When Dusty Rhodes passed away, that hit me hard because I couldn't call him any more. He couldn't bust my chops. He made a huge difference in my life on so many levels.
One thing 'The Very Best of WCW 'Monday Nitro'' really captures, which I remember very well about WCW, was how absolutely electric the crowds were.
People don't understand, and I do, is what happens after wrestling. What do you do when people stop chanting your name? For me, I already had that with the nightclub business before wrestling and now with DDP YOGA.
How could I not be the underdog, starting at 35 and a half and going from a manager and a fourth-string color commentator to being a wrestler?
Wrestling is cyclical. And if you look at the '80s, it had an unbelievable run, and then it just fell down. '90s had the biggest run ever because of the Monday Night Wars.
I'm a big fan of Denzel Washington, and when I met him, he was just cool. And I was glad.
Without Dusty Rhodes, there is no Diamond Dallas Page. He took me under his wing and believed in me when nobody did - nobody.
I used to run a night club in Fort Myers, Florida called Norma Jean's Dance Club. That was the hottest spot from Sarasota to Cuba.
Through wrestling, my second home was Fort Myers, Florida.
I worked the bar business in Fort Lauderdale.
One of my biggest supporters is Gerry Briscoe.
I was sort of like a scout for Eric Bischoff if I saw people who had the talent. Sometimes I wouldn't bring people to him until they had the gimmick, like Raven.
I will greet every person who comes to my workshops and seminars.
I don't think there is anybody, including Jeff Hardy, who puts their body through as much abuse as A. J. Styles.
I didn't develop DDP YOGA for yogis. DDP YOGA is its own animal; if yoga was a bicycle, DDP YOGA would be a Harley.
All the competitors knew the importance of Halloween Havoc. It was the WCW equivalent to SummerSlam.
The elaborate sets and the theme of Halloween Havoc as a whole is what I think really caught the attention of the fans. Add in the explosive contests we had every year at the event, and it was definitely the perfect precursor to Starrcade.
I had some great matches with 'Macho Man,' but the one at Halloween Havoc in 1997 was intense, and Havoc was the perfect venue for a Last Man Standing Match.
I challenge anyone to find a better match than me and Goldberg at Havoc '98. There are few matches that were as physical, exhausting, and psychological as that one.
I teach people how to breathe; I teach them how to use dynamic resistance, which is what gets your heart rate jacked up.
