Ethan Carter III

Being driven helps; if you look at any athlete or entertainer, they're all going to come to times where, if it's handed to you and it's easy, then it's not worth having, and it hasn't been easy.

Leaving Impact was a very difficult decision, as I had six months left on a very lucrative and talent-friendly contract. Anthem lived up to that contract and always treated me with the utmost respect as a businessman and a person.

My decision to leave Impact had nothing to with their business or finances and everything with me wanting to challenge myself to something new.

I would mark 2015 down as the best year of my life. Now, I beat a couple of legends, became World Heavyweight Champion, ascended to the very top of the industry; I got two cats - that was a big deal in 2015.

I've been fortunate to share the ring with great wrestlers of legendary status and those that will fill their boots in the future.

I'm like a caged animal sometimes. Let me yearn to breathe free.

When you look at critics in wrestling, it's a real special fan base. There's a lot of voices, but at the end of the day, there's only one voice that really matters, and that's your boss's, right? There's a lot of cooks in a lot of kitchens. It can be hard because there are some fans you really have to set aside.

I can handle any sort of pressure, any criticisms.

I could live in a house in the sky with a golden car and have a billion dollars in the bank, and I'd still have a chip on my shoulder. When I feel slighted, I hold on to that. It's a good thing.

It's hard pressed to find a better American role model than Teddy Roosevelt.

If people want my advice, I will gladly give it to them. If they don't ask, I won't feel inclined to because maybe they didn't want to know.

Nothing's really been handed to me, and I've stayed in the game long enough to get an opportunity that I've been hopefully knocking it out of the park every chance I get.

I work for my personal satisfaction and then for my bosses as well, and as long as I get the thumbs up and get paid by somebody, I feel like I'm doing my job, and I'm cool with that.

Crowd involvement plays a huge part in the performance of a professional wrestler. The only thing I do not want to hear when I am in the ring is the sound of indifference.

I try to find influences in not only wrestling but all facets of entertainment.

EC3 began as a spoiled brat, and I felt it was important for the fans to be able to relate to the character - not as themselves but as someone they may have encountered in their lives and really just want to sock square in the face.

As far as it growing, I believe it is always necessary to evolve. I am not one to rest on my laurels.

It's hard to dislike a guy who's spouting off funny comments when he grabs a guy in a hold, you know? It's hard to dislike that, because it's entertaining.

I just mentioned how my sports car is European, and that is the extent of how I like Europeans, is in my cars.

I really emotionally invest in everything that I do.