> Speaker 2: Text me when you get there.

6:11>> Speaker 1: Exactly.

6:11>> Speaker 2: Yes. Yes.

6:12Yeah, I'm just getting out of that phase with my middle daughter.

6:15>> Speaker 1: I couldn't imagine that.

6:16>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: I don't

6:17know if we're gonna get out.

6:18>> Speaker 2: No, you do, you do.

6:20You get more.

6:20They get more comfortable and you get more comfortable and it's just time, you.

6:25>> Speaker 1: Know, it's giving me anxiety.

6:26>> Speaker 2: It should.

6:27>> Speaker 1: I started to think like, how did my mom, just let me go.

6:29>> Speaker 2: I know, right?

6:32>> Speaker 1: Just let me go to college, just all on my own.

6:35That's crazy.

6:36>> Speaker 2: It is crazy.

6:37>> Speaker 1: I know. I don't like it.

6:39It's terrible.

6:40>> Speaker 2: Have you started looking at schools yet?

6:42>> Speaker 1: Yeah, we have possibly a legacy, possibly stay close.

6:48So I don't mind.

6:49If she would stay in Florida, that would be really cool.

6:52But if she wanted to follow me in her mom's footsteps,

6:55Georgia Tech's a good school.

6:56Yeah, we have really good resources there, so.

6:59>> Speaker 2: Yeah, she'll be.

7:00>> Speaker 1: Well, she liked it too.

7:01We had a little visit there and she enjoyed it, so it was good.

7:03>> Speaker 2: Any family around there at all?

7:05>> Speaker 1: My in laws are two hours away.

7:09>> Speaker 2: Okay.

7:10>> Speaker 1: So they're kind of in the sticks.

7:11Yeah, like towards South Carolina, but not far at all.

7:14And yeah, my father in law, I mean he drives everywhere.

7:17I think that's just what happens when men get older is they just prefer to drive and

7:21do road trips.

7:21But he'll drive from all the way up there down to Miami.

7:25>> Speaker 2: Really?

7:25>> Speaker 1: Nothing?

7:26Yeah, like nothing.

7:28So she'll have him available most likely, if she's up there.

7:31>> Speaker 2: That'll be great.

7:31>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

7:32>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

7:32What's the longest drive you've ever done?

7:36>> Speaker 1: From Pensacola to Sunnyvale, which is pretty much San Jose, California.

7:41It's pretty far, but yeah, we did the whole country when I was little.

7:46So my, my grandparents on my mom's side would come to Pensacola to visit us every

7:50summer and they did for like a few summers in a row where they would take one of us

7:55with them for the rest of the summer and then fly us back.

7:58So finally it was my time.

8:00Turn and yeah, we did the whole nine.

8:02And I didn't realize I had so much family in Texas like all through Dot,

8:06like Beaumont, Texas, San Antonio, Texas.

8:08My, my great grandmother on my mom's side really is from Texas.

8:12Yeah. >> Speaker 2: Wow.

8:12>> Speaker 1: Whenever they immigrated over they just settled in Texas.

8:16>> Speaker 2: And where did they emigrate from?

8:18>> Speaker 1: Sicily, I believe.

8:19But it, I think the bloodlines go so far back that it.

8:24Because between Italy and Greece there was a lot of like claiming Sicily, I believe.

8:28So don't roast me.

8:30I'm not a historian.

8:31>> Speaker 2: I was just learning a little bit about all that myself.

8:33>> Speaker 1: This could be like a Rogan situation.

8:36Please.

8:36>> Speaker 2: You know. And

8:37our research team hasn't dug into that yet so we're, we'll leave it alone.

8:44No offense to the research team.

8:46Yeah, they're awesome.

8:47They're awesome.

8:48>> Speaker 1: They're busy doing non research type things but

8:50they're going to get to the research here shortly.

8:52>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.

8:53We'll get the full history.

8:55>> Speaker 1: But yeah.

8:55So my mom's side before my grandfather because I think my

9:00grandfather was a lot of like uk, like British, Irish.

9:05And then my grandma was just this tiny little Italian lady.

9:09>> Speaker 2: Just fiery.

9:10>> Speaker 1: Very much.

9:11>> Speaker 2: Yes, they usually are.

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10:13What's one of your memories of being at your grandparents house or even the drive?

10:18Like what?

10:19But that time with them.

10:21Because you were about how old?

10:23I mean a kid, right?

10:24>> Speaker 1: Yeah, still a kid.

10:25I was probably 11 or 12 maybe.

10:28So still pretty young.

10:30Still innocent.

10:33There was all kinds of cool memories there.

10:35Texas was, was really cool.

10:37When we went to Beaumont, we stopped there.

10:39I had a bunch of cousins that I had no, never met.

10:43I never met him.

10:44I literally only spent time with my like my dad's side, my Samoan side.

10:49So getting to Texas, these.

10:50This is the opposite of what's going on in Pensacola that our little Chapter

10:54at least.

10:56But they lived on a huge farm, like a giant farm.

10:59And I think we still had like, they still have it and it's still in the family,

11:03but that was a good time.

11:04So just being around them, getting to know like a, you know,

11:07a different chapter of the family.

11:09There was this giant lake that they had, and I don't know if it was in Beaumont or

11:13if it was just near the town, but everybody in that town went.

11:17>> Speaker 2: Went there. >> Speaker 1: That was.

11:18It was like one of those movie type.

11:19Minus Jason.

11:20It was one of those movies, you.

11:23>> Speaker 2: Know, hot in Texas.

11:25Everybody finds the body of water and slides.

11:28>> Speaker 1: This was a pretty cool.

11:29>> Speaker 2: Sounds like fun.

11:30>> Speaker 1: It was awesome.

11:30Yeah, it was.

11:32It was like almost like a summer camp type of vibe, you know, 90s movies.

11:36>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

11:37>> Speaker 1: I'm getting like nostalgic feels thinking about.

11:39>> Speaker 2: You were watching the movies.

11:40I was growing up in it.

11:41>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

11:44And then really just once I got to my grandma's house,

11:48like once we got to Sunnyvale.

11:50Because if you're not familiar,

11:51this is like a perfect little Pleasantville type of town.

11:54Especially back in the day.

11:55I don't know how it is now, but I thought my grandma was like rich because.

12:00Yeah, she had like.

12:02It wasn't even like a real staircase.

12:04It was like considered a multi level house.

12:07It was like one of these houses where the upstairs was like only four steps up and

12:12then the basement was only like eight steps down.

12:15But it was like.

12:19And I thought this was just like, man, this is the rich and famous over here.

12:23Grandma's got it good.

12:24She drove Alexis back in the day.

12:25>> Speaker 2: So we were.

12:26>> Speaker 1: Yeah, we were not doing great in Pensacola, but

12:28I had seen other people with money, but we just weren't experiencing it.

12:33So when I got to California, I thought that this was like making it.

12:36This was it.

12:36>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

12:37Yeah. >> Speaker 1: But

12:38she had a cool little cute house.

12:41Fig trees and lemon trees, persimmon trees in the back.

12:45And it was little.

12:47Well, she.

12:48That. I mean, I was just telling my wife this.

12:50My grandma was huge on the figs.

12:52Like, make sure you drink your.

12:54No, no, no.

12:54It was the prunes that's different.

12:57>> Speaker 2: That's a whole another problem.

13:01>> Speaker 1: Now we can really get into the real talk.

13:02>> Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.

13:03>> Speaker 1: But yeah, she was always pushing.

13:05Prun.

13:07>> Speaker 2: Was. >> Speaker 1: Yeah.

13:09So grandma stayed regular.

13:10You know what I mean?

13:11Yeah. Grandma did not have any trouble with

13:13constipation.

13:13>> Speaker 2: But no, she.

13:14She was all systems go.

13:16>> Speaker 1: Yeah, she was good to go.

13:18That's. That's the key right there, guys.

13:20Keep that digestion here first.

13:22>> Speaker 2: Yes, Prunes Maybe we could get sponsored by prunes.

13:27We keep trying to get, you know.

13:28>> Speaker 1: Some more sponsors, but it actually came back to.

13:31I meant to tie it all together.

13:34I would have to drink, like, prune juice as a kid because I was a.

13:38I wasn't even heavy at that point, but I was a big kid.

13:42>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: And I always look at

13:43my kids now.

13:44I'm like, hold on.

13:45When I was seven, I was £75, and my kids are way smaller than that.

13:49So I told them all the time, I would beat y' all up so easy, me and

13:53the twins would wreck y'.

13:55All. It wouldn't even be a problem.

13:56And they're like, yeah, right, dad?

14:00But in order to make the football team, like, in order to make weight, we would.

14:05I'd have to watch my weight.

14:06If I needed to make sure I was extra light,

14:08they would give me prune juice to use the restroom.

14:11>> Speaker 2: So it really was.

14:12>> Speaker 1: I was one of those kids kind.

14:13>> Speaker 2: Of like a diuretic, but extra.

14:15>> Speaker 1: A little bit.

14:16>> Speaker 2: Yeah, but.

14:17>> Speaker 1: Yeah, but with a terrible taste.

14:20Then they would strap on, like a.

14:22A trash bag and we would really?

14:24Yeah.

14:25This is stuff that I don't think kids do nowadays.

14:27>> Speaker 2: Do they do to cut weight?

14:29>> Speaker 1: Yeah, but not at 7.

14:32>> Speaker 2: No. >> Speaker 1: Yeah.

14:33My God.

14:33>> Speaker 2: At 7 years old.

14:35Yeah. No, I wasn't getting that.

14:36>> Speaker 1: And don't. Like, everyone's like, my God.

14:39Yeah. Yeah. No, my.

14:40I begged my mom to let me do this.

14:42So do not go at my mom.

14:44I begged her to let me do this.

14:46She did not like it.

14:47She wasn't really with it, but she allowed me to do it.

14:50And it was a part of my process.

14:52So leave my mom alone.

14:54I can't believe you let him do that.

14:56Like, yeah, they're going on her, so don't.

14:59>> Speaker 2: They'll go in on anything.

15:00>> Speaker 1: They will. >> Speaker 2: Yeah.

15:01Yeah. They.

15:02If they want to.

15:04So then what would your dad do to encourage you weight wise or other?

15:12And was he around a lot at.

15:15>> Speaker 1: This particular point in time?

15:17He wasn't necessarily around.

15:19He was working his way back.

15:21Because there was a small portion of my early childhood where he was.

15:25We just said he was on the road,

15:26but he was back at the island getting his stuff together, I guess.

15:31But then shortly thereafter, within the next year or so, he was there.

15:36Him and my mom weren't together, but he was always there.

15:39And that's something that anybody who grew up in Pensacola would tell you.

15:43If my dad was coming to something, he was going to be there, like,

15:47way before call time.

15:49Yeah. Like literally like, man,

15:51I think I'm gonna get some cereal.

15:52And then.

15:53Is that.

15:53Is that Dad's band?

15:55Yeah, Like, O God, he's already here.

15:58But, yeah.

15:58My mom would get so mad.

16:00Too, like, he's already here.

16:01We hadn't even.

16:01She's like, I haven't even started cooking yet, and he's already here.

16:06I'm like, all right, I better get some ice water.

16:08>> Speaker 2: Are you early like him?

16:11>> Speaker 1: No. But I do have, like, a rival anxiety.

16:15Like, I.

16:17And I do it to myself.

16:18This is a bad thing, like, because I'm a little bit.

16:20>> Speaker 2: Because we all.

16:21We do all of it to ourselves.

16:22>> Speaker 1: I know it's my own worst enemy, but I will be a little bit late.

16:26And then it drives me nuts.

16:28And I have been like, arrival, anticipation.

16:30I'm just like, man, I need to hurry up and get there.

16:32I need to get there, so I can just do whatever I'm going to do there.

16:35But, like, I don't know.

16:36It's just anytime I'm traveling, I just want to hurry up and

16:39get to where I'm going.

16:40>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah.

16:41>> Speaker 2: Paul's always very punctual.

16:43>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 2: Always on time.

16:44I grew up in a house where we weren't maybe so much on time ever.

16:50>> Speaker 1: But if I remember, we waited on him for quite a bit.

16:55He wasn't always late, but he ran through his.

16:58He had his own time, too.

