really the two things I want to say are
got to be the hardest workers in the
room and don’t fuck the opportunity out
instead of telling you what I think you
should be doing or what how you could be
better or I thought well let me just
speak from the heart speak from my gut
and really not have anything prepared
but just tell you what’s worked for me
and maybe some of the stuff that’s work
for me might work for you now currently
presently as you guys have your goals
and ambitions and be a championship MVPs
in this room things like that but then
further on down the line as you guys
continue to live your life the first
thing I just want to say is this idea
and this notion that you could be
anything you want you can accomplish
anything you want right we hear that
you’ve heard that from the time you were
little boys you hear that now you’re
already incredibly accomplished you can
win an NBA championship MVP of the
league you could become president you
could become governor you can have you
could be in in in in you could be an
entertainment you could do Charles and
you do Shaq you do that you could do
whatever you want to do you guys know
that the thing that has worked for me is
to remember the hard times so and I’m
sure you guys all have your processes
and again I’m going to tell you what to
work for me
so before a big movie comes out before
back in the days when I was wrestling
with WWE a WrestleMania match anything
big that would happen I would always
take a moment and I just remind myself
all right I was evicted when I was 14 we
were kicked off the island we couldn’t
live in Hawaii had no place to live a
lot of shit happened then when I moved
to Nashville I was arrested multiple
times by the time I was 16 years old I
got remember that if I were playing on
this team
which might you know my skills are
what’s that term oh the shits so I never
play but before I laced up before I get
encore before I playing these big games
before I go to the Staples Center where
history says those are those are
historic will Hall Sahara hit the
Staples Center I would remember that and
it allows me then to be present in the
moment and understand holy shit that’s
the stuff I have around me right now
this is the shit that I dreamed of when
I was a kid I am here I played for
University of Miami played great teams
Warren Sapp Ray Lewis they were my
teammates they were ballin Warren Sapp
was playing tight end that time I was
starting defensive tackle yeah they
moved him over to D line and he looked
at me he’s like yo do I’m gonna take
your spot and I said you ain’t taking my
fuckin spot he’s gonna take your spot
yeah we battled and he took my spot they
could imagine how that fuck with me cuz
there goes my opportunity he went in
switch to defensive tackle lit the world
on fire well what that did it questioned
me to crush my dreams I had a piss-poor
senior year zero production no NFL no
combine invite nothing finally went to
the CFL Calgary Stampeders making $250 a
week Canadian Canadian I had to send
that shit home to my to my wife at that
time I had no money so I remember that
well I got cut from Canada
I had seven bucks in my pocket and I
always tell that story so now my
production company is seven bucks
advertising agency seven bucks
everything is seven bucks so always
remember that what helps me is to keep
the hard times
in the front of my mind because it
allows me to go into these big moments
that I’ve worked my ass off and you guys
have worked your ass off it allows me to
go into these big moments with a
different perspective what it also does
for me and again this just this is what
works for me like I keep my back excuse
my language my back is up against this
motherfucker every day
it’s against this fucking wall excuse my
language
please syndrome but it’s a begins this
motherfucker because it’s what I believe
in and when my back is against this
motherfucker
then there’s nowhere to go but that way
that’s it so I feel like this could be
something an ideology mindset that could
help you could if you look at it that
way because you made it already we made
it we’re successful boys and we’re lucky
boys to be we’re at all you guys made it
everybody’s rich in the room nobody’s
gonna get evicted anymore
anything you got there’s no more money
problems right you got a lot of hands
out now making it a little bit can I get
a little bit right that happens but when
you make it for me I need this I need
this so every day my back is up against
this motherfucker and this is how I
operate
now doesn’t mean you don’t smile there’s
me – laughing joke
quote right happy I’m happy I’m a happy
guy but when it comes to business and
when it comes to executing it’s up
against this
and I gotta go that way and I don’t give
a fuck who is in front of me they’re not
gonna stop me I feel like for me it
feels seamless because you’re prepared
for so long but it’s just like you guys
prepping for a game that’s the fun part
that’s where it’s like fuck is fun and
people are paying their hard-earned
dollars to come see you they’re cheering
they’re going bananas they’re booing the
shit out of you or on the road it’s
that’s fun
that’s what you live for I mean that’s
