If no one else is going to hype you up, you have to do it yourself.
I've been working really hard in this business for a very long time and I've had my share of ups and downs - and to be honest, most of them have been downs. It's a motivation point.
Dan Gronkowski and Chris Gronkowski played with me at Maryland, two of my closest friends.
Everybody goes home at the end of the day and looks at themselves in the mirror and sometimes they see things that they want to see that they like, and sometimes they see some things that they don't like.
I've always said just give me an opportunity and I'm going to make the most of it.
If my character is over the top talking about partying and chicks and living the dream, then I'm going to go out and want to party more.
I'm an A-Level player because I have the strength to look upon myself in the mirror and master my reality.
If you're in the WWE, you're a superstar.
The vast majority of my career anywhere I was essentially the only guy who believed in myself.
I won at WrestleMania which was pretty awesome.
The monster that NXT has grown into is nothing short of unbelievable.
I wrestled in front of seven people one time.
That's kind of the beauty of WWE, is everyone's got their own story, they all have their own path in getting here. It's just a very diverse and unique locker room.
I feel like I was born to do this. When I signed with the WWE, the newspaper and TV stations in my high-school community of Alexandria, Virginia, were like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so perfect.'
It can be a little bit of a turnoff if I'm too over the top.
I was a walk-on at Maryland, I had to earn my scholarship and starter spot, and the things that've come after.
I took opportunities and made it work because I worked harder than everybody else. That's really where 'Stay Hyped' came from, that's my mantra because it's about always being up and being ready to go. That's what I've always had to do.
All it takes is one guy to change a locker room. To change the complexity or nature of an atmosphere.
For me, the grind never stops.
That's what Stay Hyped is all about, is 'I can go when others can't, I won't tap out when others will.' It's kind of just living my mantra.
