Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Sheamus: BANGER After BANGER, Chasing The Intercontinental Title, John Cena, Gunther

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

Sheamus (@WWESheamus) is a professional wrestler signed to WWE. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Phoenix, AZ to discuss his YouTube channel Celtic Warrior Workouts hitting 1 million subscribers, his first championship reign being with the WWE Championship after beating John Cena, why he is still chasing the Intercontinental Championship, his 18-second victory over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 28, being Edge's final WWE opponent, why he and Gunther always have great matches, coming back from a potentially career-ending injury, signing a new 5-year deal with WWE and more! Quote I'm thinking about: “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” – Jim Watkins Sponsors: PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank which was designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/?ref=tibcloux TIMELINE: Go to https://timeline.com/insight33 to get 33% off your order of Mitopure while supplies last VUORI: Get 20% off your first purchase! Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at https://vuori.com/cvv ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv ZOCDOC: Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://zocdoc.com/insight BONCHARGE: Use the code CVV to save 15% off your infrared sauna blanket at https://boncharge.com/cvv BLUECHEW: Use the code CVV to get your first month of BlueChew for FREE at https://bluechew.com RHONE: Rhone’s premium performance clothing is made to move you. Use code CVV to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/CVV MANSCAPED: Get 20% off plus free shipping when you use the code CHRISVAN at https://manscaped.com PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at https://plunge.com For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.  Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Fleet. How are you, my friends? Welcome back to another one here on Insight. I'm CVV. Chris Van Fleet, thank you for tuning into this episode. And thank you for making Insight the number one wrestling podcast on the planet. Hit a broke kick on that follow button so you can stay up to date with everything that we have going on. Hope the holidays treated you well.

Happy New Year to you. Hope you enjoyed some of my favorite conversations that we had in 2024. We re-aired them. We sprinkled them in as repeat episodes over the last month or so. But we are kicking off 2025 with some bangers. Pun intended, of course. We've got Seamus today, then Seth Freakin Rollins on Thursday. And the thing I love about Seamus is when you see his name on the match card, you know it's going to be good.

Bangor after banger isn't just a catch. phrase. It's just what he does. He's been signed to WWE since 2007. So there's a lot to cover with Seamus. His first championship ever was not a mid-card title. It was the WWE championship. And oh, by the way, he won it from John Cena. Wow. We also talk about his many WrestleMania moments, it's been a lot of them, his Celtic Warrior workouts channel, which just recently hit a million followers, so congrats to him on that. And that elusive intercontinental championship,

will he win it and become the ultimate Grand slam champion? I think it's just a matter of time, right? Snap a screenshot, let us know you're listening and tag us so we can share it. He's at WWE Seamus on Instagram and X.

I'm at Chris Van Fleet, and here we go. Enjoy this conversation with the Celtic warrior himself. Seamus. Well, congratulations. A million subscribers. Minutes subscribers. Yeah. Yeah, what a ride, man. I, uh, we started that, me and a friend of mine, Ray Senior, we started in Dublin. I was going through some, like, issues with my training. And I just kind of like lost all motivation to work out. And I started doing like these kind of like, I wouldn't say to crossfit style, but just kind of like,

more like multi, more like functional training stuff, like wall balls and the burpees and then slay. pushes down the street and all these different exercises i just kind of got my just just kind of challenging myself in the way i'd never challenged before rather than just doing static weightlifting like bench press or barbell curls like doing like one-armed uh the lamb mines and stuff like that so it just just became a thing where i just started getting my my uh my passion back for working out and and i talked to ray about it and you know we're posting a lot of stuff on instagram because there was nothing really happened at the time at the time means is our we're tagging but we're kind of in a period of just purgatory where we weren't really doing much.

I think we might have even been the champs that stage, but we weren't really doing much on TV. So I was just trying to figure away different way to burn off energy and be more creative. And then it came up with the idea of the channel because for, you know, for W.E., whose entire roster is made up of athletes. There was nothing that touched on, like, working out.

And I just had one handheld camera, did a couple of videos. And then on the road, I asked the talent just as if they wanted to do and if they'd help me out and they all did. And it was just I'd phone up the gym. I'd ask one of the social media guys to come in a trauma a few quid to record it. And we'd basically go in there and we'd film the workouts and Ray would sit up to like four o'clock in the morning, edited them. So my part was easy and his part was torture and nightmare.

