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A lot of my intensity in wrestling was due to my mental preparation before the matches. I got myself into a different world.

The most important thing about being in wrestling is that you have to connect with the crowd, connect with the fans, and you either want them to love you, or to hate you. Either way, so long as they're reacting to what you're doing.

Amateur wrestling, you can go by instinct. Pro wrestling, you have to memorize, and you have to go by what moves you said you were going to do. Sometimes you have to feel the crowd and do the moves at the right time and know the timing and tell a good story.

My advice to young wrestlers is that your surroundings really make a difference. You want to put yourself in good, positive surroundings.

When you, as a fan, go to see a wrestling show, you don't know what the predetermined outcome is. You take a seat and enjoy the ride - and it's a hell of a ride.

In wrestling, there is no retreat. No way to slow things down. In wrestling, you advance and advance, and being tired is just a lie to make the other guy think he can relax. It's so hard - harder than anything I've ever done.

Being a professional wrestler surely prepares you for any acting role in that we have to act on live television, so there's a lot of pressure put there.

To me, wrestling is therapy. No matter how bad my personal situation is, when I step into the ring, all my troubles disappear. My baggage stays in the back where it belongs.

Getting ready to wrestle is like getting ready for a car crash. Getting ready to work with Brock Lesnar is like knowing you're going to get hit by a bus and the bus is going to back over you. If I'm going to work 'WrestleMania,' 16 weeks out I have to start training like I'm Mayweather getting ready for a fight.