the juice right there the prep is where
the characters made and I just don’t
mean the character I play I mean the
fucking the character in here so for me
the prep is getting with the director
getting with the producer is getting
with the writers getting with the
getting with the so in essence it’s like
getting with all your coaches and your
different position coaches and and all
the meetings that you have to have right
so that’s the work you put in the key
for me was where does it start
what’s the anchor what’s the anchor so I
could have all these ambitions and you
guys have all these ambitions which is
great it’s important I’ll play this role
you’ll play that role I’ll execute this
thing and it’ll come out this summer
you guys will execute this thing during
the summer right what it’s time to
really put in a lot more work but the
key with me is just always finding what
the anchor is and the fuck and anchor is
getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning
every day before anybody else and
grounding my thought process is in the
no one will outwork me no one I love and
I respect you guys motherfuckers won’t
that work me I’ll start with this
two hands anchor for me has always been
the work in terms of the weight room
training so when I first started
wrestling I was six years old rolling on
the mats with my dad my old man a lot of
you guys will know this yeah Rocky
Johnson
my old man was Rocky Johnson he was the
first black WWF tag WWWF at that time
first black WWE Tag Team Champions with
Tony Atlas back in 1983
my uncle’s were wild Samoans I come from
a long line of pro wrestlers but before
the wrestling part happened I was just
in the gym putting in the work at six
years old rolling around on the mats and
finally when I could touch weights at 13
that’s what I was doing but the weight
part for me and the gym part has has
always been has to be the anchor look
boys event your bodies your body right
you’re young now your ball and
everything feels good you have your
little Nicks and dings and all that shit
you’re gonna have that you’re gonna have
your surgeries we all have it but if but
eventually and I promise you this the
one thing that will never ever ever go
away is you get your ass in that weight
room and you put in the work that’s
gonna happen when you’re 30 40 50 60
said that never goes away you’ll get on
the court you shoot some shots but you
still you’re gonna wind up right back in
the weight room right right back in your
spot film has the gives me the biggest
opportunity to make the biggest impact
global impact I don’t want to make small
movies I love and respect our movie
business but I want to make big movies
that do well and when they do well it’s
not the money thing because we have
money right money’s good money’s good it
ebbs and flows it’s the idea that I can
impact as many people as possible with a
big global movie and when the global
movie is touching a billion dollars that
sounds good right it’s good for the bank
accounts good for everybody involved
everybody’s getting their piece of cake
it’s great but what that does do it I
know I’m impacting people around the
world by giving them some good
entertainment making them feel good
leaving the theater floating so it’s the
same thing right when you guys have this
bigger goal so for example when you
as polarized as a sports world is it’s a
fucking incredibly inspiring thing even
if they’re not fans of your team even if
they’re not fans you to so think about
that you know when you guys do that the
impact that that has the ripple effect
that that has for the city of La
California the United States the globe
little kids damn I want to be that one
day favorite WWE moment will probably be
I’ve had a lot of them and got really
really lucky I think probably the
matches I had with Stone Cold Steve
Austin yeah they were really good and we
wound up we just had a real special
chemistry and anytime we got in the ring
it was it created this kind of magic and
we broke a lot of Records and
pay-per-view records at that time WWE
they were still in the pay-per-view
model and the pay-per-view business
they’re not now but that was always cool
because we had a goal Steven I had a
goal which was let’s let’s uh let’s sell
out a stadium and let’s break a
pay-per-view record but it was always
cool with him because then always – you
know he was the kind of guy who and you
guys have this you have this amongst
your team you have this amongst players
in the league with that guy
former Texas football player West Texas
stayed down so he was crazy but he would
push me and we would push each other
every night you know and the thing that
the WWE taught me which I think you guys
can take away and it can apply to a
little bit of your practice in your
business and your game play is WWE
taught me to always listen to the people
you always want to listen to the people
so when I would go out you know look you
go out there’s always a lot of ego and
you’re you know I want to do my shit and
then another restless there on or do my
shit I want to do my finishing move let
me do mine finish boom I got to look
good I got to do all this my last match
