Digest

This podcast features a candid conversation with a professional wrestler, delving into their career journey, from the evolution of their iconic theme song with "The Wonder Years" to their personal milestones and reflections on wrestling. The guest shares insights into their motivations for returning to the ring, the challenges of balancing a demanding WWE career with family life and acting aspirations, and the elusive nature of work-life balance. They discuss their preference for heel work, the art of microphone performance, and the changing landscape of wrestling, including the decline of kayfabe and the increasing need for shock value. The conversation also touches upon memorable rivalries, mentorship, acting experiences in projects like "Happy Gilmore 2," and the profound impact of family, particularly their daughter, on their life and career.

Outlines

00:00:00

Introduction and Musical Journey

The podcast opens with a discussion about the guest's pop-punk theme song, "The Wonder Years," and the journey to obtaining it, including their initial reservations about the genre and how their friendship with the band developed through Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins).

00:03:44

Personal Milestones and Career Reflections

The guest shares a personal milestone of "The Wonder Years" performing their wedding song and reflects on past iconic entrance themes, contrasting them with their evolving character and the disconnect felt with earlier, overly happy theme songs, including the "Big Time Backlash" persona.

00:05:56

Return to Wrestling and Work-Life Balance

The guest details the motivation behind their return to wrestling, fueled by a desire to tell better stories, and discusses the decision to take a break due to exhaustion, family commitments, and writing a book. They explore the challenges of balancing a WWE career, acting, and family life, admitting that true balance is difficult to achieve.

00:10:12

Passion for Coffee and Evolving Wrestling Goals

The conversation shifts to the guest's passion for coffee, leading to the launch of their brand "Ammo." They reflect on how their feelings about wrestling have endured over two decades, with evolving goals from initial aspirations to broader ambitions, emphasizing the core of communication with the audience.

00:16:22

Connecting with the Audience and Performance Style

The guest discusses the gradual process of connecting with the audience, the strength found in vulnerability, and the complexities of creative processes and audience perception. They express a preference for heel work due to creative freedom and discuss memorable mic moments and the art of storytelling through promos.

00:18:39

Sponsorships and Wrestling Realities

This section includes advertisements for SeatGeek and Full Send Golf. The guest then discusses the challenges of maintaining kayfabe, lying about injuries, and acknowledges the wrestling audience's passion for analysis. They compare significant wrestling moments and express a strong dislike for AJ Lee.

00:25:52

WrestleMania Reflections and Career Longevity

The guest discusses the concept of "home field advantage" at WrestleMania and reflects on personal milestones, including their tenth appearance. They highlight memorable WrestleMania matches and contemplate the possibility of their current contract being their last, driven by the desire to tell good stories and improve wrestling.

00:28:52

Proving Women's Potential and Strategic Career Moves

The guest emphasizes their role in proving women's potential in WWE and the ongoing fight for prominent positioning. They explain their conscious decision to step back from the top to elevate other talent and address the narrative that they don't "put people over," providing examples of wrestlers they've helped.

00:33:10

Acting Aspirations and Performance Mediums

The guest expresses a preference for heel work and discusses memorable mic moments, highlighting the freedom and impact of their promos. They share their experiences auditioning for and filming "Happy Gilmore 2," detailing interactions on set and meeting Adam Sandler. They discuss the allure of acting and live performance, contrasting the delayed feedback in acting with the immediate reactions in wrestling.

00:55:19

Wrestling Partnerships and Dream Matches

The guest fondly recalls their time as a tag team champion with Lita and praises her as an ideal role model. They discuss Trish Stratus's legacy and reflect on dream matches they wish they could have had, mentioning various female wrestlers.

00:57:50

Pre-Match Rituals and Rivalries

The guest expresses excitement for their tenth WrestleMania and describes their pre-match routine of telling jokes to maintain a positive atmosphere. They discuss their greatest WWE rivalries, particularly with Charlotte Flair, and their positive experiences with other wrestlers, touching upon mentorship dynamics.

01:00:24

Career Inspiration and Betrayal Dynamics

The speaker recounts a significant return moment where they inspired an opponent. They address a perceived betrayal by Lyra, who aligned with Bailey, asserting Lyra's loyalty should be to them.

