Big E

27:30Can I ask you though, what is it about meditation? Because I've heard people talk about meditation forever. Like, and is it different for everybody? But if you say, okay, I'm going to meditate, what do you do? So the one reason I love Headspace is just because it guides you through things. And it helps demystify meditation. I think for the most part, we're all like, meditation, oh, you just sit there in silence? What am I supposed to do? What am I doing here? Right. And so for me, and I felt the same way. I didn't know how to start. What am I doing? But it's just guided meditation. So essentially, what I'll do is I'll pick a lesson.

28:06And they have a bunch of free basics that you can pick from. but they also have a library for like$70 for the whole year. There's a whole library that you can choose. So essentially there is like a quick one minute lesson up front. But essentially meditation and guided meditation teaches you to sit with yourself. And one of the metaphors that I love that they use is imagine laying on the ground and looking up at the sky. And our thoughts are like those passing clouds. and you don't judge those clouds. You don't think I'm a terrible person for thinking these thoughts. So it's observing these stray thoughts, which are the clouds you just observe and you watch them pass away.

28:49And then the clear blue sky is like the calm, empty mind. So I very much love that because for so long, I would have sometimes, especially when I struggle with depression, I would have these dark thoughts and I would think I'm a terrible person for having these thoughts. but meditation taught me you don't judge your thoughts you're not you are not your thoughts you're not a bad person for thinking those things you just simply note them you're human and you exactly yeah let them pass um so meditation uh just also helped me stay present it really is just the practice of staying present that's what mindfulness and not letting yourself spin out absolutely because for so long i was just trapped in my thoughts and i think we're um one of the things i like to like use with people who are getting into meditation or mindfulness for the first time is sometimes if you're ever like going on a walk and you just kind of like what happened the last two minutes you'd like have no idea what happened it's because sometimes we're just so lost in thought you're not observing um have you ever been driving and driving all the time right the scariest to me because you're behind the wheel yeah i'm like oh my god i'm missing my exit right because oftentimes we're so lost in the thoughts of the past or worried about the future um and that was me for the longest time is just this constant storm of overthinking and so much of that thought like the vast amount of thought is is useless it's overthinking it's worrying about these paper tigers things that could happen but for the most part never will or worrying about a past that we can't change or alter so for me and is it also worry about what other people think or was that not for you no for me i was uh very much like especially when i was younger i was a people pleaser and i was very worried about how people perceived me and what they thought about me um And I was always looking for outside validation, but that's another byproduct of mindfulness and meditation is learning self-love.

30:37That was something I never had and I didn't have to. So now it's not looking for someone to validate me or for someone to tell me I'm doing the right thing or the wrong thing. It's knowing within myself that I who I am and what I'm worthy of. And and it's not it's not a selfish like kind of love where it's just about me, me, me and about building things for me. But once I was able to find empathy for myself, it helped me find empathy for others. And another thing I love about mindfulness is just this idea of connectivity, of being connected to others and to strangers, to the world around us, to our environment, to nature, to ourselves.

31:16And I really believe that we are all connected. I really believe in the connectivity of humanity. And, yeah, so I can go on and on about meditation and mindfulness. this, but it really is just about staying present. It's about being grateful for this very moment because we're not guaranteed a second after this. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. We're not guaranteed any of those things and we can't change the past. It's about being grateful for the right now, for where we are right now. And, uh, so yeah, I don't, those dark thoughts that haunted me for the longest time. Uh, I'm so grateful. I haven't had really any of that.

31:49Uh, so I'm really, really Can I ask if you, is there like a tool or a technique if you start to go there, do you then just pull yourself back to the present? Yes. So. Because it still can happen, right? But then you correct it and it's. Yeah, absolutely. And that's one of the things like guided meditation will teach you. It's not just meditation. Mindfulness is not just the act of the 10 minutes or however long you're meditating, but it's something you carry with you. So sometimes I'll do these grounding exercises. if I find myself too anxious or worried about things that, you know, that are out of my control is sometimes it's as simple as counting my steps.

32:25If I'm on a walk, it'll just be the one, two, one, two, because meditation also teaches you to come back to the breath. And it also, it's a lot of like counting your breaths. And just that practice just brings you back to the here and now. It's very, it's difficult to think, you know, to be lost in thought when you're just counting your steps. Or sometimes it's just taking note of maybe the wrinkle in, in this, than this cloth, you know, just anything to bring you back to where you are right now. So I do a lot of these grounding exercises and just reminding myself to come back to the present moment.

32:57And you you're doing this now, or the meditation every single day, every morning. So yeah, it's something I do every morning. And sometimes, you know, if I have an early flight, it won't be in the morning, I'll have to shift it. But you always make sure you do it. I will meditate every single day. And I started to think of it as you know, I, I don't just because I was strong, I didn't stop training in the gym. Just because I got to a good place mentally doesn't mean I stopped training my mind. That's something I will continue to do. It's that daily exercise. And I would always encourage everyone, even if for some people, let's say meditation might not be your thing.

33:28I just think everyone, especially if you've had real struggles, having some kind of a spiritual or mental health practice, whether it's journaling, whether it's going on a walk, whatever that is, I'm just a huge believer in it. do you think physical activity can be that for people yeah man the gym was my that was my sanctuary for the longest time when i even before i've discovered therapy uh just being able to like release those endorphins being able to move like i'm a huge proponent of exercise and not everyone has to lift weights but whether it's yoga whether it's walks whether it's running whatever it is finding some kind of a an exercise practice i think is hugely important for your mental health But I know like for myself, I can be having a bad day and I go to the gym and I train or I get to practice jujitsu as it's now out there.