16:59>> Speaker 2: He did, he did.

17:00And, you know, but that's kind of how I grew up.

17:02And then I had to learn the lesson that, like, no,

17:05being late is actually being disrespectful to other people's time.

17:09>> Speaker 1: That's right. >> Speaker 2: And

17:10other people's time is just as important as your time, so be on time.

17:16So I did.

17:17I hope I've learned that lesson.

17:18Mostly.

17:19My mother in law would be laughing right now.

17:22What would you say is your fondest memory

17:27with Paul Heyman in and out of the ring?

17:39>> Speaker 1: In the ring, it's tough because there's so many moments.

17:41Yeah. And I, like, someone asked me, like,

17:44what's my greatest moment?

17:45And I can only just say the title reign.

17:47>> Speaker 2: Because the whole thing.

17:49>> Speaker 1: The whole thing was magical.

17:50>> Speaker 2: It really was.

17:53>> Speaker 1: So, yeah, you could literally pick anything.

17:55But there was a.

17:56There's.

17:58There's a portion of kind of almost every night.

18:01And this is kind of a gauge to how we know just how good it was or.

18:06Or how good it could be.

18:08Because during the entrance, a lot of times he'd tell me, like, because I get.

18:13I don't slap my arm, you know.

18:14>> Speaker 2: Right, right. >> Speaker 1: But we all get them.

18:16Everybody gets the goosebumps.

18:17You get the goose flesh when it's working and when it's.

18:21Yeah. When it's.

18:22That. That magic's happening for sure.

18:23And he would always point it out behind me.

18:25You could never see him say it, but he's like, you got him again.

18:27Or, you know, he' can see the goosebumps and that.

18:31That feeling to be able to go through the storm together.

18:33You know what I mean?

18:34Get to the eye of the storm.

18:36I always cherish that outside the ring,

18:40just the conversations, you know, the long flights,

18:45you know, going to Saudi, breaking bread and just talking.

18:52Being around him and his kids, too, is very cool.

18:54I really enjoy just being a fly on the wall and hearing him talk to his children,

19:01how they talk to him, how their dialogue sounds and goes.

19:08Yeah, there's a.

19:09I mean, look, we.

19:10We named him the Wise man for a reason.

19:12And if you're around him long enough, it's hard not to pick up a lot of just diamonds

19:17and gems, although he drops them left and right.

19:19>> Speaker 2: He does.

19:20>> Speaker 1: And a lot of times there's intention behind it.

19:22But I think, too, it's just who he is, and he doesn't even realize he's doing it.

19:26>> Speaker 2: So I agree with that.

19:28>> Speaker 1: But I hate his guts, you know?

19:29>> Speaker 2: I know. I know.

19:31I remember a time,

19:32because Paul's obviously been around since my grandfather.

19:36Right. In various capacities.

19:38And in this particular moment, I would.

19:41We were driving to a town, and it was my dad and I and.

19:44And Paul.

19:45And this is not like a story on my dad, but he had a moment where he was very

19:49upset with me for reason, and he was letting me know in front of Paul.

19:54And, long story short, the next week, because Paul was working for

19:59me at that time as a writer, which was always like a very funny dynamic anyway.

20:05And he would sit in my office and he would.

20:09He would just drop nuggets of just knowledge.

20:12And we were talking about that moment, and

20:14I wasn't gonna bring it up because it was embarrassing and everything else.

20:17And he said, steph, don't you understand that he's preparing you?

20:23And I said, what do you mean?

20:25And I don't know that this was an intentional thing by my dad or not,

20:29but what Paul said was so true.

20:31He said, if you're not intimidated by Vince McMahon,

20:35you're not going to be intimidated by anybody.

20:39And I thought a lot about that, and it's really true.

20:44I'm not saying if somebody wasn't trying to attack me, I wouldn't be scared or

20:48intimidated, but meeting anybody, I don't care who it is.

20:51Everybody's just a person.

20:52>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 2: You know, no.

20:54>> Speaker 1: Sharing a room with someone of that stature, that fabric.

20:58I feel the same way.

21:00Going, you know, that's who I, like, cut my teeth negotiating with,

21:04doing business with, was your dad.

21:07And that's how I feel.

21:08I'm not intimidated by anybody anymore.

21:10>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

21:11>> Speaker 1: And I.

21:11There were times where I had to get used to him, and I had to learn.

21:14We had to learn each other's ways.

21:16>> Speaker 2: Sure, sure.

21:16>> Speaker 1: But I'm the youngest of all his top guys, you know, so I didn't

21:20have that relationship like a lot of the other guys were afforded in the time.

21:25But for the.

21:27Compared to, like, anybody else, you know, Hogan or Steve or Dwayne, those guys,

21:32I don't think I got as much of his time, but

21:34I was picking up as much knowledge as I could, even if he.

21:38He may not even realize it, but there's a lot of things that,

21:41you know, he said to me that I continue to use.

21:43I just tore it completely out of his playbook.

21:45>> Speaker 2: And anything that comes to mind.

21:48>> Speaker 1: Well, he was one of the first now.

21:50And now it's reversed on me, actually.

21:53He would always tell me, and this is when I was so

21:56locked in at work that I wasn't holding up my end on the other side.

22:00And he would just tell me, you got to be present when you go home.

22:03You have to be present.

22:05It doesn't matter what you do out here, you have to be present.

22:08And I took that to heart so much, and I've transformed that, you know,

22:12to be in such a bigger part of my life.

22:13And the main thing, the priority, a one to where sometimes it's the other way.

22:20Now.

22:20Now it's hard not to be present when I'm not home, when I'm not with my children,

22:24when I'm, you know that.

22:26Because that's where I really want to be is with my wife and my children,

22:30you know, but those were just one of those funny lessons of just seeing what

22:34he's talking about and then seeing it evolve in my own life as a young man.

22:39He'd always say, you want to be ahead of the curb, but not too far ahead.

22:43>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. Slightly ahead of the curve.

22:44>> Speaker 1: Yeah, slightly ahead of the curve.

22:45>> Speaker 2: And never too far ahead.

22:46People don't understand what you're doing.

22:48And certainly never behind.

22:49>> Speaker 1: Yep. >> Speaker 2: Yeah.

22:51>> Speaker 1: And in just so many different ways, and

22:53especially in business, that has just rang true.

22:57So, yeah, those are two.

22:58>> Speaker 2: Like, what's one of the biggest business lessons?

23:05>> Speaker 1: Well, that.

23:05That saying right there was one of the biggest business lessons with everything.

23:12Whether it's creative, whether, you know, it could be anything within the business.

23:16>> Speaker 2: The being present piece.

23:17>> Speaker 1: No, no, the.

23:18Slightly ahead of the curve.

23:20Slightly ahead of the curve.

23:22That's.

23:22Anybody who comes up with a genius idea and, you know, anything that you know,

23:26that's kind of what they're doing.

23:27>> Speaker 2: So what are you slightly ahead of the curve on now that you want to

23:30talk about that you're working on?

23:33>> Speaker 1: And it's hard to be able to truly say it, but

23:35I'm different than any superstar that's ever done it.

23:38Now, you know, it's always been I.

23:40I was told this early on, like, in order to really, like, go to the next level, and

23:44I don't consider myself at the next level by any means.

23:46There's still, like, plenty of rungs to grab and plenty of levels to.

23:51To get to.

23:52But I wanted to be the first guy who could do both, as opposed to.

23:58And I know John did, and he.

24:00He did it his way.

24:02But to really be able to do both and like damn near lead a movie and

24:06then also still, you know, main event, a pay per view and

24:09to have that type of responsibility, because there's a lot riding on that.

24:14I do understand, you know, there's insurances and

24:17all different things behind it.

24:18>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

24:19>> Speaker 1: But to be able to hold that type of responsibility and to be able to

24:22juggle both, I think that's, you know, something that this generation and

24:26hopefully I'm one of the first to be able to do it.

24:29So.

24:29I don't want to stop being a WWE Superstar in order to wear other hats.

24:34I'm always going to be a WWE Superstar.

24:36I'm always going to be Roman Reigns and I don't want to ever have to choose.

24:42Yeah, I don't feel like I.

24:44>> Speaker 2: You don't have to.

24:45>> Speaker 1: I don't. Well, I, I feel like in the.

24:47>> Speaker 2: Past, people, I think in the past, for sure.

24:49Yeah.

24:50But I also think there was a different perspective.

24:52>> Speaker 1: Sure, sure.

24:53You know, well, we're in a different place.

24:54The business is in, We've evolved and grown, so.

24:57Yeah, but that's, that's kind of where I'm trying to be ahead of the curve.

25:02And then also, you know, this isn't a business thing, but it's a personal thing.

25:06And it's the most personal thing.

25:08But really being able to balance home and road life, that, that's a key priority.

25:15That, that's a, that's a puzzle to figure out for

25:18a young performer traveling the world trying to make it try 100%.

25:23Yeah, you, I mean, the, the, the, the carrot's dangling and

25:26you just constantly chasing it and you're tunnel visioned on it.

25:30But to be able to, you know, be a professional in both regards,

25:34be a professional in your personal life too, you know.

25:38>> Speaker 2: Well, and kudos to you for being able to do that and for

25:40recognizing that because it's something.

25:42And you know, when I was interviewing John Cena that he talked about that he said

25:46was a lesson he had to learn the hard way, you know, and with his first wife,

25:50they'd be sitting at the coffee table and if the office called and needed him,

25:54he'd be like, okay, bye, you know, and that was it.

25:58And it unfortunately didn't work out, you know,

26:01because he prioritized differently, you know, but

26:04you clearly prioritize your family and everybody knows you as a family man.

26:09And I think that's an incredible reputation to have that not many,

26:15you know, men in your position especially have.

26:20And it Speaks to your character and who you are, and

26:23I think that's very rare, and I think it's awesome.

26:27>> Speaker 1: Thank you.

26:28Thank you.

26:29Yeah, I mean, well, I follow, like, John was the man before me.

26:33You know what I mean?

26:34So having someone who never said no, always available phoners in an hour.

26:40Yep, I'm on it.

26:41You know what I mean?

26:42>> Speaker 2: And that sets the example then, though.

26:44>> Speaker 1: For what you want, that was the standard.

26:46And. And I was the guy that was supposed to

26:47follow this up, and I did my best for as long as I could, but

26:50at the end of the day, I had to just be true to me.

26:52I had to be authentic to.

26:54To who I was.

26:55And then also, you know, like,

26:57this place needed me to be a superstar, not one of the boys.

27:01So I had to, like, figure that out as.

27:03As well and find that happy medium of, okay, this serves everybody, but it also.

27:11It's right for me, and it's authentic to me and who I am.

27:14And at the end of the day, if we want to have something original,

27:17if we want to have something organic, and that's never been done before,

27:21I can't emulate somebody else.

27:23I have to do it my way, respectfully, but it's got to be mine, you know?

27:27>> Speaker 2: And how do you get to that place?

27:29Because I think it's very rare for

27:31somebody to be able to take that step back and say.

27:34And say just that.

27:35Right? I'm gonna do it my way and

27:37deliver the best I possibly can everywhere.

27:40Right? But I have to be true to myself, and

27:42I'm gonna be one of one, and I'm gonna be an original.

27:46Like, how do you.

27:47That's a huge risk to take.

27:50>> Speaker 1: Yeah. Well,

27:50I think you have to get to the point where you're willing to bet on yourself.

27:53You. You have to be prepared.

27:55And that's what this place did to me, is.

27:57It prepared me in every facet to get to the point where I was standing at the edge

28:01of the cliff and, like, I don't care if I got a parachute.

28:05I'm gonna fly one way or the other.

28:07I'm not gonna.

28:08It's. If I jump, it's not going to be the end.

28:10I know that.

28:11So it wasn't blind faith, you know what I mean?

28:14Because I knew I had the 10,000 hours.

28:17I knew that I was right there, just on the cusp of doing something special.

28:23And once I had that, then I have proof of concept.

28:26Then I have like, no, no, it's real.

28:28I did it.

28:28I can do it again.

28:31But I Think you have to prepare yourself and you have to put the work in.

28:35At the end of the day, you have to put the reps in, you have to grind it out.

28:38You have to get your 10,000 hours, and you have to kind of get close to

28:43a mastery of what you're trying to do before you can truly go all in on it.

