Rich Swann

“Keep on doing things that I do - 'Beat It' dances, splits, excitement, keeping the smile going. That's what I got to do to keep up with that 'Outlandish' nickname, because I am outlandish, after all.”

“In my case, I never really thought about what it would be like in the WWE. I never thought I could make it to the WWE? especially being a Black man who is 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds.”

“To actually be able to live out my dream and be in the WWE, be in the cruiserweight division, have the opportunity bring it to the forefront and show the WWE universe what we're about, there's no better feeling in the world.”

“I know people don't want to compare UFC to professional wrestling, but there are people who are featherweights that are selling pay-per-views. I don't think there's anything wrong with a branded division like that.”

“My mom found a wrestling school that was in Maryland, and she told me to go down there. From there, I really got my head out of any negativity, and I focused on trying to become a professional wrestler, living my dream from when I was a kid. Wrestling saved my life.”

“But I love Baltimore to death. That's my city. It's diverse and growing up there, it was just fun. Personally, I had trials and tribulations with my parents and everything like that, but that's nothing on the city.”

“I've always been somebody who was just bouncing off the walls and high tension, hyperactive, you know what I'm saying?”

“Being in WWE at the time, there wasn't really another place to go to. I'd probably say I was content and anything that was given to me, I'd work with and I didn't have a problem.”

“My father was murdered when I was 12 years old. It was just me and my mother and my brother at the time. My brother was a little bit older than me and he left, so it was just me and my mom for a bit in Baltimore.”

“My fibula was cracked in half to where it was a clean break, and it was poking at the skin, to where it could have been a compound fracture. My Achilles tendon was crushed like a soda can, the whole top of my foot was ripped off the bone, and the ankle was lodged up into my shin, on both sides.”

“Wrestlers were my role models. And now to think that I am that person to somebody, that brings me joy.”

“When you set a goal in your mind of what you want to be and you actually achieve that, it's a feeling that's very hard to describe.”

“I've never had to make weight for any sport before. Because, get this, I was not allowed to do any sports in school because I was a professional athlete. I was doing wrestling at the age of 15, so the school districts and the board of directors said that because I was a professional athlete that I couldn't do anything.”

“You can think one thing about what your dream could be and it could end up being a disaster or a masterpiece.”

“I'm Rich Swann all day... You have to have fun.”

“I wanted to align myself with Impact Wrestling, there's just so much crazy talent.”

“I think there's room for everybody in Impact Wrestling. I think those veterans that come in, they do nothing but give the younger talent nothing but insight and lessons and to help the younger talent. They show them the way.”

“As far as working against Finn Balor, I always idolized him. I looked up to him. When I was in Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling, he came to Dragon Gate, and was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.”

“I feel like I have to go out there and keep on entertaining, keep on dancing and keep on being me.”

“The one thing you can't do to me is tell me that I'm not going to be able to do something because I'm going to do everything that I can to prove you wrong.”