Damian Priest

Hello, everybody. It's the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. We are on my home away from home, my tour bus, and we are on my favorite show. What do you want to talk about? My guest today, special guest, big guest, physically, a big guest, the big guy, right? A big guest and someone who I have a lot of questions to ask that are related to a mutual friend. I don't know if I'll get to these questions, but I have a lot of questions that don't even pertain to wrestling. But we're going to get to the wrestling questions too. But someone who's incredibly special, former World Heavyweight Champion, I'm sure he'll be World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Champion. I'm sure he'll do all these things because he's a go-getter. He's a wonderful human being in addition to that. There's amazing documentary about him out there. Listen, ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Puerto Rico, the one and only, the one and only Damien Priest. How you doing, boss? I'm good, man. Yeah, there's no response. Yeah. Yeah, you have to like. You've got a crew, I figured everybody would clap. Yeah, they don't do it. They don't do it. Is that a thing? Yeah. Kyle claps every now and then, right? Yeah, every now and then. He's got to really move, Kyle. I have the American rules, right? Why does Moscow get the mule? See, I know the bit. I have the American mule provided by our good friends at Wheatley American Vodka. I do sincerely love this stuff, so thank you so much. I see you got something special there. Yeah, this is Wheatley Vodka's archers mark. Oh, I love it. Got some Wheatley vodka in it, some cranberry, lime juice, simple syrup, a dash of Tabasco. No kidding. You know, a little kick. A little kick. Yeah. Hey. So it's pretty good. I've been trying to die into start the show, so I can take it. The archers mark bullseye. Good. Love that, little kick. Oh my gosh. All right, again, I said I'm going to ask some unique questions because we have been involved in some unique scenario that people might not be aware of. And one of them is going to come right out with it and just ask your feelings on it. We wrestled previously at Ring of Honor, bound by honor, I think was the show. Spot on. And I so badly wanted to do this thing that I saw Haku do many years ago when a wooden chair was slammed over his head. And he was so tough. He was so big. He was such a dominating, a heater that he just didn't flinch. He just no soul then carried on. I wanted to replicate something like that when we wrestled. Unfortunately, we didn't have that type of wooden chair. No, not even close. We had what I believe was a cracker barrel rocking chair. Yeah. And heavy, heavy. Ridiculously large. Ridiculously large. And my motto, as you can ask the Usos know this very well, my brother knows this, is we've heard several of my mottos. RTD is one. I won't go into that. But FSA, full speed ahead, often in wrestling, dumb ideas come up. And there'll be someone who's smart and says, like, yeah, you need to do that. And that's when I go, yeah, we do. Just almost out of principle. Out of, yeah, we should do that idea. So we've got a rocking chair from Cracker Barrel. No one should ever be hit with a rocking chair. Not many men have the strength to pick one up even over their head to deliver what we were trying to do with a rocking chair. Ultimately, we decide full speed ahead. We go with it. And I hit you with this chair. And the effect isn't there because the chair doesn't break. And I don't recall how many times I hit you with a chair. Three. Three. Yeah, it sucked. What was going through your mind in the small Florida town we were in in front of, I want to say, a nice, very vocal 200 something feeful. What was going through? I have so much. But I got to start at the beginning with this one. First of all, I love that when we got announced that we were going to work each other, you said, I'd like to do the Ray Trailer spot. Oh, around the corner type deal? To this day, I have no idea what you were talking about. So I looked it up. And then I ended up finding that wooden chair clip in that rabbit hole that I went through. Serendipity. But I had no idea. To this day, I have no idea what you meant. But I was like, immediately, of course, you know, it's a big matchup for me. And I was like, yeah, absolutely. I have no idea. Then you tell me about the chair. And I see the clip, and it's a small folding wooden chair. And they show up with this ginormous rocking chair. Bird. Yeah. The guy's name was Bird, who found the chair. And then the best part is, remember that they were like, well, this is going to be hard to break. So maybe we'll cut it a little bit to make it easier. Did not work. I think they cut the wrong side. So it kind of reinforced it, if anything. Not effective. Hurt like crazy. And I just turned around. I was like, OK. Because you hit me, it didn't break. You hit me again, it didn't break. And then you hit me again as I was about to turn. And then I just turned around like enough, because it was hurting so much. I remember you looking at me, and it was the nicest way of. You know. It didn't work. Yeah. I remember so that night, it's bound by honor. You and I wrestling. But also, you were on your way. You'd already signed with NXT, right? No, I don't think so, yeah. I think you had. Did I? You were lean and mean. No, because I was in the United States champion then. OK, but you were on, you were close. Or not the United States, the TV champ. Because I remember me and the Bucks were thinking, dude is in great shape again, and getting there. And I thought it wasn't going to be long. So I was really glad. Because remember, at the time, I didn't think I'd ever be coming back to WWE. And for some people there, their only goal in the world was to be at WWE. And I knew we wouldn't have you for long. So to me, because I really had been turned down by WWE a few times at this point. So I believe when we had this match, I had just signed my first contract with Ring of Honor that actually was like, oh, I could buy groceries now, regularly. Which I was pretty excited about. And it was for one year. And I think you were like, a part of that was like, OK, this is part of your first big matchup in your new contract. And I think that's what it was. So I think that's why it seemed more important to me at the time. Because it was like, oh, this is like real big deal stuff. I took my time there very seriously in terms of let's sell some tickets. You, I mean, the company became number two only because you joined. Like it was granted, it was on a upward swing. But when you came in, you legitimize like, OK, stars come here. It was pretty cool. I remember the vibe in the locker room was like, oh, man, we're going to be a big deal now. Vibes quickly shifted. Big time. Quickly shifted. But it was it was it was a fun time. I always felt it was funny that I didn't really have a crew, but I was in a crew. Because I think you and I even talked about it at the time. I'd already come from W to B had had Randy Orton as a mentor and John Cena even. And I really just wanted to be around everybody. But I jumped right in and was on the you know, the old the bullet train. And that was that was real heat. Yeah, locker room. And I thought, oh, man, I missed out. I actually think this is the day that I missed out on making some friends because I was already in that group and I was in New Japan was even worse. Buddy, they'd be working 28 days and then I'd show up at the last day just for the streaming event, fully refreshed, happy. Everybody's been going through. Everyone's been going through it and I and overpaid as well. Like, oh, man, so I apologize. Well, it's not an apologize. You say no. It's not your fault that someone wants to give you something. Well, I think some people may have taken it one certain way. But I think most of us when you came in and they put you with the Bullet Club, it's like, well, you were going to say no. Yeah. And everything, if anybody was upset, it was mainly because they wanted to be in that spot anyway. You know what I've come to realize about the Bullet Club? And I talk with AJ, I talk with Finn about this all the time. Bullet Club was so cool when Finn Balor was doing it. So cool when AJ Styles was doing it. But they weren't like printing money. They weren't. It wasn't the money making enterprise. I joined and it did start making money. However, it was the least cool thing ever. And I realized I was like the sold out, like the commercial bullet. And that's why I leaned into it a little at the end. So I when I look at the leaders of the Bullet Club, I don't mind when people get into these heated arguments over how awful I was for it, because what we were doing well, we were places that were sometimes empty, you know. But yeah, no, I know I was a pretty poor. You were there for your purpose. You know what it was. Dude, I didn't know. Well, you didn't know, but the company did. And it raised the stock of both New Japan and Ring of Honor. So it worked. I'm going