28:49>> Speaker 2: And you talked about the 10,000 hours.

28:50That's Malcolm Gladwell.

28:52Right. You could be an expert.

28:53And if you do it for 10,000 hours, sure, yeah.

28:57You know, but preparation and putting in the work, I'd love to know,

29:03because I've never actually seen somebody prepare the way that you do for a role.

29:10Like the way you get into character, how seriously you take it,

29:15the thought that you put into it, the look, the way you make your body look.

29:22I mean, just everything I think is such a different level.

29:26And you spoke to it, obviously.

29:28But what are the keys to, you know, helping someone else be prepared?

29:34What is the process?

29:36How do you.

29:36What do you think through when you're getting ready to do anything big?

29:44>> Speaker 1: I'll just speak on what we do.

29:46I mean, a lot of it for me is just kind of based off of what we were just speaking

29:51about is having the experience.

29:53And this isn't going to be great advice for someone who's day one or

29:58week one, but having the experience of doing something for

30:02a long time, and then once you've done something over and over and

30:07over, it gets broken down into a full, like, structured day.

30:11Right. Of, okay, I got to do this thing and

30:13then that thing and then this thing.

30:15And the first time you're thinking about this thing and that thing and

30:17this thing and that thing.

30:19But. But then once you've done it enough,

30:20I no longer think about this thing, because that's just.

30:23>> Speaker 2: Now it's.

30:24>> Speaker 1: That's done.

30:24Yeah. And then that thing,

30:25we've already kind of made that a process in a system, so we don't think about that.

30:29And then that other deal over there, we delegated it, so

30:32now that's not even on my plate.

30:34So you get, like, where you've done things so many times, you know,

30:38how to clean it up, make it.

30:39Like, when we're talking, when we do our promos, I'm always thinking, like,

30:43how do I tighten it up because I'm so wordy.

30:45How do I make it more concise to the point?

30:47So I'm not mulling.

30:49How do I get, you know, and then have another good point to, like, serve that,

30:53you know, and even the.

30:55>> Speaker 2: Looks you give you know, and the timing of it and

30:59the time in between of a silent pause and how you can actually

31:04just bring the crowd in and it's just a look, you know?

31:09Like, how much do you think about that in advance?

31:12Or is that just a feel when you're out there?

31:15>> Speaker 1: Right. That used to be stuff I would think about,

31:18but it kind of like, to compare it to something when I first started wrestling,

31:22like, in the Shield, and I would watch the film, like,

31:26of when we were in the ring, I would watch every step, every single step.

31:30Like, my wife wouldn't be able to watch it back with me because it would annoy her.

31:34So I would watch it.

31:36Yeah, I watch, like, football tape and, like.

31:38But we didn't have, like, the good.

31:40>> Speaker 2: Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

31:41>> Speaker 1: Film stuff.

31:41So, like, I'd missed the rewind.

31:43And then I'm like, God, sorry.

31:46Hold on. One more time.

31:48But I would just keep watching down.

31:49>> Speaker 2: There's no scrolling.

31:50>> Speaker 1: I'd be like, why is that?

31:51Take that step.

31:52Why did I do that with my arm?

31:54I was so, like, precise and meticulous on all these little things that I saw.

31:59And I would do the same thing.

32:00Thing with like my facial expressions and

32:02your dad used to be like, don't do that so much.

32:04Like, your face can be too expressive sometimes.

32:07And that can be.

32:08And sometimes I have to reel it in and make it get a little less.

32:12But that just became a system to where we don't think about it now.

32:15Now I've been in enough, you know, environments.

32:18I've been in enough, you know,

32:20segments to where I probably done that type of look before.

32:23And if I haven't, I'm excited about giving a new look.

32:26You know what I mean?

32:27Like, Blue Steel just.

32:29>> Speaker 2: Was that what it.

32:33You saw it here.

32:34>> Speaker 1: Brock, music.

32:38>> Speaker 3: That's the clip.

32:39>> Speaker 1: But like, when Brock's music goes off, that's.

32:44That's the face right there.

32:45The Zoolander look.

32:47But yeah, those, Those just become instincts and

32:50they become experiences that become instincts.

32:53And I just try to rely on those.

32:55I try to trust them.

32:56>> Speaker 2: Isn't that the whole point of doing all the preparation?

32:58Right? >> Speaker 1: It's.

32:59>> Speaker 2: It is. It's doing the reps over and over and

33:01over again.

33:02So it becomes second nature.

33:03So when you're in the moment, you don't have to think, you just react.

33:08>> Speaker 1: You can say fuck it and go for it.

33:10>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: You know, that, that's.

33:11I mean, at the end of the day, that's what it is.

33:13Like, do it, do it, do it.

33:15Rep it out, rep it out, rep it out.

33:17Don't let your brain get too far in front of you.

33:20And then at the end of the day, it's time to jump.

33:22Let's go.

33:23You know, what happens, happens.

33:25And, you know, it's in God's hands now.

33:27And we always hope for the best.

33:29Say your prayer and then get in there and do it.

33:32>> Speaker 2: And how important is saying your prayer?

33:36How important is faith in your life?

33:38>> Speaker 1: It's everything.

33:39That's the.

33:40That is the.

33:41We've talked about a lot of main things, but nothing.

33:46Nothing's possible without God.

33:48You know, and I'm.

33:50Whether you, you know, whether you're Christian, Muslim, whoever your God is,

33:56if you believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God, you know, all.

34:01I think at the end of the day, it's important that we have like a true

34:05North Star, a belief in something bigger, because I think that's just.

34:10I don't know, I think there's just human, you know, we're just wired that way.

34:16We. We need something that's bigger than us.

34:19Something.

34:20You know what I mean?

34:20That, that, that we're working towards, I believe.

34:25And then it also brings in Community.

34:27So, yeah, I think it's.

34:28I mean, it's everything.

34:30I think any successful family or

34:33person understands that God is making all this happen.

34:38So whether you're religious or not, I,

34:41I think it's important to believe in a higher power.

34:45And I specifically believe in God.

34:47I believe, you know, Jesus Christ is the son of God.

34:50He died for our sins.

34:51I was born and raised Catholic.

34:54I'm not as practicing as I'd like to be.

34:56>> Speaker 2: You know, us Catholics never are.

34:58>> Speaker 1: I know.

35:01And we got the good setup, too.

35:03We're not.

35:03Man, I go to.

35:04I go to.

35:04My wife is Russian Orthodox.

35:06And we're up in there for forever.

35:09Yes. Like three hours in.

35:11It's like, man, are they serving too?

35:14Are we gonna eat or what?

35:15Like at mass.

35:17At Catholic Mass, 45 minutes.

35:19If, you know, father's a little long winded and

35:21he's trying to get his promo in.

35:22It might go an hour.

35:24>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: You know,

35:25then you got your religious days, you know, your holidays, so.

35:28But yeah, we really have it the best and still can't get.

35:32>> Speaker 2: Can't get it quite right.

35:33That's all right.

35:34>> Speaker 1: We're getting there.

35:35We're getting there.

35:35>> Speaker 2: You're getting there.

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37:02>> Speaker 3: Yeah, I was going to mention before when you brought up Georgia Tech,

37:07so obviously you're a big name in wwe, but I don't know if you know how big of

37:13an impact you had on two different people that you played with and played for.

37:19So first we'll bring up now coaching the Rams, Gif Smith.

37:24>> Speaker 4: When I reflect back on Joe Inouye back in the days at Georgia Tech,

37:29you know, probably the biggest thing that stands out to me is just how tough he was.

37:35He had the ability to understand the game, execute the calls up front,

37:40and bring a toughness that still is so important in this game.

37:45Joe had a.

37:47Just a unique ability about himself.

37:49You know, he grew the hair out, looked cool, big, strong, athletic, smart.

37:55He had all the intangibles.

37:57I remember going down to Auburn.

37:58I mean, he about killed a guy in that game.

38:00One of the hardest hits till this day,

38:02even being in the league that I've ever seen.

38:04You know, he's a awesome family guy.

38:07I get to speak with him every so often.

38:09And grateful for that friendship and

38:11grateful that it's lasted throughout these years.

38:14He's somebody as a dad that I asked and husband,

38:17tremendous respect for, but, man, what a joy.

38:21Joe has excelled in his career, but there's.

38:24There's so many special things about him, and, you know,

38:28I can't say anything other than nice things about him.

38:31Just grateful for my time with him.

38:33He made me a better coach.

38:35He made Georgia Tech special in that run.

38:38And, you know, he's.

38:40He's. He's a legend, and I wish him nothing but

38:44the best.

38:45And like I said at the start,

38:46I'm just grateful that I got to be a part of his life.

38:50He made a huge impact on my life.

38:52And he was a dog.

38:54Now, there's no two ways to say it.

38:56That man was a dog.

38:57Not just in the ring of wrestling, but in.

38:59On the gridiron.

39:00He was the real deal.

39:02>> Speaker 1: Yeah, that.

39:02That's my.

39:03That was my defensive line coach, Coach G.I. smith.

39:08He came to Georgia Tech my sophomore year, and my freshman coach wasn't a bad guy.

39:15We just weren't gelling.

39:16He was.

39:17I was a freshman, and I probably deserved.

39:19He was all over my ass all the time.

39:22And then when Gif came in, probably.

39:24>> Speaker 2: Because he saw something in you.

39:25>> Speaker 1: 100.

39:26And I ended up being even closer to.

39:29This was Coach Spencer actually down the road.

39:32So it was nice to, like, be able to reconnect with him.

39:34But, man, having Coach Gif come in was just godsend because he just knew how

39:38to communicate with me.

39:40And that was just one of his.

39:41And he. And you would have never known it,

39:43you know, but he was a great defensive lineman for,

39:46I believe, Georgia State at the time, back in his day.

39:50Just someone who understood.

39:51And to hear those things from him.

39:53They were coached into me from him.

39:55I mean, that was something.

39:56As a defensive lineman down in the trenches,

39:58it's a little bit different than it is today still.

40:01Still a. A violent sport, but it's.

40:04It's much.

40:04>> Speaker 2: We use the word aggressive.

40:07>> Speaker 1: I. No, no, no, we don't wwe.

40:10>> Speaker 2: We don't say violent.

40:10>> Speaker 1: That's old. WWE can't say violent.

40:15He told me that before.

40:17Yeah, yeah.

40:17No, we don't do that no more.

40:19It's violent as hell.

40:20>> Speaker 2: My character wasn't kidnapped.

40:22I was abducted.

40:24>> Speaker 1: I know, right?

40:25>> Speaker 2: Because there's a big difference.

40:26>> Speaker 1: At the local medical facility.

40:27>> Speaker 2: Yes, yes.

40:29Not a hospital.

40:33>> Speaker 1: But, yeah, Gif was.

40:34He was just.

40:35He was the man I needed in my life at that time that just was able to connect

40:40with me.

40:40His communication with me was.

40:42Was flawless.

40:44Everything that he was trying to get into my head, it sank in.

40:47>> Speaker 2: Like, what?

40:49>> Speaker 1: Everything.

40:50I mean, at that age, you know what I mean, at 20, 18, 19, 20 years old,

40:56a young man like that, especially like a young alpha bull, you know.

41:02Yeah. Pretty dumb young man, you know, like, no,

41:05it doesn't matter.

41:06It's not going to hurt me.

41:06I'll run through that.

41:07Like, you know, just very.

41:10Too much testosterone going on.

41:13But everything a young man needs to hear.

41:16It seemed like Gif always had a cool way of doing it to where it wasn't like,

41:21he's lecturing me.

41:23He wasn't ever like that.

41:24>> Speaker 2: Was he a storyteller?

41:25>> Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, for sure.

41:27And I think that goes back to any great communicator, any good coach,

41:31any good public speaker, they're always able to, like, do analogies or like,

41:36pull their own, you know, personal story and.

41:39And connect those dots for you.

41:40But yeah, he.

41:41I mean, Gif was coach.

41:43Gif Smith was.

41:44And still to this day, I still speak with him.

41:46I need to hit him up now.

41:47I'm actually going to do it today.

41:48>> Speaker 2: They definitely need to.

41:49>> Speaker 1: But yeah, he's still coaching.

41:51He's still a great coach.

