John Layfield
The biggest rivalries I've had were with Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker. I had long, long feuds with both of these men, and both were groomsmen at my wedding.Collection: Wedding
It's been a part of my entire life: I've wanted to be a wrestler since I was a little kid. I don't think that ever leaves you.
I always wanted to try Mt. Everest since I was a kid. I never thought I would be able to do anything like that.
The JBL character, I had had in mind for a long time, a character very similar.
I had some physical problems with my back that caused me just some really bad problems.
I started up this program here in Bermuda, working with what society deems under-privileged kids, at-risk kids.
When people look at Bermuda, they see the beautiful beaches, the golf courses, the fishing, and that's what they should see. That's Bermuda. What they don't see is the almost predominant black-on-black violence that is unfortunately pervasive throughout the local neighborhoods.
I tore my biceps and had two hernia surgeries.
Look what we did with Cuba. You isolate a country, and all you do is impoverish that country.
I've spent 7 Christmases in Iraq and Afghanistan with WWE.
We have a mass incarceration among minorities that is disproportionate to our population. It's a travesty what's going on with our mass incarceration specifically of minorities.
You want to get something changed, you send sport. Look what happened when Pee Wee Reese puts his arm around Jackie Robinson. That did more for racial relations in the United States through sport.
I'm happy about the fact that I got to do what I wanted to do since I was a kid. The fact that I got to live the dream that I wanted to live.
'Stone Cold' came in with a monster push as 'The Ringmaster' with Ted DiBiase. That didn't work out.
Guys do dives because they don't know how to work. Guys do flips because they don't know how to work.
Do you want to talk about matches that matter? Randy Orton can go out there, John Cena can go out there, AJ Styles can go out there and put together matches that matter and not have to do silly dives because they don't know how to work.
I enjoyed the Bradshaw character - the beer-drinking character from Texas. It was just fun.
When I first retired, I had short-term memory loss, and I started reading about neuroplasticity in the brain, about how the brain can regenerate itself, and I don't know if it can or not.
I should be a poster child for CTE.
I do a mind game every day. I play chess, sudoku. I learn something different: a language, a few words of a different language.
I'm a kid from a small town in West Texas, and I've gotten to travel the world. I got to live all over the world.
I've been to over 70 different countries, all seven continents. It's been just a wonderful ride, and all that is because of professional wrestling 100%.
I got the honor of traveling some with Kerry Von Erich. He was as close to a rock star as I've ever seen. He had a presence that when he walked into a room, it was like Elvis walking into the room.
Ron Simmons had a lot to do with Rock's success.
I retired because I had to, not because I wanted to. The temptation to get back in the ring is very much there.
I think people really liked Bill Clinton. They'd like to see him get elected, but Hillary's just a different animal.
I just don't think our best are in politics. I think these guys are inept.
I didn't have a ton of success as Justin Hawk Bradshaw, but it wasn't a failure, either.
My back's not great, and I can't wrestle a full schedule.
Shawn Michaels I just think the world of. I would love the opportunity to be in a meaningful match with him.
Triple H and I have wrestled many, many times, but never on a real meaningful stage. I would really enjoy that.
I really enjoyed working with Michael Cole. I think he's a great play-by-play guy.
I played a little pro football, didn't make much money.
In West Texas, where I grew up, I had a wind farm planned. I'd gotten the turbines bought and the land acquired, and then the renewable energy credit imploded, and it killed the margins, so the deal never worked, but the investment bank I was working with asked me and said, 'We really like what you did. Would you come to work for us?'
If we lose Saudi Arabia because of sanctions or by avoiding them, they're going to China; they're going to Russia.
My dad was a banker, and I've always had an interest in it.
I told myself after my football career was over that if I ever started making good money again, I would invest it wisely.
Texas was a hotbed for professional wrestling when I was growing up.
When I was a kid, I always dreamed about climbing mountains. I read every book about it. I formulated this plan to accomplish it.
I buy companies I want to own. I buy companies that make a lot of money, that don't have a lot of debt, and that I can understand.
Walmart is going to be very good at this e-commerce game.
I grew up a huge wrestling fan. My grandfather, who was a minister and retired when I was a young kid in Sweetwater, Texas, lived right near us. He was a big wrestling fan.
You look at something like Russia, or you look at something like China, where you actually allow free markets to go in. And you haven't seen the change that we, in the western world, would probably like. You still have a bit of a dictatorship - some people would say more than a bit of a dictatorship - in Russia and in China.
That's one of my issues with the pharmaceutical industry - they believe pharmacy is a panacea for absolutely everything.
Invest in good, solid companies in good sectors.
I went to work on Wall Street for about three or four years with an investment bank, got certified: series 3, series 7, and all this stuff.
A lot of people want to talk about me and my hazing. Yes, I did. I make no apologies about it whatsoever.
I don't think people realize how good Fit Finlay was. He was the best heel and probably the best worker I'd ever seen.
I think, Randy Orton, he has obviously been around a long time, but I think Randy Orton can be a terrific heel.
I think The Miz can be a terrific heel. Miz enjoys being a heel, and I think he's actually very good at it. People look at him and want to hate him. That's what you want.