to ask you something. I'm not asked anybody on this pod. I don't think I've asked anyone. What do you have on your wrist? What do you got there? You're the watch guy. You could tell me. Oh, wow, it's beautiful. So this is was this the first role that you got? Yeah. That's a World Heavyweight Champion role. This is actually exactly when I bought it right on the hustle media and I won the world title. Look at that. Look at us all now. When we're all broke, we're going to look back and say, what were we doing? You know, I was just talking about it earlier. Yeah. How my gear got stolen out of my car when I lived in Jersey in the Indies. It's not funny. No, and I had to retire from wrestling because I couldn't afford new gear. So I got a job that I could afford to buy another pair of gear like a year later and then afforded an apartment and then I started wrestling again. I'm going to ask you a really old school question. Why didn't you have your gear on you? Why was you in your car? Because I was homeless. Oh, man. Wow, that's a no. No. Now I feel terrible. No. Hey, look, you were living out of the car at the time? Yeah, basically. And then just crashing. Crashing? At random people's places or go to a party and just sleep there. You know, but that was the life of the first few years. Yeah. You know, on and off. You're kind of a, if you don't mind. And if you do, please tell me, I understand. You have a reputation. You are beloved, by the way, as I'm sure you know. The locker room, the men, the women, the fricking hair and makeup department, it's nauseating. They, when he walks by, it's all jaws drop. It's amazing. Like I'm very impressed. You're beloved by your peers. It's a hard skill. I know I'm not. I like to lean into it almost. You, beloved by your peers, you have a reputation as well, though, as being one of the few kind of pirates, the few kind of outlaws left out there. You will, you will throw a party from cowboy. Cowboy. Cowboy, if you will. You have that reputation. When you're not, right? When you're me, who's sitting on this bus, when I'm not doing something fun like this, who's watching YouTube clips on action figure reveals or something that's not all that sexy, I like to think, what is Damien Priest doing tonight? Hmm, right? And is it as, this is all my question is, is it as exciting as we all think? It's pretty wild. Oh man. Oh man. Some things don't change. Like I've never, maybe I got a watch and stuff like that. That's the difference now. But the way I live, the way I act, the way I treat people, I keep, I've never changed. I just don't know how to be different. And I've always liked having a good time and everybody around me having a good time. It's just the best part of life is just being happy and smiling and just loving life. Like that's always been my favorite part of living. So I love sharing that too. And now that I'm in a better position, you know, and then, you know, we work with people that we literally trust each other with our lives, right? Yeah. Cheers. So if I can't go far and beyond with them, it's just wild, like what am I doing here? Just because of the way I am. And I'm not saying everybody needs to be the way I am. I, that's, that'd be ridiculous if everybody was the same way. So I love that everybody's different. But I wouldn't say you're so disliked as much as you think you are. I think we all have people that like us and don't. A lot of people maybe face us for whatever reason, you know, or, you know, just, it is what it is. But no, you have a lot more respect than you think you do. I'll take it. Thank you. Your best friend in the game or what a lot of us kind of even announced it. We've seen it. I don't know how real or authentic. I assume very authentic because I've worked with you both re-ripply. How does something like that come about? It seems like two very different worlds or maybe very similar. Who knows? No. So we met at a holiday Christmas, well, I haven't met her before, but we became friends at a NXT PC holiday party. Dry party, but I didn't get the memo. I love how you said dry party. When you're, so every party is dry at a certain point in your life, but okay, dry party. So, you know, it's at the PC, no alcohol. And I'm like, what type of party is this? We're just gonna have some more dervs and talk about wrestling. We could have just did this on NXT day, but I didn't get the memo. So I was having a good time. You showed up. Yeah, I showed up. You showed up. And her re-is our memory of what happened then. I said that I came up to her and her group or wherever she was with. And I just started talking and making everybody laugh. And then me and her just started like talking about music and stuff. And she said I was putting everybody over. And then we just be stayed friends. She just thought I was hysterical and then just gravitated towards me as cause she'd always feel comfortable around me. And then we just became best friends immediately. And then just transferred over to the main roster, judgment day and Territwins and all of it. Are you inspired by her? Yeah, it's just, it's wild to see somebody. Cause we all, this business, we've talked about sacrifice. Yeah, we sacrificed time away from our loved ones and that and that. But you're talking about somebody who moved to the other side of the world. Yeah. They don't even call Burger King over there. It's Hungry Jacks. That's how, that's how crazy work over there is over there. Excuse my language. Yeah, I mean, you walk around this kangaroos in the street. Yeah. Fighting each other. Fighting. For Hungry Jacks. So. Oh man, I like how it's gonna, I know more about it than Hungry Jacks, I promise. Last year, I was talking to our leader, it was Triple H about coming to Perth and this is going into WrestleMania 40. So we come out there, I'm with Seth. We're talking about our tag match with Rockin' Roman, WrestleMania 40 and they told me they had, they said, you have Pyro. Which I like hearing, you know, I like Pyros. It's shocker. Yeah, shocker. You a Pyro? No. So they said, you have Pyro. He said, take a little extra when you get on the buckle. I was like, oh, okay, they're probably doing a wrap around or something. I take a little extra when I get up there. They had barge Pyro, I never experienced that before. So what's that? So out in the water, they had barges. Oh yeah. That were shooting like Pyro for basically a fireworks show and I have never seen and I was so proud that I got to be part of it and I don't want it to go away and please Hunter, don't take it away. I have never seen such a waste of money in my entire life. It kept going. And I remember Seth was looking like, what the, what, but we, that we weren't doing anything. It wasn't a match. It was just a talk segment. So I felt the idea was let's, you know, give them that full, that full entrance experience, but it was amazing as I have fond memories of Perth just for having to stand there in the ring, knowing they're getting this great elimination chamber. They're getting this great PLE that evening and I got to do this and have all the fireworks go off. Perth's amazing. I did a, did you ever do Indies in Australia? No. That was my first time there. Oh, I did a series of Indies in Australia. Those are good fans. Good fans. We need each another one of those? Yeah, the real bartender. Ever dreamed of making your own WWE entrance? Well, now's your chance. At Fanatics Fest, you get to step into the spotlight, hit the ramp, walk the walk, and recreate your favorite WWE superstar entrance, full theme music, official WWE set and all. You'll feel the crowd, the energy, the hype, just like the real thing, and that's just the start. Fanatics Fest is back in NYC this summer and it's bigger, bolder and packed with unforgettable WWE moments. We're talking epic meet and greets, photo ops and autograph sessions, immersive WWE activations you've got to see to believe, live podcast tapings and panel talks with WWE legends and rising stars, a massive collectible zone with the biggest names in the hobby, plus surprise appearances from athletes and celebs across sports and entertainment. WWE superstars already confirmed include me, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, The Undertaker, Jey Uso, Chelsea Green, Trish Stratus, Liv Morgan, Damien Priest, Charlotte Flair, and trust me, there's more on the way. So if you're a WWE fan, this is the place to be. Fanatics Fest hits the Javits Center in NYC from Friday, June 20th to Sunday, June 22nd. Grab your tickets now at fanaticsfest.com and follow along on social for all the latest updates and surprises. We're gonna get you a second drink. I asked for a pyro, I got the smoke though. Smoke's cool, you also get the boom. Yeah, the boom is legit, I got two home now. Yeah. I'm pretty excited about that. Bro, that's two more booms than most people are getting these days, man. Yeah, I can't complain. No. But talking about Rhea and her inspiration, so that idea, her moving across the world and dealing with that internal missing her family, and nobody can identify with