01:01:54

Best-Selling Author and Personal Growth

The speaker congratulates the guest on their best-selling book and discusses the experience of wrestling while ill. They reflect on the challenges of writing an unfinished story and the importance of moving forward, sharing their experience with the audiobook version.

01:04:02

Embracing Challenges and Parental Love

The speaker discusses the vulnerability of sharing personal stories, particularly the fear surrounding their pregnancy announcement to Vince McMahon. They emphasize their desire for challenges and uphill battles, highlighting the unparalleled joy of being a parent, which outweighs any career ambition.

01:08:21

Redefining Success and Gratitude

The speaker reflects on past career achievements and expresses a desire for new challenges, emphasizing that true success lies in enjoying the process and building relationships. They reveal Vince McMahon's positive reaction to their pregnancy news and conclude by expressing gratitude for their family and the importance of overcoming worries.

Keywords

Q&A

• How did the guest's theme song with "The Wonder Years" come about?

  The guest, a fan of pop-punk, reached out to Dan Campbell of "The Wonder Years" to write a new theme song. Despite initial hurdles with WWE's internal processes, their determination and the band's instant positive response led to the creation of the song.

• What was the guest's initial reaction to pop-punk music?

  Initially, the guest found pop-punk music to be "whiny" and "nasally," preferring 90s grunge and 70s rock. However, upon hearing "The Wonder Years," they were captivated by the vocalist's voice and grew to love the genre.

• Why did the guest feel a disconnect from their previous theme song for several years?

  The guest felt their previous theme song was too "happy go lucky," which didn't align with their wrestling character, who was often portrayed as a psychopath or a serious competitor, not someone consistently happy.

• What prompted the guest to take a break from wrestling?

  The guest took a break due to exhaustion from a demanding schedule, including raising a child on the road, writing a book, and wrestling weekly. Their contract was also up, making it a natural point to step away.

• How does the guest balance their WWE career, acting roles, and family life?

  The guest admits that true balance is elusive. They prioritize family, especially their daughter, while navigating acting opportunities and the demanding WWE schedule, often relying on coffee and stolen moments of rest.

• What is the significance of the "Ammo" coffee brand?

  "Ammo" is a coffee brand co-founded by the guest and their partner, born from their shared passion for coffee. It represents their love for coffee, each other, and their fans, aiming to bring more love into the world.

• How has the guest's perspective on wrestling evolved over their career?

  While the core passion for wrestling remains, the guest's goals have evolved. Initially focused on just having a match, their ambitions grew to include performing in front of large crowds, signing contracts, and wrestling internationally.

• What is the guest's view on the current state of "kayfabe" in wrestling?

  The guest believes "kayfabe" is essentially dead, as the wrestling audience is aware of the predetermined nature of the sport. They argue that the focus has shifted to creating shock value and engaging audiences through continuous storytelling across various platforms.

• What are the guest's preferred roles in wrestling: heel or babyface?

  The guest prefers working as a heel, citing the creative freedom it offers. They find it more enjoyable to elicit boos and negative reactions, as opposed to being booed as a babyface, which they feel indicates a failure in their role.

• How does the guest approach their promo work and social media engagement?

  The guest loves getting on the microphone and using social media to tell stories and engage the audience. They view negative opinions or perceptions as opportunities to be incorporated into storylines, enhancing the overall narrative.

• Who does the speaker consider their greatest WWE rival?

  The speaker identifies Charlotte Flair as their greatest rival, noting that they wrestled in some capacity on nearly every pay-per-view for about a year, indicating a significant and prolonged competitive history.

• How did the speaker feel about their pregnancy announcement to Vince McMahon?

  The speaker was initially terrified about announcing their pregnancy to Vince McMahon, fearing the impact on their career. However, McMahon's reaction was overwhelmingly positive, which alleviated their fears.

• What does the speaker believe is more fulfilling than any career achievement?

  The speaker states that the love and fulfillment derived from their daughter are unparalleled, surpassing any career accomplishment, main event, or amount of money.

• What is the speaker's perspective on facing challenges in their career?

  The speaker actively seeks challenges and "uphill battles," believing that overcoming difficulties leads to greater fulfillment and personal growth, rather than coasting through life.

Show Notes