There's a huge fan base behind NXT, which is cool because that opens up the door to younger talent that maybe at one point thought that it was impossible to ever get into WWE, but now, there it is.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
It's really cool, the opportunities that NXT brings. Who would ever thought that Jushin Liger would be in this company, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn? It's crazy. Man, I don't know, bring anybody. I want to wrestle with everybody. Even I want to wrestle Jushin Liger, so I'm jealous.
I just remember that when I started at NXT, I had no character. I had nothing. I was just so excited to be here and just to be a wrestler.
WWE is a space where I thrived, and I loved, and I still do. I love connecting with an audience; that is the greatest thing about going back to WWE.
As soon as I found out there was a school you could go to to become a WWE superstar, I was immediately hooked.
We may never be as big as WWE, but the cool thing about TNA is that we are the alternative. So people who get tired and bored with the WWE - I've been there, I understand - there's an alternative and something else to watch.
And you know what - and I don't mean this in tongue in cheek way - but it's like deja vu. When I walked in to WCW they were producing wrestling on a little teeny sound stage at Disney, okay? I'm walking into TNA and they're producing wrestling in a little teeny sound stage at Universal.
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.
It was a big man's sport at one time. Maybe I had something to do with breaking that barrier and having WWE open up their eyes so they can sign younger, lighter talent.
Once you start talking to people, you find out there's a lot more wrestling fans than you think there are.
I can look back now and say, 'Aw, that was a little dumb taking huge bumps onto concrete before a couple of hundred fans,' but if it wasn't for that attitude and that type of work ethic, I never would have gotten to WWE.
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