I think I'm a very passionate person who's always strong in my convictions.
— Austin Aries
I'm someone who likes to question things that are put in front of me, I like to think I'm someone who asks 'why sir?' not a 'yes sir.'
As for my daily, it usually consists of a smoothie in the morning with banana, spinach and blueberry and veggie protein powder, then some kind of tofu or tempeh scramble with veggies. Later, I may have some type of rice and beans, salad with lentils, sweet potato, nut butter sandwich and another smoothie.
A guy like AJ Styles is obviously a great talent and he's going to go out there and put on a performance that's befitting of a man who is the World Champion.
Guys like Samoa Joe, no matter what it's been, what promotion, every time we are in the ring there is such an easy storytelling and psychology in there. We always had good matchups.
I'm probably not motivated by a lot of things that people think I am.
I like to think every time I was put in a high pressure position, I've always delivered.
I think there's a balance of fan interaction. I think sometimes there can be a little too much interaction. I know when I was a kid, the mystique of wrestlers and stuff was something that was kind of big, and if I got to hang out with them all the time i think that mystique can be lost.
I'm pretty much who I am, and I'm not everybody's flavour, and I'm kind of polarising and some people like me and some people don't.
For me, I'm smart enough and have been around the business long enough to know you don't really retire.
I don't have a bucket list.
Just like music, I consider wrestling to be an art form, and I have a vision of what that art should look like.
I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train, not a football player.
I have put a lot of energy and focus into capturing the Cruiserweight Championship, but obviously I didn't get the job done.
One of the things people always ask me is, isn't it expensive to eat healthy or vegan? It can be, but isn't it expensive to live in a nice house or drive a nice car or wear nice clothes?
For me, from day one, I don't think I realized that I was considered undersized, but I knew I was good. I had certain tools in my toolbox that other guys didn't have, like agility, quickness and explosiveness.
When I was contacted about coming back to Impact they were obviously at a stage when they were really rebooting as a company.
No matter what lifestyle you choose, when it comes to eating, we should all as consumers have a choice to make informed decisions. We shouldn't be misinformed or mislead.
On the road, I'll always pack a package or two of pre-cooked lentils, nuts, vegan protein bars and powders.
I was thankful that TNA saw the potential in me and put me in a position to fulfill something like winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
I always mention Bobby Roode. We just click on a lot of different levels. We grew up appreciating the same type of wrestler and same type of wrestling. We are similar students to the game.
I'm not motivated by money and I never really have been.
There's nothing more I hate than a wrestling snob.
Eveybody likes to speculate that me and Austin Starr are somehow related. I always say that that guy never had a tattoo.
I've got plenty of people that would love to be ringside with me.
Sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back and get a little bit of a different perspective and re-evaluate things.
I've been blessed for 17 years to have a job where I make people forget their problems for a little while.
Anything that is history making, then of course you want to be a part of it.
Pay-per-views bring conclusion to storylines and what has been going on from television. It is important to give viewers satisfactory pay off over storylines and that is why pay-per-views are important.
There was one day where I just stopped eating meat, but then the transition to get rid of the dairy and eggs took 12 years.
I figure no matter what interview I do, the real good 'journalists' are going to find the completely irrelevant quotes that will drum up some controversy and stick it on their page to get some clicks and completely miss the real context of what the interview is about. That's what we do nowadays and call it 'journalism.'
I'm very stubborn and I don't like to lose.
I don't like hypocrisy, I don't like double standards, it's probably why i'm vegan.
My initial going into vegetarian was learning about eating healthy.
I don't necessarily get rubs from championships, I'd like to feel the championship gets a rub off of me.
I've always been a big believer in myself and that if you give me an opportunity I am going to make the most of it.
No matter who I am wrestling, as long as Bobby Heenan is my manager, I'll be happy.
Really, since I left Impact Wrestling - some people say controversially - I've been really laying low.
I think the reality of the situation is if you're WWE and you're looking for talent, you're going to want the best guys out there, and you're gonna look at Ring Of Honor, because that's where the best talent is.
Nobody walks through life as a pure babyface per se or a pure heel, we all have shades of grey, and there's some days we're a little better than others, and some days we're a little more ornery. And I think that I just embody that.
At the end of the day all I've ever asked for is to be allowed to succeed and fail on my own merits. Not based on what somebody else wants me to do or thinks I should do. Or, what they want me to say or what they think I should say.
As I go around the country and I'm seeing all the fans in the WWE Universe, there's a lot of young kids and they're off to the wrong start, because they're being fed the wrong food.
You can have a favorite band, but when they sign with a major label... maybe a new producer says, 'You can't do that, take this down a notch.' And you'll keep listening, but you'll always think their first album was their best album.
Go fail or succeed on your own merits, be your own man.
I think if you're trying to be mindful of eating well on the road, it can be difficult no matter what. Your choices at midnight or one o'clock in some of the smaller towns when we are getting out of shows aren't going to be the best choices for eating healthy no matter what your dietary choices or restrictions are.
I love food and don't want to sacrifice my enjoyment to be healthy. You can enjoy food and can be mindful and healthy while you do it but it just takes a little time and effort.
It was always important for me not to be pigeonholed as a cruiserweight-style wrestler.
I've accomplished every goal I've set out to. I've traveled the world, I've competed in just about every promotion there is.