41:52>> Speaker 2: And he's at the Rams.

41:53>> Speaker 1: He's with the Rams.

41:54He's been with the RA while I think he was with.

41:56Well, they're la, too.

41:59He was with the Chargers.

42:00Yeah, he. He filled in, I think, as an intern coach,

42:03interim coach a couple years ago, I want to say.

42:08But, yeah, just a great guy.

42:09Really great guy.

42:10>> Speaker 2: Clearly. Well, he clearly loves you, man.

42:12>> Speaker 1: And he was one of the many coaches that I had.

42:15And that kind of ties back to those years that where I didn't have my dad around

42:21all these other men, whether they were in my community or at my ballpark.

42:26One of my, you know, growing up,

42:29one of my greatest coaches of all time was my baseball coach, Coach Kevin Freeland.

42:35He coached me on die pros for like eight years in a row.

42:39We were, that was our team.

42:40The dive pros.

42:41Yeah. They were sponsored by a dive shop.

42:42His dive shop.

42:44And this man would just, I mean, he would give me a ride home any day we needed it.

42:48The twins too.

42:48They know coach Coach Freeland.

42:51But we had so many of those men in our, in our lives that helped out and

42:55were great mentors, great coaches.

42:57I, I, I was fathered by a, like a,

43:00a random set of coaches throughout my entire life.

43:04And I've like your dad.

43:06I took little pieces from, from everyone.

43:09Yeah, absolutely.

43:10Yeah. I'm a thief.

43:11I steal all the good stuff, right?

43:12All the good stuff.

43:14>> Speaker 2: That's important.

43:14Yeah, yeah.

43:15You got to steal the best.

43:17>> Speaker 1: That, I mean that, that's just being human right there.

43:20I just.

43:21You're passing it on, but I just didn't wait for you to actually do it.

43:23I just got it before you, you know, knew you're going to teach me it.

43:26>> Speaker 2: So has coach Gif ever seen you in the ring?

43:30>> Speaker 1: Yeah, he's come to a few shows here and there.

43:33Yeah, he's been in the back and everything, so.

43:35>> Speaker 2: Give you a hard time at first.

43:38>> Speaker 1: Thank God.

43:39I mean, we came in as the shield, so we came in cool.

43:41And there was never a point where it's like, man,

43:43you're just out there in underwear.

43:44Yeah.

43:45Never had that.

43:46Like just trunks.

43:49Cool. It was always kind of a cool look.

43:51And then, you know, we did the, the post shield and

43:54then finally we came out of the vest years later.

43:57But I never had, you know, where it was like too embarrassing, but fcw.

44:03I did that.

44:05>> Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah.

44:05>> Speaker 1: I was in the skimpies.

44:08>> Speaker 2: And you felt more confident in the pants.

44:13>> Speaker 1: I don't know.

44:14>> Speaker 2: It's not a confident thing.

44:15>> Speaker 1: Yeah, well, at that point, I don't know if confidence was even in yet.

44:19>> Speaker 2: Yeah, okay.

44:20>> Speaker 1: We hadn' were, we hadn't like rep that one out.

44:23We were just trying to fake it and like, I'm confident.

44:27>> Speaker 2: Well, you used to talk a lot of to me in the ring.

44:31>> Speaker 1: Only because I knew if I didn't, you'd slap me 15 times in a row.

44:35>> Speaker 2: We were on the scene, run the.

44:36>> Speaker 1: Track, you know, and busted my eardrum too.

44:42>> Speaker 2: Man. >> Speaker 1: You know,

44:43I believe it shattered that sucker.

44:45The, the doctor was like, yeah.

44:47>> Speaker 2: Well, don't with me.

44:49>> Speaker 1: That's right.

44:52That's right.

44:52Hey, if you're gonna hit somebody, hit them.

44:54>> Speaker 2: I'm just saying.

44:54Well, and you guys all taught me that it was.

44:57I think it was Foley the first time.

44:59>> Speaker 1: No, your first few were good.

45:01They were good workers.

45:02>> Speaker 2: And then I just got carried away or something.

45:04I don't know who you weren't selling for me.

45:06>> Speaker 1: And I was like, young bull now.

45:09Just down for a day.

45:12>> Speaker 2: God, Finally.

45:13>> Speaker 1: I'll be in the theater.

45:14Leave me alone.

45:17Where's Daddy?

45:18Selling in.

45:22>> Speaker 2: I was gonna say.

45:22I feel like you caught a spear back.

45:24Yeah, yeah.

45:25I mean, yeah, you got me at Wrestlemania.

45:27>> Speaker 1: We. We left it for the big one.

45:29>> Speaker 2: We did.

45:29We did.

45:31It was big, Pop.

45:32>> Speaker 1: That was awesome.

45:33>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

45:34My hair was stuck in my jacket.

45:36>> Speaker 1: You had all kinds of stuff going on.

45:37I did.

45:40Jacket, yeah.

45:41You're working hard that day.

45:42>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.

45:43>> Speaker 1: But you had the out.

45:44Yeah.

45:45Because you did the full intro.

45:48>> Speaker 2: Crazy. The Skull Queen.

45:50That was so fun.

45:52My God.

45:53To be able to write that promo too and like, just make everybody sheep and

45:57bow down and like.

45:59>> Speaker 1: I love it.

46:00Yeah. >> Speaker 2: Just practicing in

46:01the office.

46:02We all were.

46:03>> Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.

46:04It's good. Like as a bad guy,

46:06if you just imagine your royalty.

46:08>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

46:10>> Speaker 1: I think we come from the same.

46:11Yeah, we have the same mindset of like, I know that as.

46:16>> Speaker 2: It was good.

46:17>> Speaker 1: Like, like prime tribal chief run, you know, or

46:21like championship run.

46:23Same people were beneath me.

46:25It was. It felt good.

46:27It was just a good character feeling.

46:29Yeah, I loved it.

46:33Well, there is somebody who talked about your faith.

46:38Arguably one of the best.

46:41Calvin Johnson.

46:43>> Speaker 1: What up, dog?

46:44Though. Joe.

46:45So Joe Anawa.

46:46I remember meeting Joe my first time at Georgia Tech when I was coming in just

46:50on my official visit to meet all the guys and the coaches and I just remember

46:54seeing Joe in a corner and just sitting down there and I was like, who's this guy?

46:58Stoic expression on his face, swole, long flowing hair, Samoan dude,

47:03just looking like he's ready to break somebody in half.

47:07I'm like, my next thought was like, well at least he's on my team.

47:12But anyways, we became co captains together and

47:14I just think about all the times walking out to the middle of the field with our

47:17mirror advisors on the intimidation factor that we had to elicit upon the other team.

47:21And you know, just thinking about Joe as a player.

47:25Joe is obviously a leader on our defense.

47:27He made plays for our defense.

47:29He was constantly getting his hands on the quarterback,

47:31getting his hands on the ball and you know, Joe was an effort guy.

47:34He was a great attitude guy.

47:37He was a relentless guy and he was a man of faith.

47:39And that's what I love most about Joe because with that faith,

47:43without that faith, I don't know which, what Joe's story goes.

47:47You know, Jordan, Joe had this cancer battle and I truly believe that it was

47:52through his faith, his family, all his support system, you know, that he was able

47:57to take, you know, what some people might view, you know, as a failure or

48:01something that, or a huge obstacle and, and turn that into a big win.

48:06Joe, I commend you, I admire you from this, from watching your story.

48:10Obviously like I say, you're a hard working guy, effort guy, a man of faith.

48:14But it was that faith I feel like, you know, that turned you around,

48:19allows you to realign after your, after your health struggles and

48:24really refocus in on your goals, on your family.

48:28And you can tell the love that you put into, the love, the, the work that you put

48:32into everything because of where you are now because these things are, they don't

48:36just happen, you know, they're not just overnight successes and it takes work.

48:40It's a process.

48:41And I understand that you went through a process to get to where you are today.

48:45So kudos to you man.

48:46Cuz I know it had, wasn't easy but you showed everybody it can be done, man.

48:52Stay blessed brother.

48:55>> Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a man.

48:56He, he just described himself too.

48:58So like that that's what was cool about tech is for the most part,

49:02especially my class, he was a year younger than me.

49:06We're all very like minded and when you can get those type of young men together.

49:12>> Speaker 3: It was great coaching, too.

49:13>> Speaker 2: 100.

49:14Yeah. And they.

49:15You know, they always say it.

49:17You know, you have your fraternities and sororities in college, but

49:20that's what a football team, a sports team is its own frat, you know, and

49:24to have that type of brothership, to have that type of fellowship,

49:27to be able to lean on those type of guys, and.

49:29And we're all going through stuff.

49:30You know, we weren't talking about mental health back in the day,

49:33but, like, we were all going through our growing PA Veins of becoming young men.

49:37>> Speaker 3: Everyone coming from different places.

49:39>> Speaker 2: Absolutely.

49:40And all meeting up in Atlanta.

49:41You know, I'm.

49:42I'm just a little beach boy, you know, from Pensacola, Florida,

49:45thinking I'm gonna, like, figure it out up here in the city.

49:49But having, you know, just as he said, only God can, like,

49:53position things like this, where it's just that overall, that.

49:58That eagle view that we just don't understand.

50:01We think we are good storytellers until we hear God's story for us.

50:05And they were like, man, I need to keep working.

50:06>> Speaker 3: I didn't see that coming at all.

50:08>> Speaker 2: That's how you twist and turn right there, boy.

50:10That's how you write creative.

50:13That's how I feel about my story, man.

50:15Honestly, I could have never wrote it.

50:18If it was up to me, it would have been defensive tackle for the 49ers.

50:23Probably got eight years, and I don't know.

50:25I probably would have blew all my money by now, you know,

50:28I would have been out of league for 10 years and be thinking about what's next.

50:32But God's plan was just so much greater for me.

50:35And as CJ Said, I believe in trying to.

50:39You know, I believe in putting in the work and going through the process and.

50:43And trying to do it.

50:44But you're never alone.

50:46You're never doing it by yourself.

50:47You always.

50:48God's always got us in, you know, under his wing, you know what I mean?

50:52No matter what I do.

50:54Before I flew out today, I said my kind of the same prayer I always say.

51:00I told him how many we have on the jet today.

51:02We had three other souls.

51:03So I told him, be my fifth.

51:05There's plenty of room on here.

51:07Take any seat.

51:08I'll get up if you need me to, but ride with me, fly with me,

51:11perform with me, speak with me, and then get me home.

51:14And then, even when we get in the truck, make sure I'm driving good, too,

51:17if you don't mind.

51:19Yeah. God, I Mean, I don't know.

51:22You know, I've been very, very fortunate.

51:25There was.

51:26He's kind of smart.

51:27A guy told me a while ago, you know, that we're blessed men, you know.

51:30Are your children healthy?

51:32Yeah, we're blessed men.

51:34You're a blessed woman.

51:37And that's all just due to God.

51:39You know, not to get preachy or nothing, but that's just how I feel.

51:42>> Speaker 3: Yeah, no, that's.

51:43That's your faith and your belief, and it's beautiful.

51:46>> Speaker 2: Thank you.

51:46>> Speaker 3: And how did it, you know, if you're comfortable talking about it,

51:51you know, like you said.

51:53Right. You have unexpected bumps in the road,

51:55unexpected things, twists and turns that happen.

51:58And here you were, this very strong bull,

52:02you know, who's very successful in football,

52:07clearly gonna have a career in football, and

52:12then you find out that physically you have cancer,

52:17especially as a young man.

52:21How do you deal with that information?

52:27How.

52:28How do you overcome the fear, the change, the unknown?

52:37You know? How do you.

52:38How do you deal with that or how did you deal with that?

52:42>> Speaker 2: I compartmentalized to my mama, honestly.

52:46I mean, that's when.

52:48So I'm at the Minnesota Vikings camp.

52:53All that's like football is, like, crescendoing.

52:55It's like, this is it like, it's all boiled up to this point of.

53:00>> Speaker 3: What you've worked towards.

53:01>> Speaker 2: You need to make this team.

53:03Yeah. Yeah.

53:03I mean, it was.

53:06All the marbles were in the basket, so I was so

53:09full on that that I don't think I even accepted the news properly.

53:12I don't even think I took the diagnosis.

