There wasn’t one defining moment that I said, ‘I wanna be a wrestler.’ It was just something that was always inside me.
When I first started training to be a wrestler I was also trying my hand at acting. I was trying to get into the Chicago theater scene. It was tougher to get into the theater scene than I thought and I almost gave wrestling a try as an afterthought.
My dad was a wrestler in high school. He was really good and had a great amateur background, but it was always his dream to be in the WWE.
I just started watching wrestling in 2008, and I’ve loved it ever since. I told my mom I wanted to become a wrestler.
Growing up when I was watching wrestling, if a guy couldn’t talk, I didn’t care about him. You could have the fanciest moves and be the greatest wrestler if all time, but if you didn’t have a compelling character and you couldn’t talk, I didn’t care.
If you look at the Intercontinental Champion, historically, that has always belonged to the best of the best in-ring talent, the best wrestler, whatever you want to call it, that came out night after night, produced night after night – and that will be me.
Being a wrestler is not an easy life. It’s very hard on the body. I loved it, but it is a hard life to live.
Triple H is a former bodybuilder. He’s all about bodies. He thought that Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler in the world. They think Ultimate Warrior was the greatest wrestler in the world because that’s what they’re attracted to, but he’s not really a wrestling fan like I grew up. I was a wrestling fan.
I watched wrestling for the first time on television while in Punjab, after which I started working seriously to become a good wrestler.
Absolutely, it’s awesome to be a pro wrestler.
I had strong legs that would have made me a good sumo wrestler and I used that to my advantage, but my home runs were achieved by technique.
I, throughout my life, wanted to be a wrestler. I also wanted to be a kickboxer. And I also wanted to make video games. Obviously, kickboxing – not happening. Ever. I do not want to get Muay Thai’d in the face!
I understand it now because I worked with the best of the best, but I didn’t get at first that people have an extreme passion for wrestling and the wrestlers. The fans are really intimately connected with each wrestler.
When I was a kid, I said this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a wrestler.
I was pretty one-dimensional, a wrestler.
It’s been a part of my entire life: I’ve wanted to be a wrestler since I was a little kid. I don’t think that ever leaves you.
I beat St. Pierre, who’s a physical specimen, a better wrestler, and supposedly a better striker. People thought I was gonna get killed. But I have experience in wars with the best guys in the world. I knew at the very least he’d be in the hospital with me.
There were promises made to me as far as if I became a professional wrestler, that I was going to be given every opportunity to be a headliner… and that’s the only reason why I accepted.
When I was 17 years old, I was given the opportunity to be trained as a wrestler. At the time, I never really thought about making it a career. I only saw it as a chance to do something that I always wanted to do.
Even though I accomplished the whole WWE thing, which I feel like was everybody’s dream when you were growing up, but it wasn’t until I got to Lucha Underground that I felt how I thought I’d feel at 10 years old to be a pro wrestler.
I just love sneakers. When I first started wrestling, I was wrestling in boots, and I felt like I was trying too hard to play a wrestler. I just wanted to be myself. So when I started wearing sneakers, I felt so much better.
I think that Ben Askren, when he competed as a wrestler, he was an amazing athlete.
It took more strength and hard work than I would’ve believed myself capable of, but with God’s grace and strength, I managed to lift myself up and become a better person that I’d ever imagined – I believe I have become a loving husband, a compassionate father, and a stronger wrestler.
I came out of my mother’s womb wanting to be a professional wrestler. But then notoriety and stardom happened, and I started getting cocky.
So making the choice to be involved in the pro wrestling industry is always looked at as a short-lived choice, and there are very few and far in between opportunities to continue a career in wrestling if your time is up as a wrestler, as a female.
I like to think I’ve always been a good wrestler.
I came into this game a wrestler and that was pretty much it. I was tough, I could take a guy down and beat him up. I threw a good overhand right.
I am a Division I All-American wrestler, but I wrestled college wrestling matches, seven minutes long. If I was to go in there and wrestle for seven minutes of a fight, a 25-minute fight, you’re not getting nothing out of me for the rest of the time.