in WWE I’ll share this with you guys –
is that again cuz there’s a little bit
of takeaway here from all this shit is I
wrestled John Cena and I went in and I
think it’s 2013 I went in WWE Champion
and we went in MetLife Stadium we
we had a record-breaking attendance
which was amazing that night we
accomplished our goal so I rested with
John Cena and we had 45 minutes planned
for the match it’s nonstop and go right
so your conditioning is tested and at
that time I wasn’t full-time in WWE I
was just doing these spot matches where
I would I was still shooting GI Joe I
think her pain and gain at that time or
no was uh it was fast and furious 6 in
London had to travel in the ring get on
my ring work in travel back to shoot
fast and furious then back WWE Raw doing
those shows the big build-up to
WrestleMania against John we get to
MetLife Stadium it’s a big night this is
it’s game night right it’s it’s
championship night for me
45-minute matches planned out there’s no
cut
there’s no all right well let’s pick it
back up tomorrow you know it’s go time
it’s just like you guys in a game at the
15-minute mark laying there and both of
us are out I said off Fox one’s going on
and I stick my head now it’s 85,000
people right and we just laid out like
this I kind of roll over I stick my hand
down in my trunk just to see I want to
make sure that there was no bone
sticking out so if there’s no bone
sticking out what the fuck something
just happened referee comes over and
he’s like rocky alright yeah yeah yeah
think I’m alright I said fuck I get up I
go to step and I think you can’t step I
can’t do this I have to use my leg like
momentum I do that so now in that moment
and you guys are gonna have these
moments you probably already had them
already where you’re in the game and
you’re in the thick of things and you
got to make a decision what I got to do
I’m gonna stay in the game committed to
the team I committed to my team the
entire roster right and in the world of
wrestling when you have a big show like
this and you have a big main event that
the entire show is based around the
wrestlers will come up to the two people
in the main event at some point all
throughout the night in the locker room
and usually like hey thank you for the
house I appreciate it
thank you for the house and what that
means is that’s their way of saying
thank you for drawing helping draw
eighty five thousand people and putting
a lot of fucking money in my paycheck in
my bank account thank you for the house
we got a lot of thank you for the houses
that night Oh bang this happens and now
I realize I can’t move my leg I got 30
minutes left of this match and it’s not
just like fucking around I mean these
are like we got to put on a show there’s
a lot of big flying and suplexes and all
that so I could tell the wrestlers are
you okay and I have one moment in this
moment it was a defining moment I could
either tell him no I’m done he gives the
signal matches over or
let’s keep going and again this is a
little takeaway for you guys if you ever
have this moment I’m sure you have if
you haven’t it’s coming we have this
decision
I said no let’s keep going I said how
much time is up he’s like thirty two
minutes okay wrestle the whole match
couldn’t move doing everything like this
I’m getting scared because I’m thinking
man well what happens if I if I if I
pinch something or something like you
know I don’t know your mind starts
fucking with you in the moment there’s
85,000 people your Adrenaline’s rushing
they can man what happens we’re going to
lose my leg or some shit like this if
I’ve just done something to my artery
final move of the match is his big
finishing move and I remember I’m
getting up and I’m turning like this
because I have to fall into him he’s
gonna hit me with his big finisher it’s
like a massive suplex where I go over
his head and fucking slams me down and I
remember turning I remember turning into
John and he says and I remember thinking
myself god please don’t let this be too
bad just take care of me take care of me
bang I feel lucky leave matches over he
pins Ben when she comes in the back get
to the back I can’t move now it’s
getting a little nervous
and doctors come in John comes in you
okay he comes in where was like to
celebrate with booze he brings like
moonshine like legit moonshine that’s
like crazy white boy shit that they
bring like in a jar his moonshine let’s
have some more chances okay
don’t know what’s happening rush get on
a jet rushed home to my doctors down in
Florida
and get an MRI find out that I have
completely torn my adductor the top of
my my a doctor and my top of my quad off
my pelvis yes really really fucked up so
it’s a very long story to tell you what
I was proud of was to walk out on my own
but not only that but in this fucking
moment where the odds are against you
people are watching teams depending on
you you either say I’m done or this shit
whatever the fuck is going on it’s
temporary
and it made fuck me up at some point
down the road look at the end of the day
like again that’s it’s the kind of stuff
that I talked about at top is I have to
hold on to my dad in his pickup truck