But it just grew and grew and grew and grew. And then the biggest thing for me was seeing the responses from people in the comments about how like they've always wanted to work out and they just didn't know how and they started doing these workouts and how it changed their lives was incredible. That's that's really the biggest benefit from the channel of seeing people just have their lives change by just becoming you know diving into health and fitness. Well it works for people at any level right like if someone works out every day and has worked out their whole life they're still going to pick up tips. Like when Randy Orton was talking about doing the reverse bicep curls and talking about how

how it worked this head of the bice. I'm like, man, that's like the signs behind that's so good. Yeah. And, you know, you know, I think for me is I'm learning all the time as well. Like, just, you know, being comfortable in the uncomfortable. John Cena said that in an episode one time. It just challenges you because you just become, like, no matter how much you train or how hard you train as well, you can become complacent and you can become like setting your ways and get into a routine but like by doing other people's work

I just keep learning but yeah Rani's one was interesting and that was fun that was a fun day I think we did that before TV out of his house and just jumped on the zip line at the end I thought it was gonna kill myself but it was good crack.

You just hit a million subscribers so have you got the actual plaque yet? No not yet. It's big, big gold plaque. Yeah, I haven't seen it. I'm definitely, I'm looking forward to it because I had the silver one at home And that was an incredible achievement too.

There's a couple of milestones. The first one was the first one million viewed video, which was with Sina. And then obviously then there's like the platinum one and then the goal. So I try to put the pressure on WWE to get out to me as quickly as possible. But we'll see what happens. I'm jealous. We're knocking on the door. You're going to get there, mate.

It's good. It's awesome. You're going in the right direction. I'll tip it in the right direction. If we have guests like you, I feel like we get there a little bit faster. Yeah, you got a lot of big guys. on the show. I feel very fortunate. You had a rock on a couple of times too, right? Many times? Yeah, they've always been shorter, though, like, and I'm super grateful for any time I get with him.

But they've been shorter as he's promoting a film or something. But I got to get him for like an hour one day. So it's not just WB talent, right? You do a lot of, like, you do a lot of movie interviews too and get three of stars. Yeah. It's a it's a lot more wrestling stuff now than it ever was. But I mean, in the last year or two, it's been like Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Aniston and Ed Norton, like that's been a lot of fun. And the thing about it, kind of like what you're talking about,

is like everybody has something you can learn from. You can pick the brains of these people who have been there and done it and have been super successful. And then I can selfishly borrow a little bit of that and apply it to my own life. Yeah, look, I feel that like everyone has their own journey and everyone has their own obstacles to overcome.

Like one of the big things that really annoyed me, I don't know if it's out there as much anymore. It's like when the Instagram is kind of, I think, I'd say about five, six years ago, there was all these people posting these pictures of them looking perfect with Chislaabs. It was all like filtered and doctored and whatever it is, photoshopped. And, you know, I don't think normal people can't relate to that. Like, nobody can, I can't relate to that. Like, nobody can understand.

Like, there's a story behind it, you know. I think one thing people were afraid to show was that how they got to that position in the first place. Like you don't start off looking, like, you know, you're made out of chiseled at a marble. You don't, like in the wrestling business, you don't just come out when you're the best wrestler ever. Like everyone has a journey to go on. Everyone has to, you know, overcome physical obstacles, mental obstacles,

you know, trying to like weigh up. Is this is quite worth it? I'm going to make it? And I think that's really important to tell that story. That's why, like, the biggest thing for me in the work gets was, I never want to go in there and like look at me out, like bench somebody or lift or look great all the time. Like no, I think the beauty in the channel is the fact that I struggle doing

other people's work out. So it kind of gives that shows loads of chinks in my armor. So kind of in my way, I'm trying to motivate people who've never worked out before and they're kind of like they're very, they're hesitant or they're scared, you know, or intimidated. It's just like, look, listen, I've been training since it was 16 years old, 15 years old. And I can't keep up with some of these workouts and I'm like on the ground dead. So that's me like it's there's no shame and in trying and failing.