The average MMA guys have a boxer’s stance which makes it easier for a wrestler when they try and take you down. I tend to stand sideways and that gives them only one leg to shoot for, it tends to make it more difficult to try and take me down.
As far as match-ups are concerned, I feel pretty good about matching up with anybody. I’m sort of a hybrid wrestler. I’m extremely explosive; I’m a good athlete. I can move around.
People at WWE would say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re the best wrestler,’ but I would think about Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio. They weren’t necessarily the greatest talkers, but they were great wrestlers. I wanted to be that person.
I don’t classify myself as a wrestler, I’m a grappler.
Whatever it is that you do, dial it up to a 10 because for me people won’t necessarily think I am the best wrestler in the world, but I can do what others can’t.
I believe you don’t need to spend 6 days on the road to make a good living as a wrestler or 5 days on the road per week necessarily.
Even when I was a young kid, I always told my uncle that, when I became a wrestler, I wanted to be Rey Mysterio, Jr. and I wanted to wear the mask. I always pictured myself wearing a mask. I dreamed about it for so long. I wanted to be one of those luchadores who wore the mask, the cape, and the fancy outfits.
I’m a good wrestler.
I was ordained into the ministry through my local church in February of 2000. I had already been doing a lot of speaking. So basically, my vocation in life changed and I went from a professional wrestler to a itinerate preacher.
I used to say Page Joseph Falkinburg – which is my given name – when Page Joseph Falkinburg stopped trying to be this over-the-top professional wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page, and Diamond Dallas Page became Page Joseph Falkinburg, that’s when my career took off.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a rock star or a wrestler.
My dad used to be a Greco-Roman wrestler, and he was Norwegian champion six years on the bounce from 1966 to 1971. But I never saw him wrestle. I’ve only read the clippings.
My favoirte wrestler is ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair.
I’m drawn to black clothes. I say I’m inspired by the wrestler The Undertaker because there’s something about wearing black that makes me feel confident and classy. It isn’t to try and make me look slim!
As far as I remember, I was always a big eater. I eat just as much as the wrestler guys.
For the most part, since the time I was in EliteXC fighting, maybe there were one or two fights here and there that they had me to win, but for the most part I’ve been an underdog. I’m not a kickboxer so I’m going to lose to a kickboxer. I’m not a wrestler, my wrestling sucks, so I’m going to lose to a wrestler.
Being resourceful and creating is a big part of my Lithuanian culture. My grandfather is part of who I am, too. He was a professional wrestler. He had a very functional, very slick, long frame.
I was a writer before I was a wrestler when I was in the WWE.
If you put little person wrestler on a poster, people are going to say oh is that kids? Is that weird, odd people? You put midget wrestling they know what it is.
I remember being really hurt by a relative of a good friend of mine when I mentioned that someone was a great wrestler – she said, ‘What do you mean? How can you be great at wrestling?’ I stopped them and said, ‘Do you think that what I do takes no talent whatsoever?’ She realized how hurtful those words were.
Cesaro should be world champ. I’m not afraid to say it, Cesaro is my favorite wrestler.
I knew I wanted to be a wrestler, so I became the best wrestler in wrestling history.
You name it, I’ve done it. I’ve gotten to live so many people’s dreams. People dream of playing in the NFL, of having a hit CD, of being in Hollywood movies, or being a pro wrestler, or playing college football. They dream of being able to travel the world. I’ve done all that.
I don’t think I’d be the wrestler or the athlete that I am today if I didn’t have some of the intergender matches that I have.
It was my father’s passion actually. I had never wished to become a wrestler. I was 12 when my father initiated me into this sport. Gradually, I started liking it and then it became my passion too.
Depending on what country I go to, my style might be a little bit different and my tactics might change a little bit, but at the end of the day, I’m still Tessa Blanchard and I’m still the same wrestler.
At one time, I wanted to be a WWE wrestler. I still do. I want to go in the ring once and mess around and jump off the ropes and do a Stone Cold stunt.