came down four o’clock in the morning
pick me up at in whoo in Miami from
Tampa we lived in little shitty
apartment in Tampa he drove down in his
little pickup truck to Miami to get me
when I was cut from the CFL I was
driving up I 75 I don’t know if you guys
are from Florida any of you guys if you
know it’s i-75 it’s like especially down
in Florida Alligator Alley I’ll never
forget it’s four o’clock in the morning
and I thought well fuck that I leave
home like you guys left home I’m ready
to tackle the world to get after it
achieve my dreams and goals fucking
crushed by 22 23 years old I’m and I got
to move back in with my mom and dad I
played on great teams oh wait a second
this is not supposed to be my future I’m
supposed to be in the NFL right now I’m
supposed to be making a lot of coin and
buy my parents shit buying me shit
taking care of my wife but it never
happened so I pulled out my wallet I
thought well let me see how much money I
have I opened it up I had a 5 a 1 and
change I’m not fucking around and and I
said well at least I rounded up to 7
bucks but I thought god this is a bitch
I got seven bucks in my pocket where the
fuck do I go now what’d I do
I can’t go back to CFL because I you
know the point comes where you hear that
voice big runs over like you’re done
right so I heard that voice so as coach
was saying man I hold on to that shit
I’m telling you I keep my back is buck
motherfucker we laugh we joke we have a
good time press is always fun to do
sometime you got to make it fun that’s
another thing he had to do your best to
make press fun if you can but my back is
still up against this motherfucker I do
not forget it
so coach was saying like you’re gonna go
in through challenging times as a team
you guys are on the come-up you’re on
the rise what this also helps me do and
again it works for me is at some point
you’ve got to be fucking tired of not
being number one you have to be and you
got to fucking play angry and I play
angry now I’m cool and calm with my
approach and when I step out on my field
which is a set or you know like there’s
something you’re always gonna have
haters and haters like we’ll see a man
how many movies you’re gonna make her
how much shit are you gonna do like you
do a lot of shit I say yes it’s my
ambition of course why not I could do it
yeah I love what I do and not only that
but in what world do we not work every
day it doesn’t mean it’s just like you
guys in the offseason
you got work every fucking day doesn’t
end my back as a begins this thing you
know and I and I and I started to play
angry by the way and I still I still
play angry my last match Brock lesner
transition and I realized if I had to be
great at something I wanted to be great
in this world of Hollywood and
moviemaking and producing and
entertainment
I had to commit and like you guys have
to commit obviously you commit to
something commit to the goal so I
quietly retired two years later I
thought what the fuck did I do in my
career because my movies were not doing
well I was written off I was like he’s
around 2006 2007 I was like goddamn I
left I pulled a Jim Brown I left when I
was on top like number one in the
wrestling business and I left it was a
ballsy gutsy some call it stupid move
but I had to commit and I had to follow
it was in my gut and at that time I’ll
share this with you guys and Will Smith
is my boy and I sat down at that time
with the agency I was with I said what
do you want to accomplish I said I want
to accomplish the world
I want the
world and I want I want Will Smith’s
career but and I said I mean this
respectfully because I know he’s here at
this agency with us I want to do it
bigger and better and they looked at me
like I had three fucking heads and they
were like mm-hm okay but I still stayed
focused and I still had these still put
in the hard work with my two hands and
that’s it and that’s what it comes down
to with you guys to you know look I I
appreciate you guys giving me the time I
enjoyed this back-and-forth
wrapping a little bit but the one thing
I do want to leave you with is as you
guys know there’s nothing you can’t
accomplish you’re gonna go on you’re
gonna become world champions the key for
me well I think one of the keys is
remember where you came from keep that
shit in the front of your mind and when
shit goes bad it goes sideways a lot of
shit does you’re getting booed out the
fucking building or coming through this
injury or people are you writing you off
are you guys ain’t a fucking make it you
know any of that shit you got it you got
to keep it in here the and it really has
to it should drive you it should it
works for me it should drive you you get
all the talent the world it’s all here
it’s all here everybody’s next best
thing
everybody’s the thing everybody’s the
best it’s all here but goddamn I wanna
do better I’d want to do better how that
is because they even said to me well how
do you do it better than him this was in
2006 I said I don’t know but I do
believe there’s a better way to do it in
a different way to do it maybe it’s
through social media connectivity global
I don’t know let me understand the market is all that and Here I am
