I often get asked about my favorite matches from the past and who I would like to wrestle in the future.
If I could time travel- To start, there are wrestlers that I wrestled that may have been beyond their prime at the time. If I could go back to the 80’s to wrestle Rick Flair, I would. The Nature Boy is, was, and always will be the best heel of all time. He knew wrestling better than anyone and my respect for him goes way beyond any other wrestler I’ve known. Ric was the man. Then, there is the match that never happened with the technical monster, Bret Hart. We were so close to bring able to lock horns but unfortunately he was injured and was never able to come back to the ring at 100 percent. I believe that these matches would have been my best! There are so many from the past that I like to think about, but since I can’t make it happen, I’m going to move on to the wrestlers I “did” wrestle that I was fortunate enough to.
I have had the privilege to wrestle many greats such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar, HHH, Edge, Christian, Chris Jericho, Cena, Sting, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Lashley, and Bobby Roode.
Stone Cold was the Texas rattlesnake who never got the credit he deserves for his in-ring skills. That’s because his character was so strong that people didn’t pay as close attention to his wrestling skills. But Austin was really, really good. He was a ring general and brought out the best in me. Then, there’s The Undertaker. He’s the absolute best big man I ever got into the ring with. Nobody his size will ever compare. The Rock was so gifted. His athletic ability always shined in the ring and the excitement he created was second to none. Shawn Michaels was perhaps the best wrestler I ever stepped into the ring with. He had it all. Every aspect of his ability was the absolute best and I’m not sure if anyone could compare. Eddie Guerrero would’ve ranked up there with Shawn Michaels, had he not have been so beat up by the time I wrestled him. Eddie had a bad car accident a couple of years before I wrestled him. What he lost in performance, he certainly made up for in charisma. Pound for pound, Chris Benoit was absolutely one of the best. Chris wasn’t a promo guy. He was a wrestler, and our matches were always 5 star. Brock Lesnar had so much athletic ability and he proved it by winning the NCAA Wrestling Championship, the WWE Championship, the UFC Championship, and he could have gone pro in football if he would have stuck with it. Who does that? Only 1: the beast, Brock Lesnar. Brock was meant for the squared circle and I believe that’s where he will retire. He’s just Awesome. HHH was one of the smartest wrestlers I had the privilege of wrestling. His psychology and timing were epic. One of the best performers I ever faced was Edge. Wow, what a wrestler. He knew everything you had to know to be called one of the best, and he was entertaining and funny, which goes a long way in sports. Christian was just as good as Edge in every way. They were so much alike. Chris Jericho was always precise in everything he did. He was a perfectionist and it showed. Cena; what a horse. He worked hard to perfect his craft and look what he’s done. He will go down in history as one of the best of all time. Cena wasn’t the best athlete I ever faced, but he worked very hard to become a great athlete. His work ethic is why he’s one of the absolute best. Sting was incredible to perform with. He had a knack for being in the right places at the right times. I love that guy for so many reasons, but his faith and personality is what I will remember the most. Believe it or not, AJ Styles is up there with Shawn Michaels. His in-ring skills are immeasurable. Samoa Joe has it all. He’s physical, smart, and quick. I have so much respect for him. Any company should be proud to have him on the roster. Lashley is an incredible athlete. He’s a horse: strong, quick, and very talented. Although we only wrestled a couple of times, the chemistry was there and our matches were magical. I believe Bobby Roode is one of the top 3 wrestlers in wrestling today. He reminds me of Arn Anderson and has so much skill.
Epic matches in the future? The first that comes to mind is Daniel Bryan. He is Shawn Michaels reborn. I would love to retire against a wrestler I believe has won over the hearts of millions of fans. How did he win their hearts? He’s that good. Give me 30 minutes with Daniel Bryan and I will give you the match of the century. Eric Young, EC3, Bram, Magnus, Rollins, Cesaro, Rusev, Barrett, Ziggler, and Reigns are just a few I’d like to wrestle before I hang it up.
There are so many others I could mention, but I would have to write for the next two weeks to name them all. My career has been incredible. I have had so many great matches that I am proud of. You can’t have a 5 star match by yourself. It takes 2 to tango, and that magic you have with your opponent can be remembered, possibly for an eternity.