34:17But you have to stay so focused in the moment. You know, you can't think about anything else. When you're training, you get crushed if you don't pay attention to what you're doing. If you could hurt yourself, you know, in jujitsu, yeah, you're going to tap out. You know, you're going to get caught because you're not paying attention. You're not in the moment. You're not being your fullest self. But it seems like most physical activity, if you I guess if you really put your mind to it, can in a way be a form of meditation because it does keep you locked in that moment. Do you agree with that? No, absolutely.

34:51And I think that's one reason I love sports. And I've been an athlete since I was a little kid. I wouldn't I don't think it's a smart idea now, but I played tackle football when I was seven years old. And, you know, it was just and that's why I so often I felt alive when I was playing football. I felt the most alive when I was in the ring wrestling as well because you can't have your mind elsewhere. When Roman Reigns is coming with that Superman sphere, I'm not worried about the bills I got to pay. I'm worried about not having my job crushed. So it forces you very much to stay present. But no, exactly.

35:24You're right. And that's why I love sports and exercise is because it forces you to be in the moment. We've talked about it before, but like when you're having a bad day, using that or that moment, using it as fuel for the workout. I feel like I've said that to you. And I'm like, I need to go burn this off. Like, take it out in the gym. I mean, nothing better. Yeah. No, and that's why it was therapy for me for the longest time. It definitely was therapy for me. Are you ready to hold WWE history in the palm of your hand? Topps is bringing you closer to the action than ever before with WWE Topps Now, highlighting the biggest matches and milestones from WWE shows and PLEs throughout the year.

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36:49Be sure to subscribe to the WWE Topps Now mailing list on Topps.com and follow Topps on all social media platforms so you never miss a single moment. Well, and since you're talking about weights, I don't know if you're going there. No, no, I'm pulling a quote. You go. So when we when she was shooting Stephanie's Places at Hard Knocks, we happened to see your name everywhere. Oh, everywhere. Oh, my God. Everywhere. We were I mean, we truly so impressive. So what you know, what did that experience? What did that gym mean to you? Oh, I loved it, man. So I started working out. I started the first time I worked out.

37:33So my dad got me this old like rusted bar that I used to just do curls from. I must have been like 10 years old, but I started working out for real when I was 12 years old. Here we go. Oh, yeah. Moving some weight. So I've been working out from a very, very young age. Humble pie, right? Moving some weight. Just a little bit. A little bit of weight. 700 pounds. No big deal. But I, you know, and people sometimes when I was younger, people were like, oh, you must be on steroids. And I legitimately, I've never touched anything. I've been drugged. I got drug tested when I was 14 years old working at Publix.

38:05I was drug tested in college. Yeah, it's just I have great genetics. And one thing, like, you know, we talk about the issues with my father, but he did pass on great genetics, and he's a very, just naturally very strong. But, yeah, so I've been working out much of my life. I was really strong in height. I was a 400-pound bencher when I was 17 years old. I mean. But I just, I loved the weight room, and I would spend, I was obsessed. I would spend way too much time in the weight room when I was a kid. But it was your escape, like you said. It was my escape. Like, it was your way out of the house.

38:34Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And so, yeah, I think when I was I got signed in 2009, I want to say in 2010, we were all we all started working out. The FCW talent started working out at Sina's gym and Rob McIntyre is like Sina's longtime best friend. They grew up together and honestly, one of the best minds in strength and conditioning. And I came from a great program at Iowa and I was a bit skeptical. I played for, you know, play for Coach Doyle, who's the head strength coach. One of truly one of the best minds for strength conditioning in the country in college football. And I thought, OK, I don't know about this Rob guy.

39:10I guess I'll see. But I could see just a brilliant dude, someone who was really just honed in on his craft. And I started working out there for a bit at Hard Knocks. And essentially, we got to a point where Rob pulled me aside and said, hey, you know, is powerlifting something that you might want to do? Is that something you might be interested in? and I said, yeah, let's give it a shot. And so we did some powerlifting meets. I did one in Florida, and that went really well. And then we also did nationals in Scranton. So Rob went with me to Scranton, Pennsylvania. And you were FCW talent at the time?

39:43So I was signed. Yeah. I was signed. But not on TV yet? I was not on TV yet. Just like local FCW TV a little bit. I was still trying to find my identity, who am I? And powerlifting really helped because for a while I was doing this Florida's Strongest Man gimmick. But it gave me an identity. It was my first identity. Yeah, yeah, sure. But yeah, I was, you know, at a time, there was a time where, especially when I was training for nationals, we decided to compete at heavyweight. And I had to like, I was eating whole DiGiorno's pizzas just to put the weight on. Oh, yeah. I got signed. I think I was 255 when I got signed.

40:18And I just, at the point I was doing the national meet, I got up to about 295 just eating and lifting, eating and lifting. And I got really, really strong. And even after the two ACLs and the broken right kneecap, I got to a point where I was squatting 750 raw. And that's not a suit or anything, no knee sleeves or anything. That's just a belt and squatting 750. I deadlifted over 800 pounds. What else? My bench, I got to... So actually, the really cool thing was getting this on camera. So Sina was doing the build with The Rock at the time. Once in a lifetime, although they did it again the next year.