got to be the hardest workers in the
room and don’t fuck the opportunity out
instead of telling you what I think you
should be doing or what how you could be
better or I thought well let me just
speak from the heart speak from my gut
and really not have anything prepared
but just tell you what’s worked for me
and maybe some of the stuff that’s work
for me might work for you now currently
presently as you guys have your goals
and ambitions and be a championship MVPs
in this room things like that but then
further on down the line as you guys
continue to live your life the first
thing I just want to say is this idea
and this notion that you could be
anything you want you can accomplish
anything you want right we hear that
you’ve heard that from the time you were
little boys you hear that now you’re
already incredibly accomplished you can
win an NBA championship MVP of the
league you could become president you
could become governor you can have you
could be in in in in you could be an
entertainment you could do Charles and
you do Shaq you do that you could do
whatever you want to do you guys know
that the thing that has worked for me is
to remember the hard times so and I’m
sure you guys all have your processes
and again I’m going to tell you what to
work for me
so before a big movie comes out before
back in the days when I was wrestling
with WWE a WrestleMania match anything
big that would happen I would always
take a moment and I just remind myself
all right I was evicted when I was 14 we
were kicked off the island we couldn’t
live in Hawaii had no place to live a
lot of shit happened then when I moved
to Nashville I was arrested multiple
times by the time I was 16 years old I
got remember that if I were playing on
this team
which might you know my skills are
what’s that term oh the shits so I never
play but before I laced up before I get
encore before I playing these big games
before I go to the Staples Center where
history says those are those are
historic will Hall Sahara hit the
Staples Center I would remember that and
it allows me then to be present in the
moment and understand holy shit that’s
the stuff I have around me right now
this is the shit that I dreamed of when
I was a kid I am here I played for
University of Miami played great teams
Warren Sapp Ray Lewis they were my
teammates they were ballin Warren Sapp
was playing tight end that time I was
starting defensive tackle yeah they
moved him over to D line and he looked
at me he’s like yo do I’m gonna take
your spot and I said you ain’t taking my
fuckin spot he’s gonna take your spot
yeah we battled and he took my spot they
could imagine how that fuck with me cuz
there goes my opportunity he went in
switch to defensive tackle lit the world
on fire well what that did it questioned
me to crush my dreams I had a piss-poor
senior year zero production no NFL no
combine invite nothing finally went to
the CFL Calgary Stampeders making $250 a
week Canadian Canadian I had to send
that shit home to my to my wife at that
time I had no money so I remember that
well I got cut from Canada
I had seven bucks in my pocket and I
always tell that story so now my
production company is seven bucks
advertising agency seven bucks
everything is seven bucks so always
remember that what helps me is to keep
the hard times
in the front of my mind because it
allows me to go into these big moments
that I’ve worked my ass off and you guys
have worked your ass off it allows me to
go into these big moments with a
different perspective what it also does
for me and again this just this is what
works for me like I keep my back excuse
my language my back is up against this
motherfucker every day
it’s against this fucking wall excuse my
language
please syndrome but it’s a begins this
motherfucker because it’s what I believe
in and when my back is against this
motherfucker
then there’s nowhere to go but that way
that’s it so I feel like this could be
something an ideology mindset that could
help you could if you look at it that
way because you made it already we made
it we’re successful boys and we’re lucky
boys to be we’re at all you guys made it
everybody’s rich in the room nobody’s
gonna get evicted anymore
anything you got there’s no more money
problems right you got a lot of hands
out now making it a little bit can I get
a little bit right that happens but when
you make it for me I need this I need
this so every day my back is up against
this motherfucker and this is how I
operate
now doesn’t mean you don’t smile there’s
me – laughing joke
quote right happy I’m happy I’m a happy
guy but when it comes to business and
when it comes to executing it’s up
against this
and I gotta go that way and I don’t give
a fuck who is in front of me they’re not
gonna stop me I feel like for me it
feels seamless because you’re prepared
for so long but it’s just like you guys
prepping for a game that’s the fun part
that’s where it’s like fuck is fun and
people are paying their hard-earned
dollars to come see you they’re cheering
they’re going bananas they’re booing the
shit out of you or on the road it’s
that’s fun
that’s what you live for I mean that’s
the juice right there the prep is where