that. I can't even compare to that. No matter how hard I work and how much I push my family aside, they're still here. So to me, what she did and what to achieve her dream, that's why she's in the position she's in, because who's willing to do so? I don't know if I would've, but now she inspired me to, you know what, no matter what I think I can or cannot do, I'm gonna try to do it anyway, because if she did all that, everything else seems so minuscule, so it's so simple compared to what she had to do to change. And then on top of that, just her willingness to just go out there and just being not the norm. Rhea Ripley does not look like every other or every, when you think of a female superstar, wrestler, that's not what you picture. You get somebody with tattoos and their vibe and just... I forget she's covered in tats, I forget. Way more than I have. It's, and she's crazy, because like I might've pointed out that I still get tattoos with her and everything, and every time I get a tattoo, I'm like, why did I decide to do this again? I'm not in it for the pain anymore. I'm way past it. It's not cool. I always had a bone to pick with, because her and Buddy, they're such a wonderful couple, like you said, and they did. They moved everything they could to come here and create this brand for themselves, and they're just doing it. And she is... This is an unpopular thing to share, but I'll share it. If you look at a roster sheet in any company, you'd be surprised at the percentage that actually, and I'll use the term earn, or draw for a company, you'd think it's a lot more, and then you'd look at it's a small percentage. Now, it doesn't mean people won't. It doesn't mean people aren't getting there. It doesn't mean context makes it so that a few times they do, but there's a small percentage. And I don't know if the world knows, and I'm sure they're finding out in real time what she does exes and owes wise. She's very, very inspiring, and she's also one that also makes me, I like to kind of compete with everybody who's doing good. I don't wanna, I'm not a stabby in the back type. I wanna let's go. You're cruising? Cool. I wanna be on your level. Let's go. Every time she's on the screen is those moments of like, geez man, what a star. Yeah. What a star. And I was so, Judgment Day versus me happened for so long, every week, something, Judgment Day, and it was a thing. And I remember Mr. Heyman, Paul Heyman told me, he said, stay in it, stay in it. And it ended up culminating in our situation with Wargames, the first Wargames that I got to be part of. And JD coming off, Randy returning. That was my first one too. CM Punk showing, I never need to do another one. I love the idea of a Wargames, but for me, hey, is this Dusty's invention, and I wanna be part of it. I got to be part of one, got to be my team. You got to win the match, pin me. Is that what happened? Yeah, you'd even need to pin, oh my God, first of all, now that you mentioned that. Yeah, I didn't know it was you. JD took this crazy RKO. That's it, we're done guys, let's go. No. There was more. No, just let him do it. Yeah, hoax him on my spot. Like whoo, oh man. Oh man. For a second it's funny, cause you said that, it was your first, wait a minute, we were in the fit together and you beat me. Like don't do it. That's how, oh well. Like alright, so we finished the Adria. So with all that and all that success and watching her and makes you want to work harder, but on top of that, she also has never changed. She's still the same girl that I met in NXT, the kind, just compassionate to everyone and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her own dream without stepping on others. I will forever admire that, and she's forever one of my favorite people because of that. Your family, your brother at the Nightmare Factory? Yep. Little bro? Yep. He can tell you this. I often ask, usually the first day of training, I ask, hey, who's your favorite wrestler? I do not care what the answer is. It's been everything. We've heard some trying to get those points with really ridiculous answers, and then just the basics, you know, Rey Mysterio, Triple H, John Cena, the basics, right? Right. I always tell everybody, I'm like, cool. Treat everybody in here like they're that person, because one of the things that shocked me the most was during the undesirable phase, during the phase of just looking up at the lights every night, how people would treat you in the office, how they would treat you in the locker room, and this is not everybody. You remember the ones who treated you differently, and I always felt, well, if I ever get to a good place, I wanna make sure that no one is ever, we are human beings, and I get there's number one on the call sheet, and there's number 40 on the call sheet. Shit. Sorry. Who's number one on the call sheet? That's where we're at. On the call sheet. But never, never make it, to me, it was always about when we leave here, that doesn't matter. That rule is not in effect. New one? Thank you, sir. You're partst over here. Thank you. Do you mind? Absolutely. I'm curious. Go for it. It's pretty light, actually. What a drink. Yeah. What a legit drink. The Tabasco doesn't... Now you feel it in your throat. That's it, a little kick. A kick, but it wasn't, it doesn't, the flavor doesn't ruin it. Well done, sir. It's actually pretty balanced. What a kick. Oh man. What were we talking about? The call sheet? I don't know, next time make two at a time. So, the call sheet, that's a big thing to me in terms of how we, and WWE, you know this because you had been here as an extra, you'd been here in NXT, you're now here, and you've been the World Heavyweight Champion. Crazy. It's a very different company now, where you find that the more percentage here is on the side of the good side of it all. There's less sharks, there's always this entertainment, there's always sharks in the water, but you find that I always tell people WWE now more than ever is a team, and I'd never felt that in any wrestling company even when I was with WWE my first run. I never felt like, hey, we're a team. It always felt like when we were doing the Judgment Day stuff, this is a team. Yes. I just happen to be the guy who's on the other side of this every evening, but you have a tendency to tell stories. I often get credit as having Cody Lies as what people like to coin them as. Don't love that. But I do like a good story, a good legend. I have heard you before explain to people that I have a snack basket at my house and that I order food with the intent on others eating it to fadden them up. Yes. So that's a real thing you tell people? It's a real thing that you do. I don't recall. When did this happen? And I found out afterward that it wasn't that day that I found out that you did it to me. It was after the fact that it was like, oh, he does this all the time. And I was like, oh, then you invite people over. To my home? Yes. Okay. Hey, come over and hang out. This is enough for me. It was, I was such an honor. I mean, I was in, we were in ROH. And I knew obviously my QT Marshall was friends with you. I'm surprised we haven't brought him up already. Actually, yes, true. Yes. And he's one of my best friends in the world. And through that, like you and I became cooler. And then it was, hey, I'm gonna go to Cody's house. You want to come with? And I was like, well, I'm just kind of weird. If I just show up with you, he's like, no, no, you're invited. Never weird. So I go and then, yeah, you was great. You were a very good host. Really funny. You were like, yeah, let's have some cigars. Love it. To which you were like, you guys like cigars? And we both said yes. And neither one of us smoking cigars. You love. But you can't say no. Sounds like a great evening. We're out there coughing up a storm every time you'd walk away and say, Yeah. But we hung in there. And then like, are you hungry? Yeah, well, you order pizzas and... I think it was mellow mushroom too, the good stuff. Yeah. And then it's like, you know, at the time, then we had TV coming up. So I was like, oh, really? And especially then I was really into dieting. That's when I had lost all the weight. Yeah. So I'm like, oh, okay, but I can't say no. And then I see you're not eating. And then Brandy just makes you some steaks and then you just eat that. And I was like, wait, what? Nice. And then that's when QT, Mike, goes, oh yeah, he does this. He goes, he orders stuff. He goes, there's not for anything. He goes, I just don't care. Yeah. But it's not to hurt anyone. It's I want you guys to enjoy... 