53:15>> Speaker 3: And they found it because you did a physical?

53:18>> Speaker 2: Yeah, well, with the physical, we did extensive blood work,

53:21and it wasn't even, like, in, like, the molecular testing or

53:25it was just in the blood lab, like the cbc.

53:27My white blood cells were.

53:29What were they this time?

53:30I think they're like 70, 000 at that point.

53:33And you. I mean, healthy people,

53:34you're not fighting off any, like, sickness or anything.

53:38I think you sit in between like, 4,000 and like 10, 11,000, something like that.

53:43So I was.

53:44So I was.

53:45My body was fighting something.

53:47Yeah.

53:49>> Speaker 3: And you didn't feel sick?

53:51>> Speaker 2: No. That's the thing,

53:52is because it's cancer of the blood.

53:55Was I a little tired?

53:56Probably, but I was also £300.

54:00College guy.

54:01You know, we were drinking beer every other day.

54:03>> Speaker 3: Sure, sure.

54:04Going hard.

54:05>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

54:06>> Speaker 2: College stuff and being a football guy, but, yeah, that.

54:12It was just one of those situations because I didn't feel it.

54:15I wasn't going through chemo.

54:17I didn't have to do, like, true radiation.

54:20There was a large bit of, like, what I believe they call imposter

54:25syndrome of people feeling bad for me, and I'm like, don't, don't.

54:30Don't feel bad.

54:31And you shouldn't have something because there's little children who

54:33are going through.

54:35Thank God I'm lucky enough to take a medication, but I don't know.

54:38I think it was just more mental there.

54:40Absolutely.

54:41But it was just a situation, I think.

54:45Because I had so much going on in my life and it's just honestly always been that

54:49way that I've never been able to just let it sit on me and just be that rain cloud.

54:53It's always been like, well, I have this thing pulling me over here.

54:55So, like that bad part of my life is kind of over there somewhere, but

54:59I'm currently over here dealing with this other stuff.

55:02So I've just always stayed on the positive stuff.

55:05>> Speaker 2: You never felt sorry for yourself or anything?

55:07>> Speaker 1: Sure, yeah, I'm sure there was definitely.

55:10But never wallowed.

55:11Never stay there.

55:12Yeah, always.

55:13I mean, some to this day, I mean, there's times, you know, where you're

55:16battling whatever it is, you know, and it could be something far less serious.

55:20Something I used to go through a couple years ago was like post performance downs

55:26a little bit because I went from working every single night, almost every show.

55:31So like we always had another show.

55:34So like I had to get juiced up for this next show.

55:36But then once everything changed, pandemic, all of that, and

55:40then the contract started getting restructured and

55:44the dates became less and I would do a big date and then I would be home for,

55:48you know, like a month with no, like, crazy stimulus, no.

55:53No dopamine, no adrenaline rush, no pop.

55:55>> Speaker 2: Right.

55:57>> Speaker 1: And it would put me in the dumps a little bit until I learned how to

56:00like structure my way through that.

56:02Like. Well, no, no, we don't just.

56:04We didn't finish.

56:05We're just working towards the next day.

56:06>> Speaker 2: Right. >> Speaker 1: So we're right back in now.

56:08So I built like things to fix that, but.

56:11>> Speaker 2: Yeah, that's an intentional mindset.

56:13>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 2: Right.

56:15>> Speaker 1: Yeah. I'm never trying to stay.

56:16Like, I, I understand happiness is not a constant state.

56:20We experience moments of happiness, but whatever that is,

56:23that middle ground or where you're not feeling much at all,

56:26that's kind of where we're at all the time.

56:28And you have to figure out how to spike that happiness or

56:31know when it's happening and then also know when you're not in that mode and

56:35you need to, you know, get yourself out of whatever.

56:38>> Speaker 2: Whatever it is.

56:39>> Speaker 1: I think just being truthful with yourself and

56:42being completely honest of where you're at mentally helps where you don't yourself.

56:48>> Speaker 2: Right. >> Speaker 1: Because we'll do that to

56:50ourselves greater than anybody.

56:52I buy my better than any.

56:53>> Speaker 2: Yeah, we can convince ourselves of.

56:55>> Speaker 1: I sold myself water earlier, you know.

56:57Yeah, but yeah, it's just one of those things I

57:02think that was different, though, because.

57:06>> Speaker 3: It was very real.

57:08>> Speaker 1: So heavy.

57:09Yes. And, like,

57:10I guess anytime mortality kind of gets put on the, you know, on the line, and

57:14you have to think about that, that sends you down a different type of head trip.

57:19But I think I was just so young, and thank God for my mom.

57:22I can't give her enough credit.

57:24The. The fact that I had her shoulders to,

57:26like, put this burden on and have her, like, carry the.

57:30The brunt of the stress.

57:34>> Speaker 2: God bless her.

57:35>> Speaker 1: God bless her.

57:36>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Over and over and

57:37over again, because to this day, she's probably worried about me, right?

57:40>> Speaker 2: I mean, what's he doing?

57:41I've got goosebumps right now because I can't imagine, you know, I don't ever.

57:46>> Speaker 1: Want to imagine how my mom felt, and I don't, you know,

57:49I don't want to ever go through any of that with my own.

57:52But thank God I had her.

57:53Thank God I had all of my family, all of them, because, like Calvin said,

57:58it was my mom, it was my sisters, it was God just gluing it all together to

58:03make sure that this safety net that was surrounding me wasn't.

58:07There was no holes in it.

58:08They weren't gonna let me slip through.

58:10So that.

58:11That was a hell of a time.

58:17It really was.

58:20>> Speaker 2: Do you think that going through that is probably one of the main

58:25reasons why you are the successful family man, huge,

58:30giant megastar and family man that you are today, that you, you know.

58:38You know what matters.

58:40You know, what matters most to you, and how important is that?

58:44Is knowing what matters most?

58:47>> Speaker 1: I think that's.

58:48I mean, for anybody.

58:50I wouldn't say just for.

58:51For a young man, anybody in leadership, you.

58:57You need to know what.

59:00Like, what the goal is,

59:01where you're trying to go because you have people in tow, you know, and as.

59:05As a father, as a husband, that was something that wasn't learned

59:10fast enough or earlier, not early enough, but it was learned.

59:16But I can't just credit it one thing.

59:18All these things happen for a reason.

59:21>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

59:22>> Speaker 1: And I do.

59:23I'm the type that I do regret stuff.

59:25I do regret decisions, behaviors, you know, many things that I've done

59:30through my life, I've- >> Speaker 2: Well, we're all human.

59:32>> Speaker 1: Absolutely right.

59:33>> Speaker 2: We all make mistakes and- >> Speaker 1: That's why I don't judge,

59:35because I get it.

59:36Like, I understand it, but

59:38I'm one of those type that beat themselves up, you know, And I.

59:43I. I always remember.

59:45You know, I'll forgive, but I will remember.

59:47And I'm talking about towards myself, you know, I'm.

59:49I'M actually very easy to forgive others.

59:51But for myself, I hold on to things and I will torture myself a little bit.

59:55>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Too much maybe a little bit.

59:57Yeah, a little bit.

59:58But I think that's good and honest.

1:00:00Yeah. Well, I think the reminder-

1:00:02>> Speaker 2: As long as it doesn't

1:00:03rip you down.

1:00:04>> Speaker 1: Exactly.

1:00:05Yeah.

1:00:06>> Speaker 2: Once you start, if it becomes a cycle, then that's not helpful.

1:00:10>> Speaker 1: If you can't learn just losing, yeah, there's no lesson there.

1:00:15Then you're just losing and you're just staying in that state.

1:00:17And I don't like that.

1:00:19But if I can learn from the mistake, I don't like saying, I had to make that.

1:00:23>> Speaker 2: Maybe you'll make enough mistakes that it'll be like reps and

1:00:27you can just learn the lesson and not have to dwell on it so much that it hurts you.

1:00:33>> Speaker 1: And then I also.

1:00:34Well, what irritates me is you could have learned that from like the guy in front

1:00:38of you, you know what I mean?

1:00:39It's an old football thing.

1:00:41Like when I'm on the cans and we're doing our walkthroughs.

1:00:43That's how I learned how to play football was watch the guy in front of you.

1:00:46And I've been blessed with that opportunity to watch many great men in

1:00:50front of me and then I still touched the hot stove, you know what I mean?

1:00:54So [CROSSTALK] I know, I know.

1:01:00Just give me a little bit of what.

1:01:01>> Speaker 1: There are probably a lot of example that maybe weren't the best

1:01:04also, so.

1:01:05>> Speaker 1: Sure.

1:01:05>> Speaker 2: Yeah, there's many paths, yeah.

1:01:09>> Speaker 1: Is like knowing that that's a great like example of knowledge and.

1:01:13And you know, like learning what not to do.

1:01:15Exactly.

1:01:16Like seeing mistakes and identifying those as others mistakes and not like you know,

1:01:20repeating that.

1:01:21So it is what it is.

1:01:24But it's all a part of that process.

1:01:26Like you said, it's all a learning process.

1:01:27And as long as you are learning from it, you can get knowledge from anywhere.

1:01:32>> Speaker 2: That's right. >> Speaker 1: You can become better in any

1:01:34capacity as long as you're just willing to review God's tape a little bit,

1:01:39watch your back and think about it.

1:01:42And like, that wasn't.

1:01:43I wouldn't want someone to treat me like that.

1:01:45>> Speaker 2: Right.

1:01:46>> Speaker 1: Maybe I shouldn't do stuff like that.

1:01:48You know, simple stuff you learn.

1:01:50>> Speaker 2: Yeah, kindness matters.

1:01:53>> 100%.

1:01:54Yeah. >> Speaker 3: Steph and

1:01:55I were talking about this earlier.

1:01:57You probably do not remember, but when I started with wwe,

1:02:00I was working in talent relationship.

1:02:03It was when you and Triple H were main eventing.

1:02:07>> Speaker 1: Okay. >> Speaker 3: WrestleMania 32.

1:02:09So at the time, the aforementioned.

1:02:12Yes, yes, yes.

1:02:13We're going back there.

1:02:15So at the time, I was told that you were this.

1:02:19You're a big deal.

1:02:20And I'm new in talent relations, and they're like,

1:02:23you need to make sure this guy has a suite.

1:02:25Like, you need to talk to him to take care of everything.

1:02:27So I'm like, he's a big deal.

1:02:29Like, I'm preparing to talk to some asshole, honestly.

1:02:34>> Speaker 1: No.

1:02:36>> Speaker 2: Very demanding person, yes.

1:02:40>> Speaker 1: What were these things I demanded?

1:02:42I don't think I was demanding anything back in the.

1:02:45The point was, you were not that at all.

1:02:48And just talking about being kind and true to who you were.

1:02:51>> Speaker 2: What year was this?

1:02:52I think I know who was talking to.

1:02:54>> Speaker 3: Yes, you do.

1:02:55>> Speaker 2: Yes, you do.

1:02:56>> Speaker 1: But so, just the simple.

1:02:59Yeah, I was set up poorly, but you were so kind.

1:03:04And I'm like, okay, this guy.

1:03:05>> Speaker 3: Thank you. >> Speaker 1: This guy's a huge deal.

1:03:07And he's just talking about feeding his family and

1:03:09making sure they're all set up with tickets.

1:03:11And I.

1:03:12I remember that because I'm, you know, I'm expecting someone who's a.

1:03:17>> Speaker 2: Monster to come by.

1:03:18Yeah, I'm glad I wasn't that.

1:03:20>> Speaker 1: No, not at all.

1:03:26>> Speaker 3: Fun time.

1:03:26So glad you've learned you didn't have.

1:03:29>> Speaker 2: [CROSSTALK] >> Speaker 3: Ten years ago, though.

1:03:33>> Speaker 2: Vegas is different than Dallas now.

1:03:35>> Speaker 3: Yeah.

1:03:35>> Speaker 2: A lot of Samoans in Vegas now.

1:03:38>> Speaker 3: I've. Since that sweet needs to come.

1:03:40>> Speaker 2: You don't want to be in that department either.

1:03:42Trying to relate to talent is one of the hardest things to do.

1:03:45It really is.

1:03:46That's not an easy job, but

1:03:48probably who's giving you direction wasn't very good at it.