40:56Sorry, that doesn't matter. But Cena told me, if you hit this lift, the bar was at 575, and that was going to be my PR. I've never benched that much in my life. He said, if you hit this lift, I'll make sure that it's in the dock. And that was such a cool opportunity for me because, again, like, we're pretty anonymous at the time. Roman, who is, you know, the biggest star in our industry right now, is there spotting me. But at the time, you know, we're all just, we're on the come up. You know, we're all, we're not on TV yet. But so for a chance to be like spotlit on this in this documentary that millions of people are going to watch was a big deal.

41:33So so it's really cool to look back at that and see Roman spotting me. And the thing is, I remember like Roman, I remember following his career when he was at Georgia Tech because we were both defensive linemen around the same age. He was really he was before WWE. You knew about him. Yeah. I knew the name Joe and I knew because he was. Did you know who his dad was? Yeah. I know a little bit about his family, but I wasn't really. you know at the time that's not why you were yeah it wasn't a why it was okay he was I was looking at the other really talented defensive linemen who were around the same age around the country and he was one of those guys so uh the chance to be there with Roman spotting me at the gym hitting 575 right and that moment of firing up and you look and Woods is there cheering me on and so much of that crew is there um so that was just a really great time I love training at that gym and yeah uh lifting was always that was my oasis it was my uh my second home and uh And still is, right?

42:26And still is. Yeah, I still love it. Although I will never touch 575 again. I'm not going to. I ain't squatting over 700 pounds again in my life. You don't have to. You already did it. I did it. I did it. It's documented. That's right. I mean. Does Kristen like to train? She does. Yeah. So she ran track in college. Okay. And Kristen, my fiance. I appreciate you. Thank you very much. So, yeah. She definitely trains. We used to, when she was fun employed, is the way she puts it. I love that. So she was at Uber for a while and got laid off. Yes, we got the Uber. I got the Uber Eats socks. But she still supports.

42:59Yes, I have to, yes. Okay, all right. But we used to work out together. But the thing is, she's very efficient with her lifts. And I like to be in the gym for like two hours. Yeah, you like to kill time in the gym. But yeah, now we lift separately because she's not waiting on me anymore. So how did you guys meet? So she's a sister of Meechan. and we met in L.A. for WrestleMania a few years ago, a couple years ago. And I was aware of her online. You said maybe there were some DMs back and forth. And she will say this. She actually DMed me. So she used to let me DM. Oh, okay, okay. Let the truth be told.

43:41We need her side. I don't know. But I was always someone who, as much as I love this industry and I'm grateful for it, I never wanted to date in the industry. I certainly didn't want to date my co-worker's sister. That's for sure. So I was always like, you know what? And she was always, when she slid in the DMs, she wasn't forward at all. She was friendly. And we would talk about things like art and books. So I didn't know what the vibe was. I thought it was a friendly vibe. So we first met in L.A., actually at the JW Marriott, where the TV hotel was. And we were kind of cool. We eventually exchanged numbers.

44:18But we just kind of talked. Was there a little spark when you were in person? Yeah. I mean, I definitely thought, like, she was beautiful. And, you know, there's a spark there. So she'll tell me now that the first time we hugged, she told her best friend that she had a crush. But I didn't know this at the time. And I was just going about my business, living my life. And when did the first hug happen? The first hug happened in L.A. So the first hug was actually in L.A. At the JW? Yes, at the JW Marriott. So that's when that happened. and so she knew pretty early so she know fairly early okay but so she we were kind of exchanging dms from time to time we texted every now and then um but for some reason it didn't really click to me until uh early 2024 we were inst pete in my neck of the woods um for the royal rumble and for some reason it just came over to me like why don't you just ask if she's going to be there just just reach out and see if she'll be available and she said actually yes and uh i was like okay dope so i'll be in town for a few days uh she'll be in town as well so she went down i think uh smackdown was in miami she went with her sister and they came back up but you know everything's so busy for us it was really difficult for me to find time um so i couldn't find time to hang out with her until sunday and telling the story feels so it feels cheesy in retrospect but love stories usually are we we actually ended up the time we had we both wanted to support uh montez and Bianca they had Love in WWE was their reality show uh and we decided okay we're both gonna go so I had a Fanatics live appearance before and I had to rush over from Tampa to get to I think it was in St.

45:55Pete but anyways I had to get to rush over there and she asked like hey do you want me to hold a seat for you and thankfully she did hold a seat I got there just in time for the start of the premiere but uh yeah sitting next to her I well and didn't someone try to Well, yes. So Titus, so Titus, I've known my entire career. I love another Tampa native. Titus was trying to sit down next to her. And thankfully, I got there right in time to say, step aside. I've been working on the seat. Dad was moving in. Not today. So I ended up sitting next to her for the premiere, and I was so enamored with her laugh, with the way she moved that.

46:38Like, there's so many beautiful women in our industry who are in that room, and she just, she was the one who stood out to me. And nothing, like, you didn't feel that way before, but all of a sudden here, sitting next to her, you just suddenly couldn't take your eyes off her. I fell and I fell hard. And I just thought she had the most. Do you think it's because of what you were there for? I mean, I'm sure that didn't hurt. I'm sure that didn't hurt. Love and W3. Love was percolating in the air. But yeah, I just thought she had the most gorgeous laugh. I kept like pointing my body towards her because just that I just wanted to feel closer to her.