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Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. That quote from John Cena, get comfortable being uncomfortable. Did you ever feel like there was a point in your career where you were comfortable? In the ring? Yeah. Or just with where you were at with your career? Yeah, I feel, I definitely felt after, during the pandemic, I really came into my own skin.

like I really felt like I had an opportunity to kind of recreate myself and show people who what it was really about. And that's, I think, where the whole physicality came from, you know, how nobody is physical in the ring as I am. And then that's where the, and out of that thing, went into the, the banger era of Seamus, you know, the banger after banger, but only two? After banger, after banger. Do we have enough tape on this or not tape or SD storage on the camera there? But yeah, it's, you know, I still get nervous. It's still every time I go out there because I care. I've still got passion. Like I've always said to myself, I never want to, if I'm ever in the business where I go out there and I just phone it in, then I think it's time for me to hang up my boots. But it took me a long time.

Like, I definitely faced a lot of negativity from people when I first started the whole thing, working out with Triple H's workout buddy. and then it became the W champion really quickly. And people just, did they hate of that, you know? A lot of talent hated that too, but, you know, it's been a long journey. And sometimes, like, you kind of feel like,

where's this going, you know, especially, but I think the whole part where it really came together was when I started tagging with Cesarro, when we became the Bar, that best of seven series, where I was like, that's where I really got my passion back. And there's just such a physicality to what you do. There's always, always has been, but something about that era with Cesarro just like took it up to another level.

Yeah, like Claudio just come back and he did a short of the run. He was off for a while. I think he did something to his shoulder, I think. And then all of a sudden he was doing nothing. So he was like, and I know, I know, I know, I know Claudia, well, BDT, as you're calling Big Dick Tony. Like he's very, very, he's very, very passionate. He's very motivated.

He's very disciplined. And I know like he put a lot of effort into coming back. And when he comes back, and then after a short time, there's nothing air for him. Like, he is a chip in his shoulder to show people how good he is. And he is, he is one of the, he is one, in the ring, he is one of the best. There's not many people can touch him. So I was going through a phase after being world champion with Roman. And then we did the League of Nations thing, which kind of just kind of just self- imploded.

And then we went on to, we were just trying it's the best of seven stuff. And we'd already wrested each other twice and people were just, I've seen this match twice already. But then by the end, we told a great story over seven matches and really had people involved. And then the Yebu stuff as well was fantastic. And it just our chemistry just grew and grew and grew. That was one of the funnest periods of my entire career working with him. It was great. What do you attribute your hot start in WWE to?

It's like you debut and your WWE champion pretty quick. Raw, raw talent. Look different to anybody else. There was nothing finesse about me, you know. There hadn't really been somebody to come into WWA. Like, they've tried it a couple of times. I think they tried it with Vladimir Kozlov, Kali. There was a couple of, like, talent that looked different.

Obviously, Kali was a giant, you know. And then, you know, Kovov was just Russian muller. But then I came in, spiky red hair, just raw. No tights, no logos, nothing. Just, like, just so raw, pasty skin, mad, hair, you know, and I was aggressive. And that was true when I was in FCW with Dr. Tom. He just, he had me watching tapes of Stan Hansen, a couple of our guys as well. But Stan was really the guy and I watched him and I studied him. He goes, this is, this is who you are. This is

who I see that you are. And Dr. Tom Pritchard was one of the biggest influences, you know, in my developing part of my career in FCW. And he was awesome. And then I just became that guy. And everything I did was just to fuck you up, you know, to just destroy you. There was nothing there, no show about it really, nothing like that. It was just, and when people saw me, they just didn't know what, they just didn't know how to react. And then I took down Sina and then the people were just like, what's going on? And, you know, but I think that definitely helped a lot. And, you know, I was open to work and, you know, I wasn't the best, I wouldn't say it was the best worker at the time.

But I was learning all the time. I was like a sponge and I wanted to learn and I wanted to get better because I'd seen some of people come in and like flash the pans and go because I've been a fan of WV since 87, 88 and I just, you know, as a fan. Like I remember watching it as a kid like he'd see all these talent commitment and they'd disappear, but I didn't read any bleeding dirt sheets or anything. It just they wouldn't be there and then you'd see them come back and you remember them or you'd see them, you know, WCW or something or whatever, you know, or. World Championship Wrestling and they go I didn't even realize that World Championship Wrestling

was a thing I was just so focused on originally world of sport in the UK and then WWE WFWE Who were the people that you really loved

back? Savage man Macho man I hated the baby faces I just was not a fan of baby faces but I love Savage because and I've said this a million times

it's another thing about doing these interviews I feel like at Stone after 17 years with the company I just don't I hate repeating myself and sound the same story about him. I love the, I love the million-dollar man.

