I've rung my bells so many times, especially back in the day when chair shots to the head were legal. My goodness, I took so many of those.Collection: Legal
I really hate my hair when it's not braided because it's so big when it dries. When it's wet, it looks cool, but when it dries, it gets all in my mouth during a match, and I hate it.
I can't wrestle a match without getting my ankles taped because they feel like they'll shatter on me.
I remember 'Wrestlemania 6' with The Ultimate Warrior against Hulk Hogan. It was so cool to see those guys go in there and the fans getting into the match so much.
I find inspiration for my works of art in my studio and in the squared circle from all sorts of places.
Early, when I first started wrestling, I wanted to be a combination of Sting and the Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Warrior's craziness and weird personality and Sting's coolness and the way he carried himself to the ring. But then later on, when it came to physicality and athleticism, Shawn Michaels topped the cake.
I got the dragon on my leg when I was still living with my dad. He's not a fan of tattoos, so I had to get it behind his back; he kind of freaked out when he saw it.
When I wrestled Randy Orton, that was probably the biggest match of my career at that point, because that was when I had the other shot at the WWE championship.
I was obsessed with it, and then I learned more about professional wrestling and how the beauty that does exist in it is truly an art form.
If Meekmahan ever came to the Hardy compound, I would tell Meekmahan, face-to-face, 'You'll fade away and classify yourself as obsolete! Obsolete!'
I don't want to go back to WWE and burn out within four or five months, and having another run as TNA world champion would feel just as good.
I've learned that I can still be loved if I perform well, and I learned that from the broken brilliance of Matt Hardy.
I compliment people when I see something I really like and tell them, 'That was good. Keep doing what you're doing.' That's as much as advice as you will get out of me.
Sting was one of my first and biggest influences. One night in North Carolina, when I reached out and touched his shoulder, he had the face paint on, and I didn't know why, but I loved it. I wanted to be just like him, and I was only 11 years old.
We may never be as big as WWE, but the cool thing about TNA is that we are the alternative. So people who get tired and bored with the WWE - I've been there, I understand - there's an alternative and something else to watch.
For special wrestlers, there's somewhere else to go - as long as you're not brainwashed by that WWE mentality. There's other worlds out there; it's OK to switch around.
I'm good at professional wrestling, and I always will be good, but what's always been different about me is that I can't completely focus on professional wrestling.
I've always dreamt of somewhere down the line getting one match out of Hogan, just because that was always a dream.
My first match was against Razor Ramon. I lost. Come to think about it, I lost a lot back in those days.
I started wrestling professionally, I did my first television match at 16, but I was wrestling at country fairs and national armories when I was 14.
Ric Flair, The Freebirds, and The Rockers were great influences in my decision to become a wrestler.
You can't go wrong with reading the fans and letting them tell you who they like. I think that's really paid off for me in the long run - being down to earth and just really cool with each and every fan that I meet - and they've really supported me through thick and thin.
The roots that weave up my right arm and onto my neck are my way of connecting with the earth: the earth's roots carry water like a human's veins carry blood.
I would love to get into acting. I really enjoy acting - portraying other personalities and approaching different levels and whatnot - that would be awesome.
People ask me how I am so fearless on a ladder and how I have no fear in the ring. And the answer to that question is a bit complicated. I used to have no fear, but that is no longer true. With a wife and two girls at home, I'm more afraid now than ever.