47:16She was so stunning. We ended up taking a picture with Montez and Bianca and the two of us all together. that's actually hanging up in our house right now. But yeah, and so actually, right after that, we only had about an hour or so, a couple hours to hang out. We didn't really, I don't remember talking about anything like that important or that impactful, but I knew I wanted to see her again. And thankfully, me and my creative partners, we had a short film that was nominated for an NAACP image award, and that was going to be in March. And I thought, okay, let's, I should invite her to that. And it's in L.A., so it's not too far from where she lives in the Bay Area.

47:56And I asked if that's something you might want to go to. And she actually was, right after that premiere, she went to Japan for 18 days with her friends. So she's a big snowboarder. I love, she has so many of these incredible interests and hobbies. So she went snowboarding with her friends in Japan for like three weeks. So cool. Yeah. So she was like, okay, I'm going to be away for a little bit. But after I come back, I need like a week to decompress. And then you can come up to the Bay Area and then we'll fly down together. and uh so we would we just kept like texting and we would FaceTime and inevitably I thought okay I'll just face I don't want to bother her too much I would like okay I'll FaceTime for like 30 minutes every single time that 30 minutes turn into five hours yeah and I I just loved her view of the world I love the way she showed up for her friends I I loved her like she's a big reader she loves baroque libraries she loves history um she just was a full well-rounded human um who was such a light and i knew i wanted to spend a lot of time with her and i was just i would get off these facetimes and i would just be like i'm like crying i'm just overwhelmed with emotion yeah so deeply for this human and uh and then i went up to see her so we can fly down together for the image awards and uh we just had we just we just knew like right away it was and we were two independent people like she's very she was very good being alone she had her own condo that she owned she had her life together uh she had like she we didn't we were good on our own and then like together and she's someone who's like if because she had like a one bedroom and it's like her thought was i don't want anyone in my space for more than 48 hours you got to get out but i I was there for a week and it all felt so natural.

49:45It felt so natural. We ended up going down to LA for the awards and the way she hit off with my creative partners, Johnny Davenport and Andreas Hale, we all worked on this film together and she was talking to them about horror films for hours and hours. It was like they'd known each other for years and years and I just loved the way she connected with my friends so deeply. and then the awards went really beautifully and afterwards, the after party, we're like, eh, we can hang out, but all right, we'll check in. We didn't know much about the after party. The after party actually ended up being at that same JW Marriott in LA.

50:21Yeah, so we ended up, we hugged there for the first time. That's when she had the feelings. So we made sure to take a picture at the very same spot, kissing. And yeah, so it was a circle moment. I feel like it's so beautiful. I feel like the JW might need to be your wedding venue. Oh, it might very well need to be. I'm very familiar with that hotel. Yes. We're there like a decent amount. Yeah, many, many, many times. So, yeah. And then for two people who never wanted to get married, we were very good being alone. I was actually looking back recently through some things. It was a week after that award show in L.A.

50:52that she was starting. She put together an engagement ring doc on the things that she liked and didn't like. And for me, like I was always running away. This concept of family, I was always running from that. I didn't want anything to do with it because it felt like an albatross. It felt like something that would weigh me down. I think, too, you just didn't want to repeat what you lived. God forbid I do that to my own wife or family. I can't be that person. But you're not that person. But I'm not. And in that moment when she put that doc together, I knew this is what I want. This is the person I want to spend my life with.

51:27This is the person I want to do this with. and for two people who never want to get married, like within, we'd only been dating for like a few weeks and we already knew we wanted to get married. That's amazing. It's not even a month and we knew it. When you know, you know. She's life's greatest blessing and I'm so thankful for her because I can, we'll spend like for the 4th of July weekend, we didn't, we have what we call like our bubble weekends where we just, it's the two of us. Just the two of you. We don't leave the house. Oh, I love that. Bubble weekend. She got me watching like One Tree Hill.

51:54Oh my God. That's a wheelchair. This is how we announced our relationship. Oh, my God. So we went to JCPenney. JCPenney. This is amazing. They do these photo shoots. That is amazing. And she was so game.

52:12Oh, my God. She is so funny and makes me laugh all the time. And she was so game for all the nonsense. Oh, my God. That is amazing. Congratulations. I'm so happy for you. Oh, Lord, that is... You are sweating a little bit. That is bad. So do you want me to douse you in water so it's all the same? It's not even that hot in here. So I once watched Paul and Batista at Ric Flair's wedding and all the guys who were standing, well, his third wedding, and all the guys who were standing there in these white linen suits on the beach, and they start sweating, and it's hot. And also I was like nine months pregnant.

52:52It was very hot. And they start dripping, right? and then they get bigger patches and then by the end of it, it looked like it was meant to be that way because it was just all soaked through completely. I have a problem. It's real bad. I didn't realize it was that bad. I knew it was coming. I didn't think it was that bad. She makes people very nervous. Oh, God. All right. Do you want to change your shirt? I'm good. You know what? I have a blazer. This is my life. Okay, great. I'll just sweat through the next shirt. Save that one for later. You know, I wondered when you came in and you said how bad you were sweating and you dabbed your head and I'm thinking that's an awful light shirt.