I love perfect. You know, I just, I just love the heels, man. I just love them. I love the, love the bad guys. Because it just, there's so much, I think this felt like they had so much more fun. They had just so much more creative control on themselves.

And they didn't care, right? Yeah. So if you don't care, then when a baby-faced thing, it's like you're always, you know, it's like, sometimes it feels, there's some baby faces. you're always like worried your energy is going on the crowd to keep them involved and keep them emotionally invested in you when you can't win everybody over so if you're a baby face and some

people are booing you you're like well what am i doing when you're a heel and people start cheering you're like i don't care yeah yeah you do especially and that that would bother me like so the 2012 around when i wrestled brian a beat and did the match of mania 29 was it or a 28th, 28th. 28 Miami. It was just, that was, after that, I just, I felt, I was pushed. I felt like I was, I was swimming into the tide. Do you know what I mean?

I just felt like after that, I just, people were, they just started to turn against me. And it was just a matter of time. And that's, that's basically when I went out there and I physically had myself beat up to trying, I was working the hardest they ever had because I was still trying to get that sympathy from the crowd, getting the crap kicked out of me, you know, I was just trying to tell those stories but yeah that was that that that's the first time i was like man you know that's when you're like going like shit i'm not losing them you know there's not too many people that win the w f or w w e championship as their first title no and was there talk about you winning

maybe the united states title first no it was nothing i just the randy's seen the thing had just done its rounds that wrestled about like a hundred times and then uh me and coffee got picked coffy got to go with Randy and I went with John. And we had a couple of matches on a European tour. We had definitely had one in Wales or mine head, I think it was, where it actually wrestled for All-Star wrestling before I got picked up by W.A. And I guess that was a test.

I think, be honest with you, I don't know for sure, but there was talk about there was a throw-up between me or swagger to go in with John at the time. Because obviously Jack was, like, Hager was obviously a fresh new talent as well. that whole initiative if you look back at the survivor series which we're we're touching on next saturday if you look at that like it was me and me and drew and that the talk at the time was i was supposed to go with hunter drew was supposed to go a taker and miss was supposed to go with

sean and then i'll switch with uh you know take her and take her and take her and sean for estimated 26 which is in phoenix which is where we are right yeah that's funny it's found us this this watch just keeps right you're a busy man yeah i was in munich there for my wedding uh sorry my honeymoon uh which we got married to over two just over two years ago but we just had had the honeymoon this week so i just literally went back to jersey switched at me bags jersey to to phoenix so i'm right after the honeymoon here right after the two years after we got married of course so whose idea was it early on to make your your pastiness part of your character. Actually, good friend of my Ray, the same guy helped me with the channel, he's like, he's like

a bleeding Pandora's box of ideas. So I was doing the opposite me. I was like, I was using fake Tanner and I shaved my head and I was just trying to look like everybody else, but not knowing of what I had. My look was so unique that it was something I should lean into. So he was, he was one. I was like, what are you doing, man? He got like, he looked like the most Irish fell on the planet. Like, and then you're trying to look like everybody else. So he was the one who kind of like just snapped, some sense into me.

So there's photos of a tan Seamus out there somewhere? There are, yeah. There's a couple, yeah. There's a couple, there's a couple. There's actually a picture of me and Drew where, so I was like, kind of like the Irish folk hoaghan of Irish with wrestling, which is the first promotion I started wrestling. So there's a picture where Drew's like this,

where I took off my boots and everything. So I was in my socks and I was crating because I had this, I don't know what it was, maybe just me being like still fresh into the business, but also a huge wrestling fan. I remember there was a photo of like diesel and Brett, you know what I mean? And I think it was like maybe in Survivor Series too, but like it was just told that David and Goliath's story. Yeah. And I had the same idea on my head. So it's a picture going around to me and Drew where I'm like, I'm kind of crouching down because I wanted to make Drew look as big as possible and it's formidable.

