Quotes

I think the guys who have been on NXT and got to go to 'RAW' or 'SmackDown' got the full experience. That's what I want.

Wrestling has gotten crazy lately in that guys can really make comfortable, good livings outside of WWE.

I'd been told countless times, even before I got into pro wrestling, that I would never amount to anything and that I'd never achieve this dream.

Ring of Honor has always been a company that focuses on youths and being a true alternative.

I think the rating system is a way to open more discussion with wrestling fans about matches. To me, it's just another outlet to voice their opinions, so that's why I think they are so passionate about it.

Aside from ROH, just getting a taste of Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome with NJPW has me really excited at the prospect of furthering and developing my career in Japan.

I had a tryout when I was, like, 19 and totally not prepared. I was 170 pounds with homemade gear. At that point, I realized how far I had to go to even get looked at. Then, when I was 22 or 23, I was much more prepared, and that second tryout went way better.

The only thing cooler than having a dream and accomplishing that dream is getting to do it with your buddies.

I wanted to be a part of WWE and part of NXT first, as, if I went to 'Raw' or 'SmackDown' right away, I would always wonder what NXT would have been like.

There are good wrestling journalists and bad wrestling journalists. That's for sure.

You realize, as time goes on, there is a certain expectation now in 2018 where fans want to see cool, exciting, hard-hitting sports entertainment or hard-hitting pro wrestling, and there are ways to give them that without necessarily putting yourself in the hospital that night or not being able to move the next morning.

New York, specifically, has been very good to me throughout my wrestling career.

Any time guys move to 'Raw' and 'SmackDown,' I think that is what has kept NXT so relevant and has kept the fans so invested because they are now conditioned that whoever leaves or comes in, NXT, as a product, is going to give really exciting sports entertainment every time.

Shawn Michaels, to me and to so many people, is just the greatest in-ring performer of all time.

Ring of Honor always has a great general idea of what they think I need, and generally, we agree pretty quickly on what I want to do.

I loved working with Jim Cornette.

My two main trainers were John Dahmer and DJ Hyde. DJ Hyde mainly taught me how to be tough: I mean, the beatings that he used to give the students as far as wrestling initiations go were as tough as they come, and I'm thankful for it.

Nothing turned the NXT Universe upside down like The Undisputed Era's debut.

Ring of Honor is my home.

I would love, love, love, love a one-on-one match with Tanahashi, and I've never had one before. He's my all-time favorite New Japan guy. I think the guy's a rockstar. He's so cool, just in the ring and in person.

For me, it's always been a financial kind of scenario. I was actually the first one who signed the 'exclusive to Ring of Honor' contract. I was the first guy who ever signed one of those contracts. That was tough for me because I had no one to talk to. I had no examples to go on. I was the guinea pig.

There's no better way to start a year than to become the first-ever three-time ROH World Champion.

I do feel in 2018 that pro wrestling has gone in such a different direction. Before, things were so black and white; now, it's shades of grey. It's not so much good guys and bad guys: there are people who are put in situations who do the right or wrong things, but people react to them like they are stars.

Wrestling in the Midwest is always such a blast, and a favorite place of mine.

For me, generally speaking, I don't like to make a big deal out of stuff.