The truth is, pro wrestling is such an incredibly vast, incredibly surreal world. There's no telling how many words could be written about the subject - especially when the subject involves WWE.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've worked my entire career to try to broaden the perception of the WWE. A lot of folks think because we're so entertaining and oftentimes have such wild and well-defined characters that it's all we are. It has kind of been my life's work to tell the public that's not true.
The wrestling world is unique. There are things that happened, and there are things that didn't happen, but in wrestling, you just say they all happened. Some of it's fun to let stay out there - it adds to the mystique and wrestling lore.
Wrestling is such a competitive sport worldwide.
A lot of people know about the power of the WWE brand. We're in 145 countries in 30 different languages. We reach about 650 million households worldwide on a global weekly basis. But what they don't know about WWE is that we use all of that power to give back to the community through events like Hurricane Sandy Relief.
Being a pro wrestler can be kind of difficult sometimes. We have a perception about what we do - and I totally understand the perception, because we're a weekly episodic program, and we're having fun all the time, so people think that's kind of the most talented thing I could do.
In Hollywood, there really is a stigma against wrestling. I think that's why people think wrestlers are Neanderthals who can't string two words together.
You just can't compare the WWE to anything else when it comes to sports entertainment. There is nothing like the WWE, nothing like this machine I am working for and I'm proud to work for.
I guess my mission statement is now to let the world know on a global scale that WWE certainly is a wonderful form of entertainment, but its superstars are more than just superstars inside the ring. They do so much more outside the ring and have so much more to offer.
Wrestling's a form of expression, and it expresses vastness.
Pro wrestling is not fake; it's sports entertainment. We go out there and we perform, and a lot of what we do out there is real, but we're not going to insult anyone's intelligence - there is a predetermined winner. It's just the fans don't know who it is, and that's what makes it so intriguing.