100%. That's food. That's a lie. Because I would have enjoyed a steak. You know this. Who doesn't? Yeah, well now I know, but people think it's a trick. No, I just made a problem. Now you can't do it anymore, because now everybody knows. Well, a snack basket used to be a big thing at the house. The snack basket was really funny how you would have that out. Yeah. And you kind of guilt people into eating junk food. And not touch it yourself. For a minute, during the period that I diet, which is crash type diets where it's feast or famine, I really get almost a, I'm going to answer this differently. I really get a satisfaction off of watching people eat food that I can't eat. Like Swedish fish. I get a genuine, like it's, all the endorphins are going. When I can see someone eating a sesame crust, hot honey, like a Roney type pizza, it gets me. Yeah, you ordered all of them. Yeah, I wanted you guys to have it. But I wasn't trying to trick you, I wasn't. And shout out by the way, you mentioned him. I was not going to mention him. Because right now I'm mad at him, but your friend. So. Your friend, can I ask you, he sells you as if you are his best friend. This is Michael Kulari, also known as QT. He sells you as you are his best friend. However, he's the closest thing I've had to a best friend. And he is the godfather of my child. He puts you over big, I'll say that. I don't think he does. He does to me. Good, because. And if we're that close, which we are, he doesn't, you're always brought up in conversation somehow. No, no, he loves you, man. I feel a lot better than, because I feel. He loves your whole family, actually. Well, they appreciate him a lot. And dogs. Yeah, everyone loves him. He is the godfather of my child. You also always have Reese's for him, so. But because of that, I can't get him to the house. Like I used to get him to the house. And all those Reese's, they're ready for him. I don't know, I don't know. That's funny. I'm not saying about. I get it, I don't get to see him anymore either. So I get it. I like that you guys are real friends though, because for a while I thought he was making it up. No, so. I hung out with punishment. I thought he was making it up. So when I started, because we trained at the Monster Factory, when Larry Sharpe owned it. I have to ask you about the Monster Factory. Okay. The Monster Factory, please, go on. Go, you're ready. We met there. I had already had been about a year in, and then he started. So the empathy of my career, like that's when we met and we got along. We weren't like boys back then. We became boys, like, because he had, he had already had done stuff with ROH. He had done a lot of extra work for WWE. He trained also with the Dudleys, and then came back to Jersey, to the Monster Factory, where I was now helping coaching and stuff. And then we kind of like, then hit it off differently, like as like adults in this business. And you know how rough he can be with his opinions. A little too rough. I respect that. Like he doesn't have a filter, he's just honest. So I love that about him. And I think I was one of the few that was like, more of that, you know? And we became best friends ever, from that point on. But yeah, that's where we became friends, was in about 2004-ish, around there when he started, when we became friends. One of the things about the Monster Factory, and the reason I wanted to ask you, your documentary, which I watched, it's amazing by the way. Congratulations on a great documentary. You know WB threw you a premiere. Yeah, I was there? Yeah, they didn't throw me one, out of pocket. I don't get pyro. There. There. Anyways, show the monster. Bartender. I do need one more. I need some more. It's okay with you. I got a couple good more questions. I mean, easier. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast. But with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and on time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it, and now it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient too. You can join a session with a click of a button helping you fit therapy into your busy life, plus switch therapists at any time. Your wellbeing is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com for more information to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com, slash Cody. I'm asking about the Montesver factory. So Larry Sharp was with you, who else? So Larry Sharp, when I started, he was there. He was the one, he was there to take the cash, which I had to borrow from some serious people, just literally to start my wrestling career. Did you pay him back? No. I was going to, then people, situations happened to people, and they got taken away. So you're good. Oh yeah, I was in the clear. No, no, it was, everything was, we're all good. So he was there, but then he, very early into my training, he got sick for the first time. So he left and left Jim Malinot, who used to be a referee for ECW, and Ed Atlas. They were just the guys that were taking over and coaching there. Trained in a little boxing ring that was loaded with ground stiff, basically landing on, basically the ground, like landing on grass, because it wasn't full cement. And that's literally just the fundamentals, that's where I learned. I want to ask you this, because again, I mentioned the documentary, I saw it, and I had never seen, when I first saw you, you were the peak of physical fitness. Lean and mean, the long hair, abs were popping, everything, and the documentary shows a different side, where you were in, I'd say, how would you describe it? Probably out of shape, as far as? That was horrible. Okay. Horribly out of shape. Horribly out of shape. I was extremely lazy, like no excuses. So this is something we, so, you meet a lot of people in life who tell you about how hard they work, hard work gets everything, hard work this, hard work that. I wake up at five, all these things. You don't hear a lot of people basically say, hey, at one point, I didn't live like that, and then I started to live like that. I can tell you, I relate very much to having turned the switch off, and then having turned the switch on, and when you turn it on, you realize there's another layer. There, what was it for you that made you want to turn things around? Physically, everything, and basically not be lazy anymore in your wrestling career. So, I was managing a strip club in Atlantic City. Solid, what's the name of the club? It was Stilettos at the time. Boom. And... Good club, by the way, we just, no. Yeah, we were good. Solid. But it was a solid situation as far as, for me, they gave me a penthouse apartment on the boardwalk because it was all one building connected, so they owned that too. So, while I was working, I could live there, which I was just, they made me go down to Atlantic City just to run the club. Al Capone used to live in this penthouse apartment. Oh, I love it, okay. So, now I'm like, they gave me a free, a car. When it was wrapped with, you know, little advertisement. Yeah, yeah, yeah, little advertisement. But I had a free car. This bus is wrapped by Wheatley American Botkin. So, you got it. So, thanks for the money. So, I had a car, I had an apartment, and a job. Not to mention, I was running pretty much one of the hottest clubs in Atlantic City. Yeah. I mean, I finally, like, to me, I was like, okay, I'm finally back. Like, this is, that was basically the job that got me out of, that I was able to afford gear again. Yeah. And things were going decent. And then, one day, one of the owners came up to me, it was like, hey, we want to give you more responsibility, give you a raise, you know, like, we like you. And it was all positive stuff. And I'm like, awesome. You just gotta stop doing that wrestling thing you do sometimes on the weekends. Hmm. I don't know why that day. And this is, by this point, I'm about 400 pounds. Yeah. This is because I've now been complacent and lazy, and everybody and their mother has just done this to me on my shoulder and said, you're gonna be fine with wrestling. You're big and you have ability, so you'll be fine. I just took that, I was like, I don't have to try no more. For whatever reason, I don't know why I became that way. And then, but that day, specifically, because I'd gotten to the point a few nights that I was, I realized that I was actually unhappy, Yeah. miserable, and self-sabotaging. And then, and I knew that I was like, not doing what I was supposed to be doing. And that day was perfect timing because I was feeling all those things. The owner told me that, and without hesitation, I said, yeah, you have my two weeks notice. I walked out of that office and it was like, what did I just do? Because now I went right back to not having anywhere to go. An emotional decision. But without hesitation, that same day, stopped eating junk food, cut out so many things, joined the gym, and never looked back. And then it was crazy, the moment I started that, and then got rid of all these, it's just people that just tell you what you wanna hear, not what you need to hear, and people that just like to ride the bandwagon, people you don't need in your life. The moment I dropped everybody from there and just started dealing with real people, all of it, the opportunity started happening. That's when I started getting, and then I first of all, I lost the weight. Then I started getting calls to do extra work and try out. And our awaits was calling. It was just a lot of things started happening. And I was like, I wish I would have done this sooner. Like, it's