the characters made and I just don’t
mean the character I play I mean the
fucking the character in here so for me
the prep is getting with the director
getting with the producer is getting
with the writers getting with the
getting with the so in essence it’s like
getting with all your coaches and your
different position coaches and and all
the meetings that you have to have right
so that’s the work you put in the key
for me was where does it start
what’s the anchor what’s the anchor so I
could have all these ambitions and you
guys have all these ambitions which is
great it’s important I’ll play this role
you’ll play that role I’ll execute this
thing and it’ll come out this summer
you guys will execute this thing during
the summer right what it’s time to
really put in a lot more work but the
key with me is just always finding what
the anchor is and the fuck and anchor is
getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning
every day before anybody else and
grounding my thought process is in the
no one will outwork me no one I love and
I respect you guys motherfuckers won’t
that work me I’ll start with this
two hands anchor for me has always been
the work in terms of the weight room
training so when I first started
wrestling I was six years old rolling on
the mats with my dad my old man a lot of
you guys will know this yeah Rocky
Johnson
my old man was Rocky Johnson he was the
first black WWF tag WWWF at that time
first black WWE Tag Team Champions with
Tony Atlas back in 1983
my uncle’s were wild Samoans I come from
a long line of pro wrestlers but before
the wrestling part happened I was just
in the gym putting in the work at six
years old rolling around on the mats and
finally when I could touch weights at 13
that’s what I was doing but the weight
part for me and the gym part has has
always been has to be the anchor look
boys event your bodies your body right
you’re young now your ball and
everything feels good you have your
little Nicks and dings and all that shit
you’re gonna have that you’re gonna have
your surgeries we all have it but if but
eventually and I promise you this the
one thing that will never ever ever go
away is you get your ass in that weight
room and you put in the work that’s
gonna happen when you’re 30 40 50 60
said that never goes away you’ll get on
the court you shoot some shots but you
still you’re gonna wind up right back in
the weight room right right back in your
spot film has the gives me the biggest
opportunity to make the biggest impact
global impact I don’t want to make small
movies I love and respect our movie
business but I want to make big movies
that do well and when they do well it’s
not the money thing because we have
money right money’s good money’s good it
ebbs and flows it’s the idea that I can
impact as many people as possible with a
big global movie and when the global
movie is touching a billion dollars that
sounds good right it’s good for the bank
accounts good for everybody involved
everybody’s getting their piece of cake
it’s great but what that does do it I
know I’m impacting people around the
world by giving them some good
entertainment making them feel good
leaving the theater floating so it’s the
same thing right when you guys have this
bigger goal so for example when you
as polarized as a sports world is it’s a
fucking incredibly inspiring thing even
if they’re not fans of your team even if
they’re not fans you to so think about
that you know when you guys do that the
impact that that has the ripple effect
that that has for the city of La
California the United States the globe
little kids damn I want to be that one
day favorite WWE moment will probably be
I’ve had a lot of them and got really
really lucky I think probably the
matches I had with Stone Cold Steve
Austin yeah they were really good and we
wound up we just had a real special
chemistry and anytime we got in the ring
it was it created this kind of magic and
we broke a lot of Records and
pay-per-view records at that time WWE
they were still in the pay-per-view
model and the pay-per-view business
they’re not now but that was always cool
because we had a goal Steven I had a
goal which was let’s let’s uh let’s sell
out a stadium and let’s break a
pay-per-view record but it was always
cool with him because then always – you
know he was the kind of guy who and you
guys have this you have this amongst
your team you have this amongst players
in the league with that guy
former Texas football player West Texas
stayed down so he was crazy but he would
push me and we would push each other
every night you know and the thing that
the WWE taught me which I think you guys
can take away and it can apply to a
little bit of your practice in your
business and your game play is WWE
taught me to always listen to the people
you always want to listen to the people
so when I would go out you know look you
go out there’s always a lot of ego and
you’re you know I want to do my shit and
then another restless there on or do my
shit I want to do my finishing move let
me do mine finish boom I got to look
good I got to do all this my last match
in WWE I’ll share this with you guys –