53:30Yeah. If he starts sweating. That's the honest is going to play out. I have to go do the countdown. I have a blazer for that. But you're wearing the same. Yeah, I'm just power through. Jackie's got a fan. Jackie's got a hair dryer. The fan also. Okay. We'll see if that works. We'll see. I don't know. Take care. See, I'm on this new medication so my hot flashes aren't as bad which is too bad because I could share with you. Yeah, I might need to look into that. You might not want that one. I don't think you want. Yeah, maybe just black shirts from here on out. Yeah, maybe. Or dark blue.

54:09I'm a mess. Obviously, you know we're partners with Jimenez. So, we know you were a Bucks fan for all of you. Is there anybody that you can think of in Bucks history that you would have wanted an autograph? your younger self would have wanted that autograph from? Absolutely. Not only was I huge Bucs fan, I was also a massive Florida State Seminoles fan as well and Derek Brooks was a monster for the Seminoles and an incredible player for the Bucs as well and not only that but he did these incredible things with kids where he would take them on safaris if they did well in school. So just someone who really impacted the community on and off the field, he was just an incredible person to look up to as a Tampanian.

54:52So I definitely would love an autograph from the Derrick Brooks. And now, back to the show. But congratulations. I just, we couldn't be, or I shouldn't speak for you, but I couldn't be happier for you. You seem so genuinely happy. And to know from what a dark place you were in one time to how to see you shining and to feel you shining and to feel how in love you are when you talk about her. that's like oh that's what it's all about it really is i think love is what it's all about i really do agree more and it's also why like having these conversations and talking about uh mental health because if i had taken myself out of this world when i was really struggling and couldn't see a way through i would have missed out on so many so many blessings and i'm i'm so so grateful to find love to have had this really incredible career in wwe that i'm so grateful for to have traveled the world, man.

55:50Like, I talk about, I got to wrestle Randy Orton in South Africa. I've been to Japan a half dozen times. But no snowboarding. No snowboarding. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And since the neck injury, she's also, like, banned me from snowboarding. Oh, okay. That's probably smart. I'm done with the risk taking. I think I'm good with all that. Yeah. But, like, I've had so many incredible experiences and even, like, getting to be a part of Marvel. There's just, you know, no, no. So talk about some of your projects. Yes. And you talked about your creative team and winning the NAACP award. We didn't win, unfortunately.

56:22Oh, I'm sorry, you nominated, which is still the same thing to me. Yes, thank you so much. Yeah, so Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is out on Disney +, and I voice Bulldozer, which has been a blast. And who's Bulldozer, and what's the plot, and what's the show? You've got to sell me on it. Come on. So Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is, obviously we follow Peter Parker, but Bulldozer, I am a part of this crew and right now, we don't know everything about this crew but we're villainous and we do some untoward things but in the first season, you see this young man named Lonnie and he's trying to do the right thing but sometimes you have certain temptations you're trying to pay the bills and there's shortcuts you can take and Lonnie eventually decides hey, maybe I'll take some shortcuts and I, Bulldozer, am I like you know, maybe come to this side and do some things over here.

57:17So we have yet to really, you know, have many real interactions with Spider-Man. Nothing too meaty yet, but it's starting to get there. It's building. Your character's being developed. Absolutely. So we've already started recording for season two. And so much love to Jeff Trammell, who is a showrunner, an incredible dude, a big wrestling fan as well, the showrunner for that. So that is something I'm really excited about. our short film Bridges was what got nominated for an NAACP image award that tells the story of Ruby Bridges and I voiced this nine foot tall robot who takes kids through this futuristic museum so that you can find that on on our YouTube our heroes rock so that was something we're really proud of and what else I got to do a my first feature film with Randy Couture Tommy Davidson and Jennifer Esposito and that's called F plus that's out now you can find that you can rent or buy that on Apple or Prime TV.

58:13And that was fun. It's a family heist movie. The kids are incredible in it. And it's actually, you know, the guy who designs our gear, and he's my creative partner, Johnny Davenport, he wrote the film. So he designs our gear, Bailey's gear, DIY. Just an immensely talented dude. And I hope more people learn about all the incredible things that he does. But yeah, that's a film. And I also am in a short film called Pocket Change. Can we put up like his follow-in information please do yeah give some love to my guy johnny absolutely appreciate that and then i'm also in a short film with freddie rodriguez who's an incredible actor and actually did a movie with charlotte and uh called pocket change and that just premiered at indianapolis and there's an la premiere uh mid-august as well so yeah just a few things brewing i really enjoy acting i'd love to do more hosting as well um but i love being creative and i think my time in the new day really just it lit that creative spark for me and uh yeah I just love being able to throw myself in creative projects so you um quote Walt Whitman and you talk about the multitudes of personalities basically within all of us and how the new day really um helped you find yourself by being yourselves yeah can you expound upon that and and new day was like your spark of creativity and tell that story absolutely you know obviously we're apart now those those dash well yes i know but um i think i was someone they're going through their own journey don't judge yeah that they are

59:47so i think i was someone who i struggled to kind of be comfortable in my own skin for the longest time and and also just coming from football you have this helmet on it's not really about your personality and now suddenly in wwe i i first started in trunk so i'm i'm half naked in front of people right and that's like that is it takes some time to get comfortable with that and even like my when i first came up on the road it took me a while to get my my feet wet and feel comfortable and trying to figure out for the longest time i was i wanted to be the serious person and and and that didn't really connect the way i wanted to and then thankfully uh nxt uh dusty um god rest his soul, gave me the idea for the five count, which King Kong Bundy used to do.