like, wow, what a thought, work for your dream and things can happen. Well, two, Mediocrity loves company, and it's nice to have company, it is. It's comfortable. It's comfortable, but there's such a brighter side. There's such a bigger thing, and I love that you basically, just upon hearing that you would potentially lose this thing, just hearing it flares you up enough to say, ah, I'm good, I'm good, and follow that. That's an incredible thing. And yeah, no, no, it's your spot on. And actually, I've never said this in any interview, or really in public, even to my friends. About a week before that, I was in really bad shape. And I actually, I remember, I called my mom, and I don't remember what I said, because I was in really bad shape. And I just remember her saying, just come home. Leave, forget everything you're doing, just come home. And then the next day, I was like, no, no, no, I'm sorry I called, but she was extremely worried about me. Like, worried about me, like I'm on the edge of a building, worried about me. Just because I was just in a bad place. I think the owner of that club did me such a solid by giving me an ultimatum. And changed my life, because then I was just so focused on positivity and making it. Isn't it funny, the most negative people? And sometimes, and I don't wanna use the word evil, because I don't know if we know when we're being evil, but sometimes things like that end up being our biggest allies, because they gave you, they gave you the moment, they gave you the out. This segment is brought to you by Fanatics. What is your Mount Rushmore of sports jerseys, including WWE gear, that means the most to you. So you get four selections. It can be jerseys, memorabilia, your own personal gear, someone else's gear, whatever it may be. What is your Mount Rushmore? Wow, that is a crazy question. Yeah, I feel one thing I gotta be honest about the show is we throw these questions on people. They're not easy questions. No, but this one with jerseys or just Fanatics merch. Yeah. I feel like, hey, let me hint you, let me hint you up. I got some ideas, but this is crazy. You're a Yankees guy. Yeah, so of course, generally, yeah. You're a Yankees guy, you friends with Aaron Judge. I wouldn't say we're friends. I'd like to thank you for your friends with Judge. Okay, so you met the Judge. There it is, man. Who else you got? The Jeter's there. Who are you getting here? Gear, jerseys, who's your four? So for the Yankees, Judge is 100% there. Yeah. What he's doing, especially this year, I mean, this is historic stuff. Yeah. So Judge is 100%. We're talking even wrestling shirts, Austin 316, the original. The OG, the original one. Great one. Has to be there. The original NWO shirt. Oh, great. Right? It has to be, right? One more, you're good. One more. Take us home. Take you home. When you think iconic, it's gotta be Jeter, right? That's the best, dude. It's gotta be. Dude, when I'm down and watching Jeter's The Last At Bat, I could run through a brick wall. 3000th hit, Last At Bat, Mr. November. Like, it's just ridiculous. Like, I don't know when the movies and documentaries are coming out, but it's gonna be wild. Cheers to that. Amazing. Let me close this up. Dogs. For our viewers and listeners, whoever is on your Mount Rushmore, you can get all your favorite jerseys and fan clothing from Fanatics. Go to Fanatics.com or download the app today. Up, fresh enough? Yeah, time. All right. Parts again. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, dog. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks, Kyle. Thank you very much. Salute. But. To my guano. Yeah. But I feel, when people, this club owner, he's telling you, hey, you gotta stop this. There are, those incidents still happen on a weekly, on a monthly, they happen where people try to impede you from something and they end up being big allies in your life. Not in a way where you call them, not in a way where you're friends with them, but they were turning point. They were anchoring people in that moment. In a way, glad, glad it happened. A lot of, Me too. Yeah. Is it a wild like one moment? And it was the timing too. Cause a week before, maybe my answer would have been different. It's just wild how just the right timing with stuff can work out for people. But that's on us always. Do you know that guy today? Do you talk to him? Have you ever spoken to him? Nope. Never spoke to him again. I always tell, I hate saying this, but I do feel you'll come across, and this isn't everyone, but you'll come across a lot of enemies in wrestling. And I always tell people, I'm like, don't worry about them. No, I have defeated so few of my enemies. However, karma has defeated almost all of them. It's crazy how that works. I have had so little focus on the ones who hurt me or hurt Brandy. And I thought, no, I'm just gonna, the best thing I can do is be successful. And then by the time I look back, oh, they're gone. Something all right, they took care of themselves. I've noticed that too. It's wild how that works. And I think sometimes it's, because you don't have to do anything. It's when people are that miserable and that negative and that malicious, when something bad happens to them, it's a bigger deal than it should be. So that's when you eventually do hear about something to your point. It's like, yeah, you're not hearing about the positive, you're just hearing about the negative that happened to that person because it's bigger impact to that one individual. And it's wild how, yeah, I know exactly what you're saying because I've seen it and I've experienced it. And you're right, it's somehow, the universe works in weird ways. And to whatever people believe in, it does come back some way, somehow. One of the, this is a big detour, but one of the unique ways the universe works, I have always wanted to ask you this, are you afraid of flying? Because we had a situation, and I hope you don't mind, we had a situation where the Omaha, we needed to get to Omaha or get out of Omaha, something. And I thought I'd be big baller and save the day and there was no commercial flights were going, they were clearly going to delay it or canceled. So I got the crew, a jet, we were heading to El Paso, actually, that was the trouble. We needed to get to El Paso from Nebraska in the middle of a snowstorm and the only way we could do it is flying private. Ultimately, WBD then gosh stepped in, they covered it for me, so they... But the fact that you were willing to do it was pretty cool. And I think people should know that that's who you are, you're that guy. We had a show to do. And remember, no producers. Me and Seth, me and Seth. Oh, that's me and Seth. That's right. What a crazy day. We were producers and it was a show that had a commission. So we actually had to do work. It wasn't like, hey, you're good, we know your match, hey, 12 minutes, none of that. That was all pretty... This is WW. This was tough. We had to tell. This is so crazy. Hey, please go see the commission for your heart. Your heart. It was like, why are you telling me this? Because I had you guys are walking around the paper, not you guys are your thing. But everybody took you guys seriously. The best is I didn't put the producers on the flight. I put the boys on the flight, because I was like, hey, we have to do the show. Love the producers. Love them, but we had to do the show. Yeah, you need the talent for the show. So Seth is doing it, doing an incredible job. Obviously, that's in his future. I'm sure the world can figure it out. Yeah, I agree. That's in his future. But I remember you being on that plane, and you were so calm and so jovial in the way you are. And then it's a private jet, and those often feel like you're falling out of the sky. And it took off, and you went like... Close the window. Stop laughing. I freaked out, yeah. I started clenching more to the sea, and I thought, what is this giant man? So, like, afraid? A small fear of flying, perhaps? So... I don't like flying. Plain and simple. I'm better with it now. Yeah. And... Actually, it was the first time I wrestled in Japan. And I remember talking to somebody. It was Adam Cole, actually. Yeah. I was talking to him, because he told me that he had a fear of flying back in the day. Because I was terrified to fly to Japan. And he told me, he was like, this is the flight that's gonna get you over it. He goes, that's what happened to me. He goes, you're stuck there for so many hours that you kind of just settle in. And I understood what he said, and I agreed with him, because it got me more comfortable. Like, I'm okay with flying, but I always, every flight, as soon as I sit down, I gotta put all my headphones, I gotta start figuring out what I'm gonna do for when the flight takes off. My brain has to be distracted. I can't just be looking out a window. Oh, I... Be in silence, just like in the moment, because I will freak out. You know how I know this, right? Well, that flight? Yeah, you threw a giant drink all over me. I did not. Okay, okay. I had limes up in my seat. I'm gonna let the