Because everyone else in Irish Whip Wrestling, God bless them. They're all like little lads, you know what I mean? They just weren't really taking it seriously. I just wanted to do it for the crack. I knew once I started, I wanted, this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But there wasn't really a path, right? There's not a lot of other people you can look to to go.

They've been there, they're from around where I'm from, I can follow those footsteps. Not at the time. So Fit was the only one. And Fit went into a world of sport. So he was over in the UK mostly anyway. So for me, it was kind of uncharted territory. I met Fergal, Finn, just before he wanted.

went to, he went to, uh, uh, uh, New Japan. So he obviously went to Japanese before he came over. But for me, there really wasn't and that's W is where I really, I always wanted to go. So they had a couple of live events. The only person really you had gone over there, like obviously Regal, but again, Regal and Dave Taylor did all come into a world of sport and they all, you know, cut their teeth in Germany and then Regal went to WCW. fit went in through WCW. So it was different. But the only one I think was like with Paul Birchall.

He was the first kind of, I think he was the kind of one that we all looked at like. And, you know, he was a big dude in England, but then over there, you know, we could do all these crazy, like high flying moves. But then he went over. So we're kind of looking at Kim and then Katie Birchell, Katie Lee, whatever. What was there? Katie Birchell. What was her real name?

I don't know. Katie Lee or something. I think it's Katie Lee. Yeah. So, yeah, that was basically it. And then, so me, Drew and Wade, me and Drew were wrestling and Irish Rip Wrestling, and then they went back and forth to Scotland for British Championship wrestling.

And then Wade kind of, I met Wade at Celtic pro wrestling. It was a show in Wales. And then we saw the size of him. So then I talked to the promoter of Irish River Wrestling. And then we had him over. So then me, Wade and Drew kind of, you know, had his, like, became friends over all that. And then we did a couple of live events. in some dark matches or I did a couple

triads before some of the shows. What were you doing before wrestling? Like is it true that you were a bodyguard for Bono? No, no. I worked at nightclub called Lillies Bordello. It was like one of the top nightclubs. All the stars would go in there. And Bono going there all the time.

And Guggy is a friend of his. So I just be putting task and make sure that nobody bleeding, you know, wrecked his head. So he's in his own little VIP area and you're just... No, they'd be in the main VIP area. There's two areas. It was very, very famous nightcloth.

club back of the day, but it was like, you have this woman called Valerie Rowe on the door, and she'd like, you know, vet everybody going in. And then you'd have like the members, you'd have the main club, which is, it's really, really small. Then you have a members bar. If you buy a membership, right, or you get invited in there. And then you'd have the library upstairs where it was like, um, there'd be a lot of play the piano and to be someone's servant. And so Bono would just go in to the members bar. And I just, one of the guys just be like, make sure that he's headwrecked. Um, but I worked in IT as well. I double triple job.

I worked in Semantic. And then I worked in the Hartford Life, which is a company over here, but I worked in IT. And then I, after that, I was working at nightclub doors. I was working at Brussels door, and I was working at Lillies.

So I was working like four nights a week and five days a week. And got me first house when it was about 24, 25. Wow. Yeah. So I was just, I was never been afraid of bit of work.

I was actually working. First job I had was 13. I was working serving petrol washing cars in Cabra. So never been afraid of a bit of work. I guess when you're built like this, it's easy to be a bouncer. Yeah. But they call them Dorman there, you know what I mean? The bouncer, the Bouncer Tarran went out because it was, you know, intimidating with the dormant. The Dorman vibe came into Dublin. But yeah, Dublin was hopping, mate. Dublin was like, buzzing, like, just bars busy all the time. And it was just a way of vet people coming in and

out, you know. But it was a few quid, a few quid in the hand. And something that would help me, you know, pay for trips over to the UK and stuff to do, but to work in the Indies. Because it was actually Fifth Finley, I was talked to him. I did a couple of tryouts in Dublin before the show started, before the live event started.

And then when they're on tour, and then I went from there over to, he's the one of recommended the All-Star Wrestling. So I called it Brian Dixon. I told Brian that Fifth Finley had recommended me and I went over, I went over to All-Star. With the amount of time you've spent now in the U.S., do you feel like you've lost a bit of your accent?