1:00:30And that gave me something that people really got into. But that's not something I got to do on the main roster. And started off with Dolphin AJ, and that went well. And I was done with that. Then I was on my own for a little bit. But I still, I didn't have my thing yet. And then when the new day started, it took us a while. It took us a long time. We've talked a lot about getting off the ground. But eventually, in 2015, when we got to the point of really being able to to try things um that for me and you talked a little bit about the difference between being a heel and a baby face and the the liberties you were afforded more as a heel you know the entire group you know how and then like what did you get to do that then turned you back baby face yeah so you know I love when you're when you don't have to when you can be an antagonist you don't have to worry about trying to please people so I think it just opens the door to to being silly to being obnoxious to doing a lot of different things um so for us that was that was a really incredible time in our careers we just got to throw things at the wall we really got to try different things like even bringing out a trombone and playing a trombone is so random bizarre so many different things um that we got to do but it really for me and i i got out of this like this is who i am i need to be in this box and it really like it blew the doors off the box and we just got to try things.

1:01:51And so often they work, sometimes they didn't, but it really, it sparked this idea for me of like, I can be creative. I can have a voice here. I can try things that are outside of the box. And we all got addicted to that. And we just had this real synergistic relationship where when the three of us got together and started putting ideas together, we just, we had so much fun. And one idea piled upon another idea and that grew and blossomed. And we just had such a great working relationship together. So that freedom, I think, really connected with people. And I always say, like, we were terrible heels because, you know, we never really got booed.

1:02:27As soon as we turned, people were behind us because we were fun. Yeah, you were entertaining and fun. And we had a lot of fun. And then eventually we just carried that through as good guys. Just kind of tried to keep a lot of that same creativity. And that was such an incredible ride. and to have two partners who I just really thought the world of and have so much respect for. And they had the same trust in me. And having two guys who you respect so much, trust you to come up with ideas and trust your voice, really just opened so much up for me where I felt confident in being able to say, hey, I'm going to come in with this idea.

1:03:02Let's try that. Hey, let's do a wrestling serial called Booty O's. Sure, why not? Right. Yeah, so it's... Who came up with Booty O's? So we saw there was a fan who brought a sign with the Wheaties box on it and it had us. And we thought, oh, what would it be? What would your cereal be? What would it be? And at the time, we thought there was a lot of slang that had kind of died that we thought was funny to us. Like, hey, you're Booty. Booty being a derogative. Booty is a great word. I thought it was a great word. So we decided to bring Booty back because we're all children. We're just children.

1:03:39and we just decided we I think I think it was Woods who asked me and Kofi separately what the name of the cereal should be and we both separately said Booty O's and I was all right that's it yeah and I have to give so much credit to creative services I can't remember we got to meet him uh the name of the artist at the time who worked on it uh in the office but usually we're we're very picky about our promos about the creative stuff about the layout of things as soon as we saw that first design for the Budios box, perfect. We had no notes. They nailed it. It was exactly what we wanted. So we were so thankful for that.

1:04:15And that's like more than anything in my career, I wanted to be a one-of-one. And there are always going to be guys who are bigger than me, stronger than me, better talkers, better workers. But I always wanted to create something that was just different from anything else going. And it is so wild. We were just three guys trying to save our jobs and to look back to have this incredible 483 day tag title run um to break a record that stood for over 20 years held by demolition um to have this promo seg with the rock uh to have singles matches with cena to experience kofi mania um to have a serial to do all the things can you talk about kofi mania and how that so two things i want you to Talk about Kofi Mania and how it all, like, how did you guys really feel in the moment when you started to hear that chant?

1:05:07And knowing how long and hard Kofi has just fought for this opportunity. And it wasn't being given to him by the office or anybody else. The crowd, the audience, they are who demanded Kofi. I mean, they demanded Kofi Mania. Yeah. No, Kofi was one of those guys, like at the time, he, I think it was 11 years of being on the main roster and had never had a world title match. And like Kofi's just one of those guys who always has a smile on his face, always did all the media, did everything asked of him, never complained, never buried guys. Just an example of a guy who did things the right way. Contumant professional.

1:05:50Contumant professional, week in and week out for years and years and years. and I think he's just someone who's one of the most respected humans in this industry and I think so often like a guy like that is just someone who kind of gets put in the category of being a good hand you can have great matches but he's he's his ceiling is here and I think we you know Woods and I just had so much respect for him and we would always refer to him as our goat just a shining example of what it of who a pro wrestler should be and the way he should carry himself and for us like him getting that opportunity unfortunately you know mustafa ali gets hurt and uh kofi's just put in his slot and in that position and immediately like he took the ball and he ran with it and people just got behind him and i think there was just something that resonated with people because i think so many of us can recognize what it's like to do a good job to represent your company well but to only be here and to feel like okay yeah the squeaky wheel always gets the grease i'm not I like that.