is that again cuz there’s a little bit
of takeaway here from all this shit is I
wrestled John Cena and I went in and I
think it’s 2013 I went in WWE Champion
and we went in MetLife Stadium we
we had a record-breaking attendance
which was amazing that night we
accomplished our goal so I rested with
John Cena and we had 45 minutes planned
for the match it’s nonstop and go right
so your conditioning is tested and at
that time I wasn’t full-time in WWE I
was just doing these spot matches where
I would I was still shooting GI Joe I
think her pain and gain at that time or
no was uh it was fast and furious 6 in
London had to travel in the ring get on
my ring work in travel back to shoot
fast and furious then back WWE Raw doing
those shows the big build-up to
WrestleMania against John we get to
MetLife Stadium it’s a big night this is
it’s game night right it’s it’s
championship night for me
45-minute matches planned out there’s no
cut
there’s no all right well let’s pick it
back up tomorrow you know it’s go time
it’s just like you guys in a game at the
15-minute mark laying there and both of
us are out I said off Fox one’s going on
and I stick my head now it’s 85,000
people right and we just laid out like
this I kind of roll over I stick my hand
down in my trunk just to see I want to
make sure that there was no bone
sticking out so if there’s no bone
sticking out what the fuck something
just happened referee comes over and
he’s like rocky alright yeah yeah yeah
think I’m alright I said fuck I get up I
go to step and I think you can’t step I
can’t do this I have to use my leg like
momentum I do that so now in that moment
and you guys are gonna have these
moments you probably already had them
already where you’re in the game and
you’re in the thick of things and you
got to make a decision what I got to do
I’m gonna stay in the game committed to
the team I committed to my team the
entire roster right and in the world of
wrestling when you have a big show like
this and you have a big main event that
the entire show is based around the
wrestlers will come up to the two people
in the main event at some point all
throughout the night in the locker room
and usually like hey thank you for the
house I appreciate it
thank you for the house and what that
means is that’s their way of saying
thank you for drawing helping draw
eighty five thousand people and putting
a lot of fucking money in my paycheck in
my bank account thank you for the house
we got a lot of thank you for the houses
that night Oh bang this happens and now
I realize I can’t move my leg I got 30
minutes left of this match and it’s not
just like fucking around I mean these
are like we got to put on a show there’s
a lot of big flying and suplexes and all
that so I could tell the wrestlers are
you okay and I have one moment in this
moment it was a defining moment I could
either tell him no I’m done he gives the
signal matches over or
let’s keep going and again this is a
little takeaway for you guys if you ever
have this moment I’m sure you have if
you haven’t it’s coming we have this
decision
I said no let’s keep going I said how
much time is up he’s like thirty two
minutes okay wrestle the whole match
couldn’t move doing everything like this
I’m getting scared because I’m thinking
man well what happens if I if I if I
pinch something or something like you
know I don’t know your mind starts
fucking with you in the moment there’s
85,000 people your Adrenaline’s rushing
they can man what happens we’re going to
lose my leg or some shit like this if
I’ve just done something to my artery
final move of the match is his big
finishing move and I remember I’m
getting up and I’m turning like this
because I have to fall into him he’s
gonna hit me with his big finisher it’s
like a massive suplex where I go over
his head and fucking slams me down and I
remember turning I remember turning into
John and he says and I remember thinking
myself god please don’t let this be too
bad just take care of me take care of me
bang I feel lucky leave matches over he
pins Ben when she comes in the back get
to the back I can’t move now it’s
getting a little nervous
and doctors come in John comes in you
okay he comes in where was like to
celebrate with booze he brings like
moonshine like legit moonshine that’s
like crazy white boy shit that they
bring like in a jar his moonshine let’s
have some more chances okay
don’t know what’s happening rush get on
a jet rushed home to my doctors down in
Florida
and get an MRI find out that I have
completely torn my adductor the top of
my my a doctor and my top of my quad off
my pelvis yes really really fucked up so
it’s a very long story to tell you what
I was proud of was to walk out on my own
but not only that but in this fucking
moment where the odds are against you
people are watching teams depending on
you you either say I’m done or this shit
whatever the fuck is going on it’s
temporary
and it made fuck me up at some point
down the road look at the end of the day
like again that’s it’s the kind of stuff
that I talked about at top is I have to
hold on to my dad in his pickup truck
came down four o’clock in the morning
pick me up at in whoo in Miami from
