Wade Barrett

“The fact is, there's a ton of opportunities out there now for professional wrestlers which, when I was coming through, weren't really there. The only game in town realistically was WWE, and it was very, very difficult to see yourself working anywhere outside of that.”

“I've had a lifelong passion, and really obsession, with professional wrestling since I was a very small kid.”

“By the time I got to 2015, I was sliding down the card. I was getting opportunities that I thought were kind of wasted. Like, I became the King of the Ring, which sounds like it should be impressive, but what it was followed up with was zero rises.”

“I've focused on being as lean as I can.”

“It's pretty much impossible to do anything when you're in WWE because you're so busy constantly.”

“I think Bad News Barrett was just having a laugh every single night.”

“Even to get to NXT now - which is the bottom rung of the WWE ladder - you have to be really good just to get there. They generally don't take guys who can't wrestle.”

“I've never gone out and courted favors. I've never gone out to be booed, either. It's just me being myself.”

“There is nothing more terrifying than lying in the ring and feeling that your hand has gone numb.”

“I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about me. When I look in the mirror and see what's looking back at me, I'm incredibly happy. Nobody's opinion is going to change that.”

“I think the digital revolution and the opportunity for smaller brands to get big platforms now is fantastic for professional wrestlers and professional wrestling in general.”

“I enjoy the challenge of taking someone on.”

“I couldn't just be good on the mic. I needed to be good on the mic; I needed to be good in the ring; I need to be good in my presentation; my ring attire need to look good, my appearance. Everything about me needed to be the best. I couldn't be weak in any area because you're only as good as your weakest aspect.”

“It is a grind lifestyle and it never ends until you get hurt and then you sit home rehabbing for three months or whatever it is until you get back straight on that train grinding again, which is how you make your money in the pro wrestling world.”

“I stopped drinking alcohol, which probably was the biggest change. I used to be a very big beer drinker. Being from England, that's a very common thing.”

“I think the way British wrestling lost its way in the mid '80s was that the athleticism and the sporting side to the drama kind of went away and it almost became a joke of a TV show.”

“I was told by thousands of people I would never make it.”

“I want to be champion of the world.”

“So in the pro wrestling world, everything is massively over the top and every reaction that you do in the ring is kind of corny if we're honest - it's not supposed to be serious - it's a comic book world.”

“I want to be the first English WWE world champion.”