1:06:54Why does that happen? Right. I'm doing things the right way. I don't get in trouble. But I'm only here. And I think that's why Kofi connected so much with people. And it was such a special time because it was so organic and it was so real. And those to me are the best moments in wrestling. And I love, too, that Kofi won the title at WrestleMania from Ryan, from someone who had a very similar story, a very organic run. And, yeah, man, that moment was so, so special. and actually to be here so we're here across the street from MetLife where Kofi won the title where Kofi Mania really took off just to be here six years later is is really really incredible because it was just it was one for the good guys it was someone who did things the right way and was so talented and got his moment and and I love that I love what when our industry can provide something that feels so organic that feels so real um i still think of when they listen yeah when when the industry listens absolutely um i still think of that video of uh of shad um god rest his soul and an mvp of them crying and like it's so easy for us in the industry to be jaded but when they see kofi win that title and it's like we you feel it and and like having his his family in the ring as well to celebrate.

1:08:19I love when we, we step out of thinking this is entertainment. This is a show. And it's, it, it is, it is so visceral. And I think that connection with Kofi, he has a bit of like that every man feel who's not the biggest. He's not the strongest. He doesn't come from a wrestling lineage, but someone who was just given his all, who's always wanted this and to get to the height of our industry at WrestleMania and to beat one of the greatest of all time in Brian. It was just a really, really special moment. You see Woods too. I had no, no, I couldn't conjure any tears in the moment. Woods, just the tears are rolling for him because it meant so much to, to all of us and just one of the best humans in this industry.

1:09:00And it's beautiful to see the good guys win. And how important is culture to the new day? Because you talked about how it was basically a reflection of all the things you guys loved in pop culture yeah and and the importance of culture yeah absolutely connection and resonating very much so and like there's so much that we did in nerd culture that we wanted to speak to uh when we come out of the giant budo's box is wearing the dragon ball z shells uh but you want to you know i think the more we can connect with our fans and and like display our common interests uh the better so like pop culture is always something that we wanted to shine through in our wrestling gear and our promos uh and even just the culture of being three black men who wanted to tell the story of brotherhood so often in factions they're looking for someone who's going to stab the other in the back or turn on each other but we had never really seen a story like that like we woods and i went through this gauntlet match and our gauntlet match to a tag team gauntlet match to get kofi that opportunity and i never seen anything like that in wrestling two guys were going to go through the fire to win someone else an opportunity it's not usually they all turn on each other right right right and actually so we sat down yesterday for fanatics live with lyra and she talks about seeing becky being in ireland and that's what sparked her to start training is when becky debuts because it's oh i see another irish woman who has made it and can do it let me let me follow in that path because i i see and i see it i see it and that's why i think representation matters in so many forms is when you see that three black men can do this together and it's not about backstabbing.

1:10:38It's about our love for each other and our love for our profession, for our craft. So that's a story that we're really, really proud of. It wasn't about the backstabbing. It wasn't about who wants to be a leader as well. We always made it very clear there is no leader. We all wanted to be on equal footing as well. And you were concerned about doing the voice in the beginning because you didn't want to be positioned as being above them or anything like that. And they were like, shut up. Right, right, right. How could you not? How could you not? Yeah. Oh, my God. Right. It's the best. No. Can you do it?

1:11:10The, the, I don't want to blow out your mic, but we'll just see. Do it. Come on now. Oh, what's your story? Don't you dare be sour. clap for Stephanie and feel the power it's a new day yes it is yes it is that's our new opening no that has to be the new open please every episode unfortunately you hear my giggle in the back but like that is that's part of it oh my god thank you so good thank you thank you that was awesome of course oh my god There were so many quotes that I took, and you've pretty much talked about all of them, so I think it's better than some of the quotes. The Barbie one? No, we were talking about it in the car.

1:12:10You used to take your action figures. Oh, yeah, this is funny. Right? And you would have a match with your sister's Barbie van. Oh, yeah, yeah. The hardcore match. My sisters had this camper van, and it came with a little picnic table and folding chairs. No, I'm familiar with it. Oh, yeah. The Barbie Dream van. It was incredible. But it made for great hardcore matches. Oh, yeah. I could see that. My first two figures were I had a Jake the Snake, and I had a Hacksaw Jim Duggan with the two-by-four. So things would spill out of the ring, and then we had hardcore matches just right there. I think that's pretty awesome.

1:12:44Yeah, it was great. Okay. so I'm going back to one of the the more serious quotes um going back to when you were talking about therapy and it's because of where it gets to at the end so in addition to to talk therapy I started to see a psychiatrist this this talks about everything that you went through and then you say, you kind of sum it up and you say, we tried everything, man. Some of it showed signs of working. Some of it didn't work at all. Some of it was straight up traumatic. My life over the next few years, it was a perpetual trial and error. It was exhausting. Frankly, it was excruciating.

1:13:29But it wasn't a spiral anymore. Or if it was, it was a spiral slowly turning around, then straightening out into a long winding road. And I just love that metaphor of how that spiral, it can straighten out and then be the beautiful thing that life is supposed to be. Absolutely. And I'm so grateful for the path, for the story. I remember my therapist in college asked me, where do you see yourself in 10 years and I told him if I'm still alive living under a bridge and I wasn't a joke like I legitimately didn't see how I could hold down a job or have a relationship um with my struggles um but you know there was no with therapy and with medication there was no like eureka moment no sudden moment where things just suddenly got better over time things calmed slowly to a point where it was a little bit more manageable and then I had this opportunity with WWE and and that sent me on on a path but it's you know things didn't magically just get better but they got manageable and I found my purpose and I I found a life that I was able to build for myself and um yeah it just I just want to impress upon people that I don't think therapy is a magic pill it doesn't just suddenly get better but over time it does and being consistent allows it to get better.