Tampa we lived in little shitty
apartment in Tampa he drove down in his
little pickup truck to Miami to get me
when I was cut from the CFL I was
driving up I 75 I don’t know if you guys
are from Florida any of you guys if you
know it’s i-75 it’s like especially down
in Florida Alligator Alley I’ll never
forget it’s four o’clock in the morning
and I thought well fuck that I leave
home like you guys left home I’m ready
to tackle the world to get after it
achieve my dreams and goals fucking
crushed by 22 23 years old I’m and I got
to move back in with my mom and dad I
played on great teams oh wait a second
this is not supposed to be my future I’m
supposed to be in the NFL right now I’m
supposed to be making a lot of coin and
buy my parents shit buying me shit
taking care of my wife but it never
happened so I pulled out my wallet I
thought well let me see how much money I
have I opened it up I had a 5 a 1 and
change I’m not fucking around and and I
said well at least I rounded up to 7
bucks but I thought god this is a bitch
I got seven bucks in my pocket where the
fuck do I go now what’d I do
I can’t go back to CFL because I you
know the point comes where you hear that
voice big runs over like you’re done
right so I heard that voice so as coach
was saying man I hold on to that shit
I’m telling you I keep my back is buck
motherfucker we laugh we joke we have a
good time press is always fun to do
sometime you got to make it fun that’s
another thing he had to do your best to
make press fun if you can but my back is
still up against this motherfucker I do
not forget it
so coach was saying like you’re gonna go
in through challenging times as a team
you guys are on the come-up you’re on
the rise what this also helps me do and
again it works for me is at some point
you’ve got to be fucking tired of not
being number one you have to be and you
got to fucking play angry and I play
angry now I’m cool and calm with my
approach and when I step out on my field
which is a set or you know like there’s
something you’re always gonna have
haters and haters like we’ll see a man
how many movies you’re gonna make her
how much shit are you gonna do like you
do a lot of shit I say yes it’s my
ambition of course why not I could do it
yeah I love what I do and not only that
but in what world do we not work every
day it doesn’t mean it’s just like you
guys in the offseason
you got work every fucking day doesn’t
end my back as a begins this thing you
know and I and I and I started to play
angry by the way and I still I still
play angry my last match Brock lesner
transition and I realized if I had to be
great at something I wanted to be great
in this world of Hollywood and
moviemaking and producing and
entertainment
I had to commit and like you guys have
to commit obviously you commit to
something commit to the goal so I
quietly retired two years later I
thought what the fuck did I do in my
career because my movies were not doing
well I was written off I was like he’s
around 2006 2007 I was like goddamn I
left I pulled a Jim Brown I left when I
was on top like number one in the
wrestling business and I left it was a
ballsy gutsy some call it stupid move
but I had to commit and I had to follow
it was in my gut and at that time I’ll
share this with you guys and Will Smith
is my boy and I sat down at that time
with the agency I was with I said what
do you want to accomplish I said I want
to accomplish the world
I want the
world and I want I want Will Smith’s
career but and I said I mean this
respectfully because I know he’s here at
this agency with us I want to do it
bigger and better and they looked at me
like I had three fucking heads and they
were like mm-hm okay but I still stayed
focused and I still had these still put
in the hard work with my two hands and
that’s it and that’s what it comes down
to with you guys to you know look I I
appreciate you guys giving me the time I
enjoyed this back-and-forth
wrapping a little bit but the one thing
I do want to leave you with is as you
guys know there’s nothing you can’t
accomplish you’re gonna go on you’re
gonna become world champions the key for
me well I think one of the keys is
remember where you came from keep that
shit in the front of your mind and when
shit goes bad it goes sideways a lot of
shit does you’re getting booed out the
fucking building or coming through this
injury or people are you writing you off
are you guys ain’t a fucking make it you
know any of that shit you got it you got
to keep it in here the and it really has
to it should drive you it should it
works for me it should drive you you get
all the talent the world it’s all here
it’s all here everybody’s next best
thing
everybody’s the thing everybody’s the
best it’s all here but goddamn I wanna
do better I’d want to do better how that
is because they even said to me well how
do you do it better than him this was in
2006 I said I don’t know but I do
believe there’s a better way to do it in
a different way to do it maybe it’s
through social media connectivity global
I don’t know let me understand the market is all that and Here I am
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