world know this. So Cody, as charming as he is, and as entertaining as he is, he fabricates a lot of stories. He, that's not true. That's not what happened. Did we not take off from Saudi Arabia? I told the boys, you love telling the story as if I threw a drink behind me and threw limes. You liked it. I literally, the way my drink is right now, I put it down. My hair was wet. So you have a chair, and now there's like a, between the chair and the window, there's like a little railing thing. I put it down there. The thing took off, I held on, because it was terrifying, and everything just slid backwards. And to be honest, I couldn't believe that there was nothing in between. It just kept on going. So like limes and drinks. And I have no fear of flying. And nothing touched you by the way. I probably got asleep. He just saw it, and he was like, why are you throwing stuff out of your nose? It's covered. It's covered with limes. Nothing touched. I went to talk to Hunter at the front. Maybe I have limes landed on him. It's like, why do you smell like, no, I was, I'm glad you've answered. I was curious. So you're over it though. But no, I'm good. As long as I'm distracted, and you know, if you'll take it easy, I'm good. The old libations. That'll get, so. Dogs gotta hunt. Oh. And there's a little brag. Last year, I signed a new contract, right? With the company. No way. And it was right before. Was that news? I don't know. I didn't make a scene out of it. Congratulations. Like Drew McIntyre or anybody. Yeah. I didn't get a sword. We loved Drew, but he's looking at it online. Come on the show Drew. I'm not even gonna. Big Scott, I bet he could drink. I'll give him that. He can get it in. Yeah. So, in part of my contract, up until this point, you know, and I'm a big guy, you never, I don't even think I stopped for first class in my life. Yeah. But I was like, hey, you know, I don't wanna be on pain anymore. Like I wanna wanna wrestle and then be, cause like I'm sorry, I am a big guy. I don't fit. So, and they were like, oh, that's not a problem. Yeah, you should have had that already. I was like, I don't know the rules. I don't know how to ask for, I'm just not me. It's not really a politician. You're just asking for a creature comfort. I don't know how it works. I still don't know. Just ask for what you want. But there was the first time that they were like, yeah, you could sit at the front of a plane for now on. So, and the first time that this went to effect was actually when we went to Australia last year. Now you know the way I fly. You know the way I am on the planes, especially charters with the boys and the girls. Like I like to make a, we'll say, like I said, we're gonna have a good time. I'm glad you brought this up, because lately I haven't been flying with the crew. And some of the reports I've heard back. They're superheroes? Of you dressed in superhero outfits. Are accurate, are the reports accurate? Batman? Yeah, yeah, what happens is, after a few libations and some time in the air, I just feel like people need some help. And superheroes are the best at helping. So they'll see me. You'll see me like this, and then I'll walk away. And the next time you see me, I'm in full. You're a superhero for the flight. I'm in full costume and character. There is no Houdainian priest or Louis or nothing. What characters have you been? So far, I've only done, I think just two. Batman. I pretend to be other ones. I've only like in full costume, to Aquaman and Batman. I've done Aquaman twice though. Okay. Did you feel you helped people? I think I brought joy. Yeah, no, I have not been on the flight, and then I've gotten to the place and they've been like, well, priest was in a full Batman outfit. The reactions are funny, because you get like everybody kind of like, what? Or people waking up from a nap and then just seeing me and being like, where am I? And then you have someone like, and again, we're having libations, someone like Jimmy Uso. Big Jim. Big Jim saw me. No bum, Jim. Don't like to take a bump. I mean, nobody really likes this. Cheers to that. No bum, Jim. God bless him. Love that guy. Good dude. He saw me as Aquaman, never seen somebody more mad. He didn't like Aquaman. He just sat, he didn't get up, he didn't say a word to me. He just sat there just mean. Oh no. But it was real. And then I've talked to him about it. He was like, I don't know why I was so hot about it. But anyway, this flight to Australia, my first one and now it's, it's a long flight. So I have. It's not the only flight. We got it all the way. I've established the way I am. And especially on charters, I like my libation. I like having a good time with everybody. But they put me in the front for the first time. But on this front, it was me. Undertaker triple H. It was like everybody that was important was in the front. And I was like, they're gonna hate me after this trip. Then I was like, or do I just, you know? Take it easy. I think I'll take it easy. Pull speed ahead. Yeah. Taker made fun of me. Hunter, I think a few times it was like, what's wrong with you? I was like, I don't know. I'm sorry. And I had to walk away. Then I hung on the back of the plane. I did all this to get to the front. And I ended up flying. Don't worry. In the back of the plane for the most. I sat down a few times when they said, you gotta sit down. I got a good Hunter story in terms of where I thought, I'll never live that. We had a, he doesn't probably remember this. As often I'll tell him a story, he'll be like, that happened. I'm like, yep. We were on the bus. And this was back when Hunter would be on the bus on the Europe tours. We're in the very back and he's got his headphones in and noise canceling, but you can still hear the motor head. He's really, he's in it. He's in it. Long hair at the time. And I stood up to walk up to the front of the bus. No big deal. I'm not drinking. I'm not doing anything dumb. I'm not being excessive. I'm not being vulgar. I'm just, just living back here. And the bus turned and it took a hard turn. Oh no. And right as it turned. Oh no. I fell towards Hunter and my entire crotch was just locked into his face. And because of the gravity and the centripetal forces that are happening here, I could not get back. I couldn't pull myself back. And he's just going, what the fuck? Just like, and I, and then we get to a straight away. The gravity. And there's a, I don't wanna, you know, we'd think of him now in professional sense. And we will obviously keep that. He had a lot of words for me. He had more than two words for me. More than two. He had more than two, but I felt like, well, that's it. One of my wrestling heroes has now had my... He gets old pretty quickly. Yeah, he moves on immediately. After hearing that story at the Hall of Fame, it's, oh man, that was a flesh wound compared to what you were dealing with. Right, yeah, he's good. What a good boss, by the way. Papa H. Yeah, Papa H. Cheers to him. Good boss. Cheers. Speaking of Triple H, good boss. One of our, or one of Triple H's closest friends, the bad guy, Razor Ramon, Scott Hall, one of your idols, if not your biggest idol in all of sports entertainment and pro wrestling. Tell me about that. I think you agree. You're from the business, so you have multiple idols and people that you looked up to. Yeah. The character, Razor Ramon, that was the initial introduction to me. Yeah. I think I was the first one to come in that guy. Because the morning, I didn't, you know, I was a kid, so I didn't realize that he wasn't Latino. To me, I was like, he legit was. He did a great job then, yeah. I'm sure my dad knew and other people, you know, because maybe the accent wasn't on, but to me, I was like, that was my first of, man, this guy represents us. Yeah. Because that was before Savio and stuff, you know, because I was a big Savio fan. Savio was great. So to me, Razor Ramon, that character. Yeah. Oh, so cool, the machismo, and then just the bad guy, the machismo, all those lines, the surfer walk, the cha-cha-cha thing, he was just the coolest, the way he would do his hair. And I'm a big fan of movie Scarface, which is where he got the character from. So it all, like, man, this is so cool. Fast forward, as you know, now I'm an adult and I'm thinking about doing stuff, my dream is not to become a wrestler, then he jumps ships to WCW, then this is super cool, and I'm like, he's still the coolest. That's, I never watched WCW, ever. He took you. I knew what WCW was. Wow. I knew who Sting was. Yeah. I knew all the main stars there. Well, speaking of Sting, Scott Hall is largely responsible for Crow Sting. I would say 100%. Yeah, so the guy knew what was cool, yeah. Sting became one of my favorites because of the Crow character, also favorite movies, and that's kind of cool that Scott Hall said that. But he brought me there, and then so all of this fandom and thinking he's the coolest, fast forward many years later to NXT when I actually got to meet him. And again, I was a fan, basically, I'm kind of a fan of the clique, to be honest, because I'm