1:03:53>> Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe not the best.

1:03:56>> Speaker 3: No, that's okay, though.

1:03:57>> Speaker 1: But.

1:03:58>> Speaker 2: But I'm glad I wasn't an.

1:04:00>> Speaker 1: That's why I was like, all right.

1:04:01>> Speaker 3: I wouldn't have let her tell that story.

1:04:03>> Speaker 2: Put on, do another little Georgia Tech interview.

1:04:06Well, you lost all those great qualities from Tech, yeah.

1:04:10>> Speaker 1: This guy told maintenance.

1:04:11>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:04:12>> Speaker 1: But, yeah, I just- >> Speaker 2: Those football guys

1:04:14are liars cuz he's an asshole.

1:04:16>> Speaker 1: Play the third tape.

1:04:17>> Speaker 3: But you talk about, you know, your family and

1:04:20your bigger family, too,

1:04:22because you've talked to me a lot about what it means to represent the bloodline.

1:04:28>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 3: You know, and

1:04:29all of those who have come before you and all of those yet to come and

1:04:33all of those who are there right now in that pool seems to just be growing.

1:04:40How heavy is the head that wears the crown?

1:04:43And how do you have to think about your decisions

1:04:49differently as it relates to even just work, right?

1:04:55And leading the way as the OTC, right?

1:05:01Like, what does that mean to you?

1:05:04What are the different facets you have to think about?

1:05:07What are the lenses that.

1:05:09That you go through because you are so meticulous in how you approach things?

1:05:14I don't think anything's light.

1:05:16You know, I'm just gonna go out and do this.

1:05:18It always seems very intentional.

1:05:21>> Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, it's.

1:05:22I try to be very well thought out.

1:05:24I try to, you know, think a Couple times before we make the cut.

1:05:29But, yeah, that's.

1:05:30That's the.

1:05:31The, you know, this role, the role of leadership,

1:05:34having people that you work with that.

1:05:37And it doesn't matter if they're under you or supporting you.

1:05:40We're all in this together.

1:05:42And I come from a team- >> Mentality, yeah.

1:05:45>> Speaker 2: That's the way I learned.

1:05:46And I played, like, a not glorious position by any means, defensive tackles.

1:05:53So a lot of times I was taking the heat for other guys to make the play.

1:05:57But I can see how that process works here.

1:06:03That's exactly what we do.

1:06:04>> Speaker 3: That's right.

1:06:05>> Speaker 2: You have to, you know, you're giving your body, you're given,

1:06:08you know, this creative.

1:06:09You're laying down essentially, for another performer.

1:06:13You're doing everything you can to make them a bigger deal than they were before.

1:06:18So, yeah, it's stressful.

1:06:20It's definitely, you know, I'll get calls, ask, what's your opinion on this?

1:06:25I'm like, I had no clue I was involved in that, you know, so.

1:06:29But, like, you need.

1:06:30You want my opinion?

1:06:31Here's what I think about.

1:06:32>> Speaker 3: You have to show up.

1:06:33>> Speaker 2: Yeah, you have to show up.

1:06:34You have to be a part of it.

1:06:35You got to be present in all things.

1:06:38>> Speaker 3: Right? >> Speaker 2: All things, yes.

1:06:40Because you never know which thing's going to be the thing you're most interested in.

1:06:43You know, there was a point where I could not ever stop thinking about wrestling and

1:06:48what, you know, these little things that I'm learning or crowd control or

1:06:51public speaking.

1:06:52There's just so many different facets to.

1:06:54To go down the rabbit hole and, like, try to master.

1:06:59But, yeah, I mean, it's.

1:07:01It's one of those situations where I just try to lead by example.

1:07:05I try to represent my family at the highest level.

1:07:08That way my cousins can see what I'm doing.

1:07:11And then I might steal a page from his playbook because he seems to be pretty

1:07:15successful at it.

1:07:16Like, Joe's doing all right.

1:07:18Like, let me see if I can take something that he's doing and

1:07:22make it a lot easier on my life and my family.

1:07:25So I'm always just trying to represent and.

1:07:27And some of it's a little bit competitive.

1:07:30I want to be the best, too.

1:07:32I'm not trying to just, like, I've had to compete with the twins my whole life, and

1:07:36I'm not trying to just be another twin, no offense to them.

1:07:39I'm trying to stand out.

1:07:40And I've heard Josh say, I heard Jay say It like,

1:07:43you don't want to be the dull animal in the zoo.

1:07:46You want to be the one that gets all the attention.

1:07:48And that's what this place is, is a giant zoo circus.

1:07:51And we're trying to get as many eyes.

1:07:53>> Speaker 3: Zoo and circus.

1:07:54>> Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a little bit of both.

1:07:56>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's.

1:07:57It's crazy like the circus, but it's big, you know, and

1:08:00there's all kinds of different exotic animals here.

1:08:03>> Speaker 3: That's the truth, yes.

1:08:05>> Speaker 2: So I, I just.

1:08:07If I do, if I take care of my business,

1:08:10right, I will be able to lay out a beautiful blueprint.

1:08:14And obviously they got to do their own way, but there's a lot of things.

1:08:18Look, your dad wasn't like a wrestler, per se.

1:08:21He did wrestle, you know, back in his day, but, like, he wasn't running a system

1:08:26where I could, like, pull all these wrestling things from.

1:08:29I had to take, like, you know, from a different angle and, like, well,

1:08:33let me repurpose that and make it fit into my life and into the hat that I wear.

1:08:38So, no, they're not going to be able to just copycat me 100%, but they can see all

1:08:42the different things I've gone through and hopefully use that as, you know, just a.

1:08:47A boost of experience to help them out or just ask me.

1:08:50That's another beautiful thing, is I'm just a phone call, a text away.

1:08:55Anything that they ever need to pick, you know, out of my brain and.

1:08:59And figure out my take on it, I'm available.

1:09:02So whatever we have to do to continue to keep my family synonymous with WWE, to be,

1:09:08you know, in business with the McMahons, you know, and even more so than that, the.

1:09:15The Cons, the Helmsleys, the [CROSSTALK].

1:09:21>> Speaker 3: Sorry, I know, I know.

1:09:22>> Speaker 2: I call him H, so I'm one of them.

1:09:26Occasionally I call him Paul, too, but, yeah, for the most part.

1:09:28>> Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, when we first were dating,

1:09:30I knew him as Hunter.

1:09:31>> Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.

1:09:31>> Speaker 3: To start calling him Paul was only after we got engaged.

1:09:34Totally weird.

1:09:36Yeah. He was Hunter.

1:09:37>> Speaker 2: Yeah. That's strange.

1:09:38>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:09:38>> Speaker 2: That's a weird little relationship thing to go through.

1:09:40>> Speaker 3: Right, well, and we were married and divorced already, so practice.

1:09:48>> Speaker 2: See, you know what that was?

1:09:50>> Speaker 1: I did, we knew what to expect, a little dry run.

1:09:52Yeah.

1:09:52Yeah.

1:09:53So, I mean, we've talked about some serious things, but

1:09:57there was a very serious family drama that, you know,

1:10:01we learned about recently, and that has to do with your sister and a guinea pig.

1:10:08Shit.

1:10:09>> Speaker 2: It was a gerbil.

1:10:10What did the twins tell you.

1:10:12What'd they say?

1:10:13>> Speaker 1: I was like, where is she going?

1:10:14>> Speaker 3: Yeah. >> Speaker 2: No.

1:10:15[INAUDIBLE] >> Which one said, this is Jim, wasn't it?

1:10:20>> Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe.

1:10:21Maybe Big Jim had a comment or two.

1:10:23>> Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of comments.

1:10:24The Internet was telling on him.

1:10:26What did he say?

1:10:27What did he say about my gerbil?

1:10:28Yeah. My sister is so mean to this gerbil.

1:10:30>> Speaker 3: Yeah, that's pretty much the story.

1:10:32Kicked it.

1:10:32Yeah, and then he thought that was maybe why.

1:10:35>> Speaker 2: All right, Internet, this is what we're gonna do.

1:10:38You're gonna take my side and not my sisters, all right?

1:10:43I had a little gerbil.

1:10:44Ugly little thing.

1:10:45Thing, but it was.

1:10:46He was my guy.

1:10:47>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: And I just thought it was so

1:10:49cool, like, you know,

1:10:50in the little aquarium, all the little wood chips you give them, the little.

1:10:53You know, he's got the stuff, little playground.

1:10:56Yeah, yeah.

1:10:57Little wheel.

1:10:59And then we bought him the little clear ball that he could.

1:11:03Exactly.

1:11:04And I don't know what my sister.

1:11:06We were.

1:11:06But we were doing that thing and

1:11:11she just went and kicked it off.

1:11:15She did a full kickoff, and Pat McAfee it across the living room.

1:11:22Yeah. And thank God this thing was sturdy.

1:11:24It didn't break.

1:11:24I forget the gerbil's name, but I was hot, sunshine.

1:11:29And then what else did he tell you?

1:11:30Did he tell you about the retaliation, What I got in trouble for?

1:11:34>> Speaker 2: No. >> Speaker 1: Okay, good.

1:11:35We'll just leave that out.

1:11:36All right, Internet, we're gonna tell you the even worse stuff, but.

1:11:39So, I'll just tell by myself anyway.

1:11:42And first of all, let me.

1:11:43Let me just say this first.

1:11:45I was not gonna hurt her.

1:11:47First of all, she was bigger than me.

1:11:48>> Speaker 2: She was like, already- >> You're gonna mess with

1:11:50your sister sister.

1:11:51>> Speaker 1: Yeah. My sisters are six footers, by the way.

1:11:53>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah.

1:11:54They're. They're tall women and strong women, and

1:11:56I don't even think I hit puberty at this point, so I was quick work by then.

1:12:01Summer was beating my ass at this point in my life.

1:12:05But we had, like, any.

1:12:08Any. Any place.

1:12:09We had the state fair, right.

1:12:11And I was terrified to ride the rides.

1:12:13I only liked to play the games.

1:12:15And there was one particular game that I really loved to play as my sister

1:12:18was riding all these stupid rides that get taken down every two

1:12:21weeks because they break.

1:12:22Yeah, exactly, yeah.

1:12:23>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: So

1:12:24I would play the knife game, and you just ringing the knives, and

1:12:27I just sit there all night like curly fry.

1:12:30>> Speaker 2: Would you win?

1:12:31>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

1:12:32>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: I was ringing those things.

1:12:33I was sinking them, yeah.

1:12:34So, like, it got to the point where, like, I come home with, like,

1:12:37five knives a year.

1:12:38You know what I mean?

1:12:39So for after a few years of this, I got a little collection going on here.

1:12:45And she pissed me off so bad, I went and got those knives, and

1:12:48I came out like a ninja turtle.

1:12:51Boy, yeah.

1:12:52And then Junior found out, and I think this is one of the.

1:12:56This was the first time he had to, like, talk to me.

1:13:00Junior being Rakishi, the twins dad.

1:13:02>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:13:03>> Speaker 1: Was very intimidating, for sure.

1:13:05>> Speaker 2: I'm sure, a talking too is.

1:13:07>> Speaker 1: Yeah, and- >> Speaker 2: I hated that.

1:13:09>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

1:13:10And Junior was just.

1:13:11He had that.

1:13:13>> Speaker 2: That.

1:13:13>> Speaker 1: Yeah, Just that look that we were terrified.

1:13:16There were times we got trapped in a room cuz we didn't wanna walk by him.

1:13:20Yeah, I know.

1:13:21Yeah. And this is us.

1:13:22Yeah. Yeah.

1:13:23Like, we're not, like, little runts running around here, but.

1:13:27Yeah, Junior used to have us intimidated, but.

1:13:30But, yeah, he had to sit me down like, Joe, what are you doing?

1:13:32What's going on here?

1:13:33You pulled knives on your sister.

1:13:34I'm, like, [INAUDIBLE] kicked my chervil.

1:13:37He was in the clear ball.

1:13:39Yeah.

1:13:41>> Speaker 2: Did you guys ever talk about it?

1:13:43Was he ever, like, he had to, you know, cover his mouth talking to you?

1:13:47Because it was.

1:13:48>> Speaker 1: No. Well, he was mad.

