That's what cool about me being here and still being in the wrestling business. I can still give back, even being in the announcer's booth. I still feel like I'm a role model and I have a job to do.
Actually, a person asked me if I was ever going to come back to WWE. I told them that if I came back, it probably wouldn't be as WWE Superstar, because the young guys are really what it's all about. Bringing me back as an announcer is a great position for me to actually go out and make the young guys bigger stars.
Aw, man, it's huge to actually have a platform and let the world see Reality of Wrestling as well as to be able to compete with all the other independent companies around the world.
You've got to be able to think on your own; you've got to be creative. You can't be willing to take a backseat.
There was a question in my mind, because I am black, if the fans would accept a black world champion. 'Bash at the Bash' was a topsy-turvy night. Finally, when the 1-2-3 came, the fans erupted. All my questions were answered; they really did want to see me win.
I trained with a guy by the name of Scott Casey. He actually worked with WWE back in the day, but he didn't become a big star. What I want to teach is what he taught me: that the smallest things are what people are really looking for.
I really think, Charlotte Flair, come on, her legacy is going to be cemented throughout the years. That's just a given!
Just being a commentator is not as easy as people think with going out there and talking for three hours. So, I don't call myself a commentator: I call myself an analyst.
If I got Corey Graves into a fisticuffs, I would beat him down like he stole something.
Corey Graves - he's thrown jabs at me; I've thrown jabs back, you know? And you know, the thing is, Corey Graves, of course, yeah, he's a college educated young man. His vernacular is a little different than mine.
If I catch Corey Graves on the street, I'm gonna do something to him. I ain't gonna do it at the office or the airport, but if I catch Corey Graves on the street, you see that little bouffant hairdo he got? I'm gonna rearrange it for him.
My dream was to make it in life. I didn't know how it was going to be. My brother guided me toward a wrestling ring, and I gravitated to it very quickly. It seemed like deja vu for me, and I said, 'Wow, I think this might be it.'
Pro wrestling is a different animal than pro football and pro soccer. There is going to be a lot of money going out before the bulk of the money can come back in.
You can become a star overnight, guys. You can be on the street walking one day, and you're on your way to the corner diner, and you had to hitch a ride to get there. And the next day, you can be a huge star, money coming at you from right and left. And you've got to know how to handle that situation.
From the beginning of my career, when I first started on the independent circuit, when I went to Global Wrestling Federation in Dallas and then to WCW, all the way through it seems like titles have been around my waist for some reason, and I always give credit to the fans.
People see me smiling all the time... they see me pretty much happy all the time. I never carry a frown around.
It's almost like the Monday Night Wars for me all over again. That's the kind of feeling I get with Reality of Wrestling.
People ask me, 'Man, are we gonna see one more match?' And I've always said, 'Hey, never say never, because you never know what you're gonna do.'
I love what I'm seeing out there with Pro Wrestling Syndicate, Northeast Wrestling, Big Time Wrestling, and WildKat in New Orleans. There is a lot of good stuff out there.
Everybody is not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. There are only a very small percentage of those types of people, you know what I mean?