friends with Xbox, Sean. How could you not be? They were the best at what they were doing. Kevin Nash, I thought, Big Daddy Cool was another one of those, he was one of the coolest people. When you saw him on TV, you were like, that guy's cool. Like, you know, I was showing Michaels in Triple H, he did this and nothing to be said about them. Yeah. But with Scott, specifically, he was just, because first of all, he was so big, but knew how to do a job that made other people seem bigger and make him, he was just one of the, man, I still think he's underrated. How good, he's so good that as time keeps going, I see more and more, and I'm thinking, I mean, even the bump that people are always looking at, Steve Austin, the stunner bump. Yeah. One of the lost arts is you can do the job for somebody in pro wrestling, or you can do the honors. And the clique, as much as they were beating everybody on a pretty regular, they also knew how to do the honors. When you were gonna beat them, you were gonna beat them. And they fought to make it cooler. Oh my gosh, they gave you everything, right? I would always credit them, and that's why I try to mimic that, like if I'm gonna lose, like I look at them as an example, look at that's how you lose. Like, just don't complain, don't think of an easy way out, just do it, and it's great. So, and then in NXT, when I finally got to meet him a couple of times, and I was very shy-ish talking to him, him and Nash both, because they would usually come together. But specifically Scott, I went up to, and we had long conversations about stuff, and X-Bot kind of set the table, because I was already friends with him, and he introduced me and said, this is a good dude. So he paid a little extra attention to me. And then, when I explained to him why I was a fan, and how I felt, and he thought it was cool, and I was like, hey, would you mind if I did a few things that you do? And it started with the walk, which I didn't even know had a name, and he told me, what, the surfer walk? And I was like, oh yeah, he was like, yeah, because you're on a surfboard. And I was like, that's, never even knew that. And then he's even, he was like, yeah, if you wanna do the cha-cha-cha, and I was like, that has a name too, I was like, but I was like, I don't have the rhythm for that. I'm like, the cha-cha-cha? Yeah, for whatever reason, I can't do it right, so I'm like, I'm never gonna do that one. But then the razor's edge was the big one. And I was like, would you mind if I did the razor's edge? He was like, well, people do it. I was like, yeah, but they don't call it the razor's edge. I was like, I'm not gonna do a high cross or- No, you wanna do the razor's edge. It's the razor's edge. And he goes, that's cool. I was like, yeah. And I was like, thank you. And then even doing the drip, and that was a combo, because I had to ask him, and then Nash was there as well. The bud drip. Yeah, using that in my gear and stuff, which I've incorporated basically, it's kind of like one of my standard looks. Like I do with two different versions, but it's a part of my look now, which I was kind of cool that when I asked him for Scott, and then Scott called over Nash, and I was like, but he didn't know where it was, because they were teasing me. I was like, hey man, would you mind if I used the drip? He was like, oh, you wanna use our stuff? And Kevc, and he calls him over, and I was like, oh my God, this is gonna backfire so badly. He goes, brother wants to use our logos, our drip. Oh wow. What do you think of that? So now I'm looking at Nash, who as for what I know, he's just a business guy. He's about. He is about the business. So if it has to do with something that somebody else is gonna make money, because of his idea, I'm like, he's gonna be really mean to me right now. Yeah. Complete opposite. Oh, I love it. Complete opposite. Nash was like, absolutely, that's awesome. And then Scott looks at me, he goes, bruh, anything that reminds people of us and makes us look good, we're gonna be down for. And I was like, I'll always try to make you look good, Doug. And it was one of the coolest things. And to this day, I'll cherish all our little moments that we had together. Ah. Yeah, Scott was a man. Cheers with a click, man. Scott, one of the things he did, and I've heard him tell the story, I've heard other tells the story, but my dad had bought Scott his first pair of wrestling boots. That's pretty common. I mean, I'm not trying to have myself on the back, but I tend to buy people's first pair of boots. Oh, but that's cool, because you're in a position of that influence. When you can. Yeah, no, no, that's pretty sure. When you can, and I don't want him back, but I bought a few boots, but Scott showed back up. And it was a matter of $300. This wasn't, you know, it wasn't too bad. And it was only months after Dusty had bought him those boots and he slapped it back in his hands. And he made it official. And just my dad. That's a good story. My dad, you know when you meet younger people, like I always joked with you guys that I wish Dom thought I was cool, because Dom's so cool. Dom is pretty cool. Dom is so cool. It's like I hate and love them. I'm giving up on it because he's not gonna think I'm good. But man, he is like, he is so cool. He's so cool. I see him sometimes and I'm like, I think I hate you more because he's so cool. He's so cool, right? So cool. So they were so cool. And I think my dad saw them and thought, hey, let me be cool with you guys a little bit. And they were the first to be like, yup, 100%, we'll join you. So really good. And again, underrated in terms of knowing how to, when it's time, we will, yeah, we'll bust you up. But when it's your time, just look at the. We got you. We got you. Yeah, that's great. We're doing the honors versus doing the job. And I know this is, we talk a lot of inside baseball and stuff on the pod and I just, there's a huge difference if you're ever gonna do it. That's how you do it. Yeah, I agree. I want to ask you a question, but I also wanna thank you for something that you did. You guys. But let me tell you one more Scott story. Should I hand it up? That's cause you did that. Hand it up. Remind me of something funny. Terry Taylor. Love him. T.T. He's one of my coaches in NXT. And Scott was there around the time that I asked him about the razor's edge to use it. And then he left. Like he was there as a guest and I asked him. After that experience, he left. And that's when I was in Terry Taylor's class. And Terry Taylor, just for whatever reason, we were talking about Scott Hall in class and we were watching some matches back. Love this story. And Terry Taylor told it, which is even funnier. In WCW, I guess they were gonna give Terry the shot. Now Scott's there. They were like, look, Scott's gonna beat you, but you're gonna get 90% of the offense. You're gonna light them up. You're gonna showcase and this will set the table for to building you. He said, all right, sweet. Go to the ring. They lock up or whatever. And Scott immediately goes, all of a sudden sell. And it just beats him up. It just lights him up and beats him. And they get to the back and he was like, what happened? They were like, we're gonna ask you what happened? And then he realized he got me. Off his never until it's got anything. Oh my gosh. Oh, it's one of my favorite stories. Terry, man. Off his said sell. Terry. He just beat up Terry and then pinned them. Yeah. It's horrible. But at the same time, now in the future, funny story. Yeah. Love that story. Shout out to Terry, by the way, because he teaches stuff that you only find out later in your series. He trained our boss. Where you go, huh, that was right. I heard that before. A thousand percent. Yeah. It was a, I'm not gonna, and this is completely honest. When I was in NXT, Terry and I butted heads. I was not a fan of Terry at first. Yeah. So I figured out, I was like, oh my God, he's like this because he wants me to be so good. Yeah. And then now today, we're insanely awesome. I love that guy and I appreciate his contributions. I want to thank you for something, not just for being the guest who drank the most Wheatley Vodka with me. But I don't get hurt. I had the pec injury is very unique to an anomaly. I don't like to get hurt. I don't like to tell people when I'm hurt. I don't like to tell people when I'm sick. I like to, I'm here. Let's go. Full speed ahead. RTD, as you know, I on the Christmas Loop was wrestling you in steel cages. Yeah. And the night in Boston where you went to Calhouns, where John Cena was at, and you were wondering where I was at, I was on the bus, nearly dead. I remember texting you. It was like, John Cena showed up. Where are you? So, I was, Matt can tell you, I was next to my bed, not even laying on my bed in the crux of the bunk back there. Basically by the bathroom, I had what I thought was maybe a stomach bug. It ended up just being food poisoning. But I thought, we're going to need to go to the hospital. I get to Toronto. We're driving all the way through borders. I get to