1:13:49>> Speaker 2: He was mad.

1:13:50>> Speaker 1: He didn't.

1:13:51>> Speaker 2: Did you actually come at your sister with the knives or

1:13:54you just held him like a threat?

1:13:56I approached for sure.

1:13:57>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah,

1:13:58we closed the distance, but it was potential.

1:14:01But we were working it back.

1:14:02>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Okay, all right.

1:14:03You know what I mean?

1:14:04She didn't let me get too close.

1:14:05We kept a little buffer there.

1:14:08Yeah, we had good blocking going on there.

1:14:10Hard. Cam was

1:14:11about- >> [LAUGH]

1:14:13>> Speaker 1: But, yeah,

1:14:14he was not cool with that, and nor should he have been.

1:14:17>> Speaker 2: And, no, definitely not.

1:14:19>> Speaker 1: I wasn't gonna do anything.

1:14:20I just needed to.

1:14:21>> Speaker 2: Yeah,

1:14:22you had to have some kind of- >> Speaker 1: That was.

1:14:25It was messed up.

1:14:25>> Speaker 2: Yeah. That is messed up.

1:14:27Yeah. >> Speaker 1: I would never do that

1:14:29to any pet.

1:14:29>> Speaker 2: No. I thought my brother was bad when

1:14:31he ripped.

1:14:32I had Big Dog.

1:14:33Was my big stuffed animal protector and slept with me and was my,

1:14:38like, my go to love.

1:14:40I loved Big Dog.

1:14:41Right. Like, and

1:14:42he had this little red tongue that stuck out.

1:14:47And my brother thought it was the funniest thing to rip Big

1:14:51dog's tongue off while I watched and begged him not to.

1:14:56And it was, like, a little bit at a time, so it was like, torture.

1:15:00Yeah, just see it pushing the stuff.

1:15:02And then finally he rips it off, and I hate you.

1:15:08And then.

1:15:10Now his feelings are hurt.

1:15:12You hate me.

1:15:14And, like, talk about a psychological.

1:15:18>> Speaker 1: I did that to my.

1:15:19My youngest boys yesterday.

1:15:22I think it worked, too.

1:15:25My acting's on point.

1:15:27Well, I go in.

1:15:28I had, like, a little nest set up in the theater where I just had been laying down

1:15:33and taking my day naps.

1:15:34And they were up in there.

1:15:37Yeah, it's like a little.

1:15:38Like, little skinny mattress that just can roll up and go down.

1:15:42You know, we put it away, but they knew I was in there and

1:15:45I was coming back to lay back down.

1:15:47And usually they, like, hang out with me play and

1:15:49like they'll jump on me and all that.

1:15:51And then I come in and it is just completely messed up.

1:15:57No. All the stuff, all over.

1:15:58>> Speaker 2: Your nest is a mess.

1:16:00>> My nest, yeah, it's- >> Speaker 2: It's a neat area.

1:16:03>> Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but then they put all the toys, all the pillows,

1:16:07every blanket they could find.

1:16:09One of my sons likes to just rip stuff up and

1:16:12there were just all kinds of cardboard all over the place.

1:16:15I said, that's funny.

1:16:17You guys took my spot.

1:16:20>> Speaker 2: No, you didn't do that to him.

1:16:24>> Speaker 1: Just like that.

1:16:24I milked it and did the slow Turner.

1:16:27And what did they say?

1:16:29>> Speaker 2: Daddy, we're so sorry.

1:16:32>> Speaker 1: Something like, no, Daddy didn't like that.

1:16:37And then.

1:16:38Yeah. Yeah.

1:16:39That is sad. Yeah. >> They just kept playing.

1:16:42>> And I just kept going.

1:16:43Yeah, once I got out of there.

1:16:44Well, that's the thing is like they like the doors shut in those in the theaters.

1:16:47So like when I got out of it, I was like, my God, got him.

1:16:51And you just hear the door slam behind me.

1:16:53>> Speaker 2: Right. >> Speaker 1: Nothing, just cold.

1:16:54Yeah. They just wanted me out and

1:16:56that door shut.

1:16:57>> Speaker 2: And then you couldn't look back.

1:17:00>> Speaker 1: You're supposed to invite me back in.

1:17:01Yeah, right.

1:17:03>> Speaker 2: This didn't work the way I thought.

1:17:05>> Speaker 1: See, they're smarter than they.

1:17:06They felt me for a second.

1:17:07>> Speaker 2: They did. >> Speaker 1: Yeah, almost got you.

1:17:09>> Speaker 2: Almost.

1:17:11Yeah.

1:17:12That's the way we feel as parents.

1:17:14We're always so close.

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1:18:30Do you have any good five year old boy stories?

1:18:34I mean, recently, I know I'm like, I mean, my son did come to SummerSlam.

1:18:42Yes. This is cute.

1:18:43First show he's ever been to.

1:18:45>> Speaker 1: Okay.

1:18:45Which is.

1:18:46He's.

1:18:47>> Speaker 2: He comes again.

1:18:48He's gonna be let down because he was backstage, he was meeting.

1:18:53I mean, got the whole night.

1:18:54Experience of a lifetime.

1:18:55Not even by me, because I was back with you.

1:18:58>> Speaker 1: But.

1:18:59>> Speaker 2: So we were.

1:19:00We were at the lake this past week.

1:19:02We're in Maine for a little vacation, and he constantly is running around.

1:19:07I was showing Steph a video, and he's like, everything.

1:19:11Everything he does.

1:19:12And we're like, like throwing himself on the float just constantly.

1:19:17And my daughter's almost 2, and he walks by and he's like, in her face.

1:19:20We're like, all right, all right, bud.

1:19:23Maybe take it a little easy.

1:19:24>> Speaker 3: See all you weird workers slapping your legs.

1:19:27>> Speaker 1: Yeah. That's what you're doing.

1:19:29>> Speaker 3: Undertakers just pissed.

1:19:33Are you?

1:19:35They're just slapping.

1:19:37>> Speaker 1: Just clap, kick, like, learn how to work.

1:19:39Terrible.

1:19:39Terrible.

1:19:40Right?

1:19:41Setting the example.

1:19:42One show.

1:19:43One show.

1:19:44>> Speaker 3: Just drive buys slapping the thigh, in.

1:19:46>> Speaker 2: The face, in the kitchen, innocent children.

1:19:50>> Speaker 1: Did you watch Triple Mania?

1:19:52Super fun.

1:19:52And I know Taker and I did.

1:19:55>> Speaker 3: See some clips and stuff like that from the Internet.

1:19:57Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah,

1:19:58they were working on it together.

1:20:00>> Speaker 3: Awesome.

1:20:00>> Speaker 1: Yeah, it was really cool.

1:20:02The next.

1:20:03>> Speaker 3: That. That's not something you would have

1:20:05thought, you know, like heartbreak and aaa, you know, I mean, like.

1:20:10It went good, though.

1:20:11>> Speaker 1: It went great.

1:20:12And of course, you know, the local promoters and the team there and

1:20:15everybody.

1:20:16It was an incredible team effort.

1:20:17Mexico City.

1:20:18>> Speaker 3: Nice.

1:20:19Yeah, it's always been.

1:20:20We were just there too, so.

1:20:22Good house and everything.

1:20:23>> Speaker 1: Yeah, they were hot.

1:20:25Hot, hot, hot, hot.

1:20:26>> Speaker 3: Mexico.

1:20:27Said I've only been there a few times, and it's always anywhere we go.

1:20:31It's always just in and in and out.

1:20:32You know, the deal.

1:20:33But there's always Seems to.

1:20:35I mean, they always talk about, you need to be safe down there,

1:20:38but there's always, like a vibrance about that.

1:20:40>> Speaker 1: Yes. >> Speaker 3: The energy.

1:20:42Yeah, there's.

1:20:43Yeah, like, they're.

1:20:44They're doing it down there.

1:20:46And it's a huge city.

1:20:47It's so big.

1:20:48So big. So many.

1:20:49>> Speaker 1: And they love their culture.

1:20:50>> Speaker 3: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: You know.

1:20:51>> Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah.

1:20:52I want.

1:20:54For the most part, you know, it's different.

1:20:56We're in America, so we have such a.

1:20:58>> Speaker 1: So many different.

1:20:59>> Speaker 3: Yeah, but I mean, when I'm around all my Samoan side,

1:21:02most cultures are very proud.

1:21:04>> Speaker 1: I agree with that.

1:21:05>> Speaker 3: And I don't.

1:21:06I'm not mad at that at all.

1:21:07No, you should be proud of who.

1:21:08>> Speaker 1: You are and where you come from.

1:21:09>> Speaker 3: And if you think y' all are the best, then think of the best.

1:21:12Yeah.

1:21:13Have some pride in it.

1:21:14And you know, especially cultures that we have now,

1:21:17a lot of them have been around for so long that we should be proud of them.

1:21:21We should be completely interested in them and, and yeah, I don't know.

1:21:25That's cool. >> Speaker 1: And

1:21:26I think how they beautifully blend.

1:21:28>> Speaker 3: Absolutely. >> Speaker 1: You know.

1:21:29>> Speaker 3: Yeah. And

1:21:30our country is a great example of that.

1:21:32Like, we're like the living proof of it.

1:21:34So. Yeah, that's good.

1:21:36How now is that just like a one time thing or they're going to stay heavily involved?

1:21:41>> Speaker 1: No, no, I think they're involved.

1:21:43>> Speaker 3: Okay, good.

1:21:43>> Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.

1:21:44>> Speaker 3: That's awesome.

1:21:46Yeah. I mean, at this point, you know,

1:21:47I've seen it.

1:21:48You. You probably.

1:21:49Well, a little bit different ends of the business growing up.

1:21:52But it's important to be able to spread out like the veterans and

1:21:56the people who actually know what they're doing because so

1:22:00many kids waste money and time and health learning from the wrong people.

1:22:04>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 3: Putting themselves through

1:22:06the wrong, you know, training.

1:22:07>> Speaker 1: Sure.

1:22:08>> Speaker 3: To have people who were the very top, like understand the business,

1:22:13every aspect.

1:22:14>> Speaker 1: Of it and who can relate to you.

1:22:15Just like you were saying, you're, you.

1:22:17>> Speaker 3: Know, it's not easy to be tr.

1:22:18It's not easy to relate to us weirdos.

1:22:20You know what I mean?

1:22:21We're a different group, different breed, for sure.

1:22:23You know, it's where like when performer meets athlete, you know,

1:22:26like stage performer meets athlete, that.

1:22:29That's a lot going on there.

1:22:30You know what I mean?

1:22:32So, yeah, anytime you can tap into the experience before

1:22:35you kind of back to full circle there.

1:22:38But yeah, that was cool.

1:22:39>> Speaker 1: Well, I, I can't thank you enough for, for doing this podcast.

1:22:44I mean, really, like you're.

1:22:46It's funny because I've known you for a very long time, but

1:22:49we haven't ever like sat and chatted for a long time.

1:22:52It's been a while, you know, it's like.

1:22:54And I remember various stages because, you know, God,

1:22:58I'm really getting long in the tooth and I've been around generations now.

1:23:03No, but I am.

1:23:04And one of the things that was always so different about you too is when we were

1:23:09working together and I would like, try to give you cheap lines, you know, like easy,

1:23:15you know, go stay in the kitchen or you know, stereotypical type stuff.

1:23:20And you never wanted to do it.

1:23:22And I'd always be like, I'd get such a big reaction, like,

1:23:26I know it would work, but it was never comfortable for you to do that.

1:23:30And I always respected so much that you wanted to do it your own way.

1:23:35But I felt like I couldn't get through to you.

1:23:38Like, what is it I'm missing?

1:23:39Like, how can I help him?

1:23:41You know, how can I help get him what he wants?

1:23:45Cause, you know, I was the heel, obviously, and I wanted you to shine.

1:23:49And I'm like, what can I do for him now?

1:23:53>> Speaker 3: That was a weird time.

1:23:54It was.

1:23:56It.

1:23:57Those were weird performance waters to navigate because, you know, and like,

1:24:01everybody looks at that time and they'll be like, they just booed him.

1:24:05You know what I mean?

1:24:05He was like a failed baby face.

1:24:08But.

1:24:09And I still say this to myself.