Not really. It comes back when I go home. you know when i'm talking to you lads you know what i mean it's it's uh it definitely definitely gets water down a bit because the first the first year was tough because nobody understood a word i was saying like true people still don't know what drew was saying half the time drew said he had to get lessons he still has to get lessons i can't even understand some of his texts to be honest but yeah he uh he yeah he there's no no no chance allocution classes elucion yeah he gets he gets the bullocks like that often then when he goes to scotland

There's actually, there's, I think there was a, there's a Scottish comedian, has a comedian, like a show, like the sketches, you know. Like, it's kind of sketches like I think he should leave. And one of them is where they just, this lad goes over, Scott's like, Scott's like a guy goes over, it's America comes back and he starts speaking like an American. Drew reckons it's about him. That's a bit of an ego there on Drew, I think, thinking that, you know, thinks a lot of himself. But, yeah, I still don't understand him half the time. Drew told me he wants to win the Intercontinental Championship first so that he wins it before you do. He's already won it.

Well, I guess win it again before you win it. Really? That's weird. Scott's a weird man, you know? I do everything backwards. Yeah, I really shit in his parade the first time he won his, he won the icy title on the TLC, was it? And then, yeah, about an hour later, I beat John for the world title. So no one remembers I'm winning the icy title at all. That's true.

Sorry, Drew. I feel like it's just a matter of time before you become Interkontanal champion. You say that, right? But it's like the icy course, you know, the icy curse, the Celtic War, it's like the one thing I can't win. And it's the irony is that it's the one title that the first title I really became focused on because macho man was in a feud with steamboat over it. So he was the first icy, when I started watching Macho Man was the first icy champion. So the one title that, you know, I was exposed to like, as a fan of him, he was the first icey champion. is the one I can't win, which it's become this kind of like crusade, you know,

but it's definitely a, definitely an icy course for me. Is it that you want to become Grand Slam champion? Ultimate Grand Slam champion. All right. Come on, fella. What's put out there? It's basically the first one to win everything. It's true.

King of the ring as well is in there. Royal Rumble. Royal Rumble, yeah. Yeah. All the wrestling. Jeez. Jesus. I was almost one of the longest reign in World Heavyweight Champions, too,

and a big show mess. that up. But I was close. I think I'm like the third longest, whatever. But yeah, it's been a hell of a ride, man. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that I'm going into my 18th year with the company. It's crazy. Yeah. What do you attribute your longevity to? Passion, mate. Passion, just stubbornness, just like, I don't know, just, I feel it's, I just got so much passion for this, for this job. I love it. And don't be wrong, there's days when you kind of like, you wake up in the morning and you ask yourself you know what am I doing you know especially when you're waking up and you're just covered in ice but for me it's just I love what I do I love being out there traveling's a lot of bollocks

you know there's a lot of things that are but once going out going out to that crowd like it's just because I know one day that won't be there you know and it's it's something that I cherish every single time I go in there and I have a point to prove as well like for the first part of my career I thought there was undermined a lot and people didn't really like for example if I was in a match with someone I brought the best out of them people were talking about

oh this guy carried Seamus a great match or it would be oh this guy is great you know and then just only took about 10 years for you to realize I hang on a second there's a bit of a there's a bit of a common denominator

the shamis and all now but no I just I just I love it me and I love the fact that I'm in a kind of a gatekeeper role now with a lot of new talent coming in and getting to, getting their, help get their confidence up

and getting to show the world who they are. Because there's, you know, there's a lot of talent, I think that wouldn't do that. But I love it. Like, I love them stepping up to me.

Like, everyone knows about the gunter thing, what we did, a Clash to Castle. I know people say NXT, but I feel like to the other fans who weren't NXT fans that would definitely put him on the map.

And we had some lead, barn burners since then. That to me, that was, that was, you talk about when I got, like, that was a moment, probably one of the best moments of my career, the standing ovation that got after. People talk about winning titles and this and 18 seconds of mania, but to me, that was probably one of the most memorable moments of my entire life after that match getting a standing ovation in Cardiff Wales. You know, then he obviously got like going in there with like priests, the stuff I did with

priest before that, you know, the, you know. The stuff I've done with Ludwig, who's just an announcer now, people have seen how an aggressive bastard he is and how good he is, Breaker as well, Bronson Reed, like all these lads going in there and just, just getting the best out of him, you know what I mean?