Toronto the next day and I pull up to the gym. I lay there throughout the gym thing. I'm shivering, temperature is just a blazing. It's everything you could think of. It's the worst it's ever been. I'm wrestling you in cages. Yeah. Cage matches in the premium match of the night. And Matt, I remember him telling me, he goes, hey, do we need to get a doctor? And I said, no, just tell me the match two matches before me. Tell me the match two matches. So he does and I got my tights on. I got my boots on. There's no color in my skin, completely dead, void. And I came and I told you, I said, hey, I'm a little sick. So just be mindful. Maybe don't kick me in the stomach, which the first thing all wrestlers would do is kick a guy in the stomach. And then you were like, okay. I think we were just talking in a way that it was just talk. And then you saw me go to a trash can next to you where I avoided about 30 pounds of fluid right there. Yeah, I remember that. It was that bad. I have a week. I can't see that. Yeah. I got no idea. And then we wrestled and it continued for three nights after that. I was sick for the entire tour and you were, I was like a little baby bird and you took care of me. And there's even photos of me online laying on the mat where it looks like a pale skeleton in the cage and climbing to the top of the cage. I could not have asked for a more professional dance partner in that moment. And again, if we never use it understood, but it's the worst it's ever been for me in the ring. Adrenaline didn't help at all. There was no adrenaline in my soul. No, the soul of them. At that point, the soul was in the stomach. So I wanted to thank you for it. Stand by. I wanted to thank you for it. No, and I do remember that. But look, that's one of those. It's like, man, Cody's responsible for the house. We got to do our part. True, but thank you. I couldn't have asked for it. But man, better. That was actually... I remember that. And that was a lot because I felt bad and I was like, how do I protect? It was a lot of pressure in the sense of I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt you physically. Just do damage to what was going through it. And I was like, okay, let me make this really easy for him. You kept me safe. But man, you're not bringing up Saudi. I kept that one secret. Oh, man. Do you want me to bring it up? That's up to you. Saudi's very simple. Yeah, it actually is a short one. It's a very simple little tale. I want to shout out one of the best producers in all of WWE, that being Chris Abyss. Is Chris Park? I just call him Abyss. I call him Abyss. Yeah, just a wonderful producer, incredibly nervous all the time, but wants everything to be great. He was our producer for our match in Saudi. And for whatever reason, sometimes the crowds are amazing and hot and vocal and loud. This crowd was a little bit more subdued. And right before we went out, we were second to last, I believe. And Judgment Day, Cody Rhodes, this had been a regular TV story. Our someone in management stood up and said, hey guys, if they're not there for you, just go home. Take it home. And I remember thinking, exactly. That was the best thing they could have said to us. I remember thinking, don't love that. No, not at all. We proceeded to get them back. And it was a sprint. We were on a clock. But we were on it. And I thought, because I remember we met in the really weird showers that they have over there. God bless. But it was a moment of, hey, thank you. And a good moment. And I felt good for Abyss. I was proud. Don't tell me, hey, they're probably not. No, we'll get it. And it was like an understanding without we had. We didn't have that conversation before the match of, whoa, now we have to go out there and kill. No, we just both knew what we had to do. And we did it, came back, and then got praised for it. If it's our job to get them, we're going to get them. Now you're telling us, hey, we don't even, no, no, no, no, we're going to go even harder. And that was good. That was a proud, we put the pressure on ourselves without even discussing it. And then did the job and then came back and then got told, you brought them back. Like, thank you. And it was like, you're welcome. The good times. Love that. Love that. So this is a game we play on a show that often, every show, I don't know why I said often. I'll play this for you. This is the jingle for Wheatley American Vodka. It ends in a certain way. I'm going to ask you to change the phrasing on it as we go, but first I want you to take a look at this. Vodka soda with Wheatley. Wheatley, so good at drinking. This song right here is for the red, white, and blue. You got good taste and you drink like a tube. Wheatley, so good at drinking. Wheatley, American vodka. Okay. American vodka. The wonderful providers here today. Wheatley, so good I drink it neatly. Damien Priest, what would you replace the word neatly with? So Wheatley, so good. So good. I drink it. I drink it to take it easy. Oh, perfect. Perfect. Cheers to that. Cheers to that. You might have preemptively drank that whole thing here, but that's okay. That's a good way to end. Oh, no. I will. Myself and... So you're doing multiple bottles now. So you gotta finish one at a time. This is why Wheatley. So we like to consider ourselves the American Dream Team. God bless my friends at Wheatley. Myself and Wheatley Vodka, I want to ask you, and you probably have a follow-up question, that's okay. Who makes up your dream team? Like how many people? Like for what? You know what? I know, I need... We have had it all over the map. We've had animals. But I don't even know what you mean. So the best way I'll put it is, as you're heading into the zombie apocalypse, who's with you? Or you're heading into war games, who's with you? And you can pick animals, you can go crazy. We've had people go crazy. How many people? If you're going into war games, I think you need four more? Oh, yeah. So that's... Zombie apocalypse. So I'm thinking we're like four people. Honestly, don't limit yourself. Who's coming in? Who's your dream team? Oh, man, this is rough. Jackie and Henry. I'm like ready for a zombie apocalypse. All right, let's go. Who is it? I got bows and arrows. I got all types of stuff. I got a lot of stuff. I'm ready. I'm ready to go for either zombies or aliens. I'm ready to go. Why do you have a bow and arrow from that archer? I have them all over the house. Okay, fair. Arrows everywhere. You're just ready just in case, bam. Bam. Love it. Who is it? I'm pretty good at it. Okay, so... I don't got it. Oh, man. Because when you see, you know, you said a zombie and I'm thinking apocalypse. Don't think too hard on it. You're going in. You're in a foxhole. Who's in there with you? Who's in there with you? Cody, you're going to be in there with me. Oh, hey, yeah. Yeah, cheers to that. I'm a good foxhole guy. I need Rhea. Rhea Ripley? Cody Rhoads? I'm just doing people that we work with. I'm going to keep it simple. Fair. Fair. I'm going to keep it simple because then it's not going to be crazy. But it's got to be more of a party vibe too. Yeah, the zombie apocalypse does need the party vibe. If you grab somebody like Seamus and you get both and the guys... That's a great call. He's just destroyed people but also party. Big shame. So you got Seamus, you got Rhea, you got me. Oh, man. I have... You can have more than one more. Gotcha. Just because he's just the coolest and he's your dude. I mean, Randy Orton, right? Like... Great pick. He's big too. So you kind of like... Now, to be fair, he's probably going to push us in front of him. But we're going to have a good time with him. Yeah, that's always the difficulty with being with Randy. It's like Tom Cruise and collateral. He's sociopath. You want to tell that Randy story? Nope. He's told stories on here with Randy. Oh, that's right. It's my favorite story ever. You got Randy, you got Rhea, you got me. It's the worst Seamus. Not going to lie. This team up is not my... Are you talking... This is a great team up. It's a great team up but it's probably without libations, not my team up. Yeah, you need to listen to that. This is what we're going with right now, just off the cuff. I'm thinking good time. I have a good time with you. Rhea is fun. This man is my homie. Seamus and I have... Well, we got stories and... Take the good one. I've heard of Randy's stories so we should be good. That's it. You're locking it down. For right now, this moment, yes. I'm an honor to be on your team. Ask me tomorrow to be a complete different situation. Honor to be on your team. Love it. This is a hard episode to top. Hard episode to top. Really? Yes. I feel like there's been many that I'm like, that's perfect. Part one, we're good. We got one. We have to do a part two. There's so much that I wanted to say. I realize there's a lot to unpack. In this episode, I know it's a lot of inside baseball but guys, that's what you're tuning in for. Exactly. We're happy with it. Cheers to you. Thank you for coming, sir. I'll get some more. Absolutely. Thank you.