1:24:11>> Speaker 1: But you weren't in.

1:24:12>> Speaker 3: I wasn't like it.

1:24:14So some nights, yes, but pretty much every night I want them by the end of the night.

1:24:19If you were, you know, like in Houston, Texas, or, you know,

1:24:24in whatever town on a Saturday, live event, no cameras,

1:24:28you would go through that process with me every single week.

1:24:34But we were just in a place that the fans were just doing what they were doing.

1:24:38>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 3: And we were a little more,

1:24:40you know, not combative, but we would hold friction with that and not necessarily go

1:24:46with the flow when it feels like we should probably just go with the flow here.

1:24:52But, man, it taught me so much and I had to do it on my own time.

1:24:58But that's something that I just.

1:25:00Even to this day, Paul, you know, he would come up with all kinds of stuff

1:25:04when we were in the middle of the title reign.

1:25:08And I'd reject a lot of like.

1:25:11Or I'd make it my own.

1:25:12>> Speaker 1: Right, Right.

1:25:13>> Speaker 3: I don't like low hanging fruit.

1:25:17>> Speaker 1: Okay. Maybe that's what it was,

1:25:18because that's what it.

1:25:19>> Speaker 3: Well, yeah, and that's.

1:25:20From a promo standpoint, a lot of those cheaper digs,

1:25:24I feel a little more sophisticated than that.

1:25:28I feel like my communication can be a little more intellectual.

1:25:31I don't know. I'm from Georgia Tech.

1:25:32I should be able to, like, you know, put.

1:25:34Put some stuff together that isn't necessarily the stuff you'd hear on

1:25:38the corner, you know what I mean?

1:25:40So I just always.

1:25:41And your dad was that way too.

1:25:42The way he wrote and the way he thought about writing and

1:25:45being a little more sophisticated and things of that matter.

1:25:49So I don't know, that was just a challenge of mine that I've always taken, you know,

1:25:54being in a PG product and, you know, no disrespect to anybody, chugging a beer,

1:25:59flipping birds, you know, shove this up your ass, that up your ass.

1:26:03You know, that.

1:26:04That's not that hard.

1:26:05You know what I mean?

1:26:06>> Speaker 1: It can be hard to stick something up somewhere.

1:26:09>> Speaker 3: Yes.

1:26:10>> Speaker 1: I knew she was going to say it.

1:26:14Not that I knew.

1:26:14>> Speaker 3: And you're going to take anything away from today.

1:26:19Kids, getting that thing up your ass ain't that easy.

1:26:21All right.

1:26:22Saying yeah.

1:26:23Yeah. So, I mean, I stand corrected.

1:26:31Especially when it's sideways.

1:26:32Good God, it's so hard.

1:26:33Yeah.

1:26:34But, yeah, that was just always my take is like,

1:26:37how can we just be a little more clever, you know?

1:26:39>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 3: And I.

1:26:40I just kind of try to stick to that.

1:26:42And sometimes, though, to your point, less is best.

1:26:46Keep it simple, stupid and just go out there and kiss it.

1:26:48You know what I mean?

1:26:49And that works, you know, because not.

1:26:53It doesn't have to be highbrow every time.

1:26:55Sometimes, again, people just want to laugh.

1:26:57>> Speaker 2: Sure, sure.

1:26:58>> Speaker 1: Some- >> Relief.

1:27:00>> Speaker 1: Exactly.

1:27:00>> Speaker 2: Yeah. >> Speaker 1: They don't want to overthink

1:27:02everything or have to go on this crazy ride.

1:27:05But sometimes it is good.

1:27:06But that's kind of the weird.

1:27:08>> Speaker 2: But I love that, no low hanging fruit as much as possible, yeah.

1:27:13>> Speaker 1: You don't have to.

1:27:14I mean, everybody's different.

1:27:16>> Speaker 2: And mastering your craft.

1:27:16>> 100%.

1:27:17>> Because that's a word you used that I thought was really important, is mastery.

1:27:22It's not just reps, it's not just learning.

1:27:25It's true mastery in every facet of whatever it is you're trying to do.

1:27:31>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

1:27:32>> Speaker 2: And that's a particular mindset that I don't think many

1:27:35people have.

1:27:36>> Speaker 1: Well, it's, there's.

1:27:37>> Speaker 2: And then the discipline to do it.

1:27:39>> Speaker 1: Well, it's an art form too.

1:27:40So it's like, I don't know, I don't play violin but

1:27:45I would imagine the brother that does knows how to hold that.

1:27:49I don't even know what they call the bow, yeah.

1:27:51But like he knows how to mesh those strings on strings

1:27:55a lot differently than I know how to.

1:27:58I know the friction of the wrestling strings that need to be had out there.

1:28:02You know, I know how to angle my wrist or you know what I mean?

1:28:05>> Speaker 1: Sure, yeah. >> Speaker 1: Like that's-

1:28:07>> And you learned those moves.

1:28:08>> Speaker 2: Yeah, 100%.

1:28:10That's my art form.

1:28:11And that's what wrestling is.

1:28:13That's what professional wrestling, sports entertainment is.

1:28:16Is performance art.

1:28:18Beautiful art form.

1:28:19Yeah, performance fight.

1:28:20That's what I call it.

1:28:21>> Speaker 1: Yeah, again, you're just at the top of the game and

1:28:24I know you said you have many ranks yet to climb.

1:28:27>> Speaker 1: More work, yeah.

1:28:29>> Speaker 2: And I just look forward to watching you and

1:28:31supporting you in whatever way that I possibly can.

1:28:35And hopefully this isn't, you know, the last conversation that we have and

1:28:39I have so many more questions that I could ask you.

1:28:41>> Speaker 1: But part one.

1:28:42Yeah, there we go.

1:28:44>> Speaker 2: Thank you for

1:28:45joining part one of our fanatics WWE original [CROSSTALK].

1:28:49>> [CROSSTALK] video of the opposite.

1:28:53Just like, he's a total asshole.

1:28:55>> [LAUGH] >> He wanted a four room suite and

1:28:58everybody knows they stopped at three bedroom suites.

1:29:01So, yeah.

1:29:02>> That's why I'm not going to tell the real story because he's looking at me.

1:29:04>> Speaker 2: Starting to get nervous, you know.

1:29:06[LAUGH] >> Don't get nervous.

1:29:08I'm not office.

1:29:10>> Speaker 2: I was, but I am no longer.

1:29:13>> Speaker 3: Also no longer.

1:29:14>> Speaker 1: We're not office.

1:29:15>> Speaker 2: We're not, married to.

1:29:18Does that count?

1:29:19>> Speaker 1: But when he's like creative.

1:29:23>> Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.

1:29:24>> Speaker 1: So you got to kind of stay hip with that.

1:29:26You can't be full, half office, quarter office.

1:29:31>> Speaker 2: Okay.

1:29:31>> [LAUGH] >> Speaker 1: Is he wearing a tie today?

1:29:33>> Speaker 2: Office-ish.

1:29:34>> Speaker 1: No tie, no office.

1:29:36>> Speaker 2: No office, okay.

1:29:37>> Speaker 1: No tie, no office.

1:29:38>> Speaker 2: All right. Okay, that's the rule.

1:29:39No tie, no office.

1:29:41>> Speaker 1: Keep it casual.

1:29:42>> Speaker 3: I have a fanatics question for you.

1:29:45>> Speaker 2: Yes.

1:29:46>> Speaker 3: So if you could go back in time and

1:29:48gift your younger self one piece of teamwear, sign, memorabilia or

1:29:52something, you would have flipped over, what would it be and why?

1:29:57>> Speaker 1: Honestly,

1:29:58I was just thinking about this because I have a Tom Brady helmet.

1:30:02Signed, acknowledged by their goat.

1:30:06I would love an MJ Michael Jordan basketball.

1:30:10>> Speaker 2: Wow. >> Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean,

1:30:11that would be a beautiful compliment to be on that mantle.

1:30:16>> Speaker 2: That's a good one.

1:30:17>> Speaker 1: I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make that happen.

1:30:23Well, hopefully MJ, we can get that ball over to the Tribal Chief real quick.

1:30:28You know what I mean?

1:30:31That was it, yeah.

1:30:31MJ for sure signed basketball to go next to the helmet,

1:30:34next to that Tom Brady helmet.

1:30:36>> Speaker 2: And then is there another sport, another athlete?

1:30:41>> Speaker 1: I mean, we can baseball just do them all.

1:30:43Yeah, baseball's hard.

1:30:44I love baseball growing up and that was actually one of my favorite sports.

1:30:48I thought that was gonna be, I played third base, first base, left field,

1:30:53a little bit of center here and there.

1:30:55It's a little bit of everywhere.

1:30:58But I think third base was probably my best position when I was in,

1:31:02I stopped playing my sophomore year of high school.

1:31:06>> Speaker 2: Do you have a gun?

1:31:08Just, you know, to get that ball right to first.

1:31:10I mean.

1:31:11>> Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I pitched too.

1:31:13So like my arm is double jointed.

1:31:16Like.

1:31:17>> Speaker 2: My goodness.

1:31:18>> Speaker 1: Yeah, like my elbow.

1:31:19>> Speaker 2: This is the clip right here.

1:31:20>> Speaker 1: Yeah. >> Speaker 3: Can you.

1:31:21>> Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:31:22>> Speaker 1: So, yeah, my elbow [INAUDIBLE].

1:31:25So when I would throw, my fastball had a crazy movement.

1:31:32I bet I didn't have to like throw a slider.

1:31:34I didn't have to throw change up.

1:31:36>> Speaker 2: Because it already, it was already wiggling through the air.

1:31:38Yeah. >> Speaker 1: Yeah, and

1:31:39I could throw pretty hard, but I was the type of,

1:31:42after two innings of like throwing as hard as I can, I felt it.

1:31:46And so I could have maybe like been a reliever, but

1:31:49my shoulder would have given out for sure.

1:31:51But yeah, I mean, due to the double joint.

1:31:53>> Speaker 2: I mean, that's crazy.

1:31:54>> Speaker 1: It was natty and, and

1:31:56then like after years talking to like some of the Kids I grew up with.

1:31:59And they. I had no clue about this until I was

1:32:01an adult.

1:32:02They told me, God, I hated hitting against you.

1:32:04And we. I was like,

1:32:05I used to hate hitting against you.

1:32:08You.

1:32:09We had kids in my ballpark.

1:32:10The twins can tell you that.

1:32:11I mean, they were like.

1:32:12We thought, like, you're going pro for sure.

1:32:15But yeah, they used to tell me.

1:32:17They. This was years ago when they told me as we

1:32:18were adults that, yeah, it was miserable hitting against me because they.

1:32:22I threw hard and they weren't sure where it was going.

1:32:24I wasn't wild or anything.

1:32:25I threw in the strike zone.

1:32:27But, yeah, but it would.

1:32:29Yeah, but baseball, yeah, that was my jam for a long time.

1:32:31But baseball is like one of those sports.

1:32:34I don't know, Barry Bonds would probably be, Mark McGuire.

1:32:37I'm naming off all the ones.

1:32:38>> Speaker 2: Those are the most famous ones.

1:32:41[LAUGH] >> Speaker 1: Yeah,

1:32:42who else was on the gas?

1:32:44>> [LAUGH] >> But Barry and Mark, I mean,

1:32:48those are the guys.

1:32:50Football, so many good ones.

1:32:52I mean, I played the sport, too, so it's hard to tell.

1:32:54But yeah, I mean, that would be cool to have, like, all the-

1:32:56>> Yeah, hockey?

1:32:57>> Get a Messi, get a Ronaldo.

1:32:59>> Speaker 1: Yeah.

1:33:00>> Speaker 1: Are we writing this down?

1:33:02>> Speaker 2: Yes, we are.

1:33:03We are.

1:33:04Yes, we are.

1:33:05>> Speaker 1: So by next year, we'll have all this stuff.

1:33:07This is great.

1:33:08>> Speaker 2: Part two by part two, boom.

1:33:12All the goats sign, all the stuff, perfect.

1:33:14>> Speaker 2: Awesome.

1:33:15>> Deal.

1:33:16>> Speaker 2: Thank you so much.

1:33:17>> Speaker 1: My pleasure.

1:33:18Thank you.

1:33:18Thanks for having me.