You literally can't do any more than your best so that was always my attitude and that is still my attitude, which is to go out there and give it my best every single night.
Even coming from Ghana to the United States, my mom and dad did so much to provide a better life for their kids. It was such a huge sacrifice; leaving your entire family - and we have a huge family - leaving them to come to America and have a better life for their kids.
My dad is actually from Ghana in West Africa, and I was actually born in Ghana, too, and came to the United States when I was two years old. It's always football over there, soccer, but becoming a Massachusetts native, you can't help but get sucked into all the sports.
With Punk, I consider him to be like a brother to me. He's one of the guys who took me under his wing when I first came. So we've been able to maintain a good relationship. And there are very few people in the business that you can call true friends, so I consider Punk to be that and more. So yes, 'road wife' is the term we used to sum that all up.
My mom set a great example, and I love her.
I realized a very long time ago, that I was never going to be the guy who, 'Oh, you look so big, let's push him in the main event and see,' or, 'Oh, this guy's got the best physique ever, let's put him in the main event and see.' It was always going to be the hard way.
Anytime somebody shares a personal story with me during autograph signings and someone comes up to me and shakes my hand and says thank you and I'm just like, wow. The fact that I can have an influence over somebody; it is heartwarming, it is the goal.
Playing video games, as funny as it might sound, it's a very important part of our day. Our schedule is so hectic, chaotic, demanding that we need an outlet. We need ways to express ourselves and let our energy out.
People are entitled to their own opinion as far as what a WWE Champion should be, but the fact is that I am WWE Champion and that's a fact. It is what it is.
I am living proof that if you work hard enough, you will be able to achieve anything and I take a lot of pride in what I have achieved.
Making people believe they can do great things, that's an instant motivator.
A lot of people talk about video games as something nerds do. But we look at it as a way to connect with people. It's something that's positive, that brings people together.
My first, what, five, six years I was never given a microphone. Now we have this New Day thing where we talk pretty much every single week. It allows me to open up a whole different side, so I just think it's really important to be able to adapt.
All I know is that every moment we've had as The New Day has been amazing. Just awesome.
We've said it since the beginning of time: The philosophy of The New Day has always been to lift your brother up.
The New Day is all about the group, and that's the way it's gonna be... We ain't going nowhere but to the top. And if we going to the top, we're going together.
The New Day has been the New Day because what we have done. We can be entertaining but then we can get serious, too.
When I was training before I was even signed, I was listening to the Damian Marley CD 'Welcome to Jamrock,' and I got the idea one day in promo class to cut a promo in a Jamaican accent and everybody in the class went wild. That was the character I played from that point on and it kind of stuck until it didn't.
It was a very real thing, not a storyline thing when Randy Orton didn't want me to get to a certain point in WWE.
Getting to play with your friends and trash talk. That's some of the best parts of gaming for me. It's like having recess in elementary school.