1:15:04And it has been a circuitous path, but it has been a beautiful one and one that I'm grateful for. And I'm grateful for all the people who have helped lighten my burden and have opened doors for me and all the lessons I've learned. And I'm grateful to still be here because so many times I didn't know why I was here. I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, you know, life will, it will knock you down. And we will all at some point, we were no matter who you are, absolutely. In one way or another, and it is knocking me down many times. But I'm grateful that when doors were closed, another one found a way to be open.

1:15:45And that has just been the lesson of my life. There's so many times I thought I was going to point A, and point A just didn't work out for me. But there was a B. And sometimes that B was even better than than the a and uh i i just am continually humbled by life i continue to learn about myself about the world around me and the challenges that come um but i'm i'm grateful for it all and and gratitude is really important it really is and and you have to learn to be resilient because things just are not going to go the way you assume they will they know they never do they Never go the way you want them to go.

1:16:23But honestly, the alternative can honestly be so much better. This wrestling was not my dream. I was a huge fan as a kid. And I would always bristle when we would do these. People would ask, like, we would sit down when we were all together, three of us in the new day. And Kofi would tell this amazing story of always wanting this and trying and trying, finally getting here. Woods would tell the same story of always trying, trying, always wanting this. And my story is just like some meathead football player who failed, who someone said, hey, you want to give this a shot? But you didn't fail. Thank you.

1:16:54I appreciate that. The lesson for me, though, has been that so many times you don't know where life is taking you. And so many times not getting what you want is the best thing for you. And I'm so grateful. Isn't that the winding road? That is the winding road. Absolutely. And I know it will continue to be that way. I will continue to learn. I will continue to be taken in paths I didn't anticipate. but I'm learning to adapt with it, to continue to grow, to be excited about growing, to be excited about learning. And yeah, that's been the lesson for me is this winding path has been a challenging one.

1:17:33It has been a difficult one at times, but it's been a really beautiful one. And I think for those who are struggling, you know, please do seek help, ask for help. And if you see someone struggling, you know, because you had talked about your coach who came over, he saw something wasn't right. And he, without even asking you, just said, I want you to see this person and how much it meant to you that he saw you struggling because you couldn't speak for yourself. And then your other coach who showed up for you in the psych ward because you were feeling all the things you were feeling being there.

1:18:15And what, what mattered is that somebody actually just showed up. And if you can show up for somebody, how much that matters, you know, and again, no matter how they react, right. Like you said earlier, it's the act of kindness itself, you know, and I, I believe momentum is everything. And I think positive energy begets positive energy. And the same is also true. Negative energy begets negative energy. And you have to do all of the things you can to stay present. As you said, you know, meditation, therapy, if you need therapy, you know, to stay in the moment, to be grateful, you know, to recognize and have the perspective of what really matters most to you.

1:19:00Yeah. You know? Yeah, absolutely. And I'm so grateful for all the people who were there for me. And I had a chance to talk to a few people at the University of Iowa when I was there for homecoming. And one lady came up to me and just asked, she has a child who's really struggling with her own mental health, and just asked, like, what can I do? And I know for me, I don't think there was anything that someone could say that would shake me out of that when I was really struggling. I don't know if there was one word, but honestly, it was just for me as simple as someone being there, just being there and saying, I'm here.

1:19:38And if you need a sounding board, if you need someone just to be there, and that's what I encourage people. If you don't know what to say to someone who's really struggling, just being there, saying, I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you need, I'm here for you. just having someone be there has been so hugely important for me in my life so I'm I'm immensely grateful for all the people who are just there for me who opened doors for me who listened to me or who just didn't leave even when I couldn't when I couldn't give voice to what I was feeling or going through they were there and uh and that's what I aim to be moving forward in my life is just being there and just encouraging others if you're not struggling but you know people in your life who are struggling don't be afraid to be there to show up for people um and I'm just a huge believer in community.

1:20:25I really think we need each other. And so much of our culture teaches us that individuality is everything and it's all about self. But I believe that when we're hurting, when we're struggling, when we're dealing with loss, we need each other. We need to lean on each other. We are social creatures by design and we need community. And yeah, I think we all need to build community for each other and support each other because life will always be tough. there will always be challenges. But I'm so immensely and forever grateful for the teachers, the coaches, the friends, the strangers who were there for me.

1:20:59And when I didn't see a way out, they were there. And if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here now. Well, I'm so incredibly grateful for you. And thank you so much for coming on the show, for sharing your heart and soul and your story and for just giving us such great advice. I mean, you're I think there's no question why we wanted you to be a guest so badly on this show. And anybody who just listened to this podcast, they know wholeheartedly you're such a special human being. And I couldn't be happier for you. And just I'm here to support you. And you know that in anything, any of your future projects, any any way I can.

1:21:44Thank you so much. And I really appreciate the platform. and talking about mental health is something that's increasingly important to me. Like I said, I was so ashamed to talk about these things now, but now I find so much joy in being able to talk about it and knowing that there is such a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel and so many of us don't see that light and I couldn't see it for so long, but I'm so grateful to be here. So thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the platform. I truly appreciate it. No, I love you, baby. I appreciate it. I love you too. Thank you.

1:22:18I don't know if you want a hug, because it's going to be a sweaty one.