Rusev

“I'm not a one-dimensional character.”

“I had two or three jobs at the same time just I could afford myself and pay rent and school. Then I had a tryout with WWE, and I got signed right away.”

“Holy crap, cross fit! It's terrible, but I'm doing that now. Anything so that I can look better.”

“I worked at Wendy's for a week.”

“I had so much backlash because, before in NXT, I used to come out with the Bulgarian national anthem. And people were like, 'Oh, why are you embarrassing the anthem?' How am I embarrassing the anthem? I'm from the freaking country.”

“You just never know what is going to happen in WWE. That is why it is so magical.”

“To be a foreigner may be an advantage but disadvantage as well. It was advantage for me for sure.”

“I had a friend named Vasil Rusev in my rowing classes. I've always liked that name. When I first started in WWE, I had the opportunity to choose a name, and I choose Rusev.”

“I've always had an interest in Muay Thai fighting. I love the discipline and toughness of it, so I traveled to Thailand to study ways to incorporate it into my style.”

“Becoming heavyweight champion and holding the top title is on my bucket list. That spot is always getting tighter and tighter, but why not? A man can always dream.”

“Long before the late '90s, being a pro-wrestler was a dream of mine. At that time, I was going around the block, searching for VHS tapes so I can watch Hulk Hogan.”

“I always knew what I had, and I knew I was more than just 'the foreign guy.' I have personality, and as soon as I had chance to show it, I just did it. A lot of people don't like it, and a lot of people frown upon it and think I should just be stuck in that box, but it's just not me.”

“I would have never thought that somebody like me from the small country of Bulgaria could make it in WWE.”

“When an American person hears you speak a different language, you're automatically the bad guy.”

“When you're good at something, there's always someone to spit on you.”

“I was very curious to try being in a movie.”

“I learned to kick trees with my bare feet to strengthen my legs.”

“I attended sports school in Bulgaria just like my parents. I attended class twice a day and trained twice a day.”

“It just makes me smile - every time I hear somebody say 'Rusev Day,' it just makes me smile.”

“I cut my hair. I did that. That wasn't a good decision.”