It's great to see. I'm proud of all of them. All of them. Honestly, I'm like, I see them doing really well after beating in her out. I'm just, I'm so happy for them. Because, you know what I mean? Like a bit of pride there for me, seeing how well they're doing,

especially with Bronson as well now. I feel like when we're in there, there was a couple of things. He was too nice a little bit. Now he's in there as a killer. We had those two matches where we just baked the bollocks out of each other and then like, you know,

I was fighting underneath the whole time because he is a monster. He may not be seven foot tall, but the lad's about bleeding close to 400 pounds. You know what I mean? And he's athletic, he's so athletic as well. What is it about Gunther that allows you guys to bring out the best

in each other? European style maybe. I think it's, there's just, I think a lot of, a lot of talent when they come up, when they're going in with top talents, I feel they're just afraid of hurting them. And they're afraid of like, just leave it all out there. For me, they know I don't give a shite.

They know it's like, you better bring it because I'm going to, I'm going to beat the shit out of you. And if, but I want them to beat the shit out of me too. I want them to bring it. It's not a thing where I'm going in there taking advantage of taking liberties. That's the word they used to say. It's not just like people going to go, oh, I'm going to take liberties with the younger talents. No, I want them to step up. I want to show a side of no one has seen before.

And I bring it out on whatever way I can, whether it's the shots, whether it's the fucking clubs, the 10 beats, the bow around, I want to see them, show a side of them that's never been seen before and they've never seen in themselves before.

So that brings it out because you can do all the flips and you can do all the stuff. And there's definitely a place for that and people love that. I'm never, I can't do it. I'm never going to take away from anyone. But there's still a lot, this is still an art to two physical,

two physical lads going out there and just absolutely just tearing each other apart physically where the people in the crowd are like they're just they believe that these two individuals hate each other and I take pride of that like you better step up or just step off

that's the way it is for me and I love it and I know that and do I get the crap knocked out of me as well because I have that style absolutely I just this time last year I was sitting on the sidelines coming back from what I thought

could have been a career-ending neck injury, where I went, people don't realize I went through, like, a lot of, a lot of procedures, a lot of physical therapy. I couldn't move my neck. I went in, I got, like, cortisone shots. I went to see spine surgeons, specialists. And then, you know, I thought it was good.

Then I go back in the ring, and I take a bump, and I got a, getting stingers. So it wasn't looking good, you know. And then eventually I got my nerves burned in the back of my neck. And even then, it took a while for all to settle down. But I literally thought, I thought that was there. Was it a certain match that happened? Or was it just over time?

I took one big bump in the last one before I went away. My last match, I think with Edge's last match too. I just took an awkward fall. And that itself just, I woke the next morning. I thought my neck was broken. Just because, again, me and Edge were just, just knocking shy out of each other and I just took a bad fall on the ground. And at the time I felt it, well, I just, I worked through it.

And then the next day I woke up, it was not good. And I just didn't go away. And I just could not move my neck. And then after that, you know, I was trying to work through it. And then I didn't know, I didn't think it was. I didn't know how serious it was. I just thought it might be something. Because, you know, over time, it's just wearing tear, you know, especially how I work.

Like, for example, when I had my first major surgery, where I tore my shoulder at the money in the bank match, I was out for six Well, it was supposed to be for six months but I got ready in three months I tore my labor and six anchors in it on my left shoulder

so I came back and the first thing I did was take the hardest post on my show and Flair was in the back going I was you're a lunatic James what are you doing

you just hit just the shoulder surgery and you're hitting the post 100 mile there and said yeah I got to make sure it works you know I got to make sure it's all right you got test it out you know you said what I mean

like it's like when someone has something or injury you got to just go head first into it. You got to make sure you get that fear out your way. So yeah, so I took a post 100 mile an hour, but that's just the kind of mentality of me. But yeah, it just it, uh, it was

touch and go and I did it was a couple of times Pete Dunn was there. He was in and out of NXT, so was Ridge. They both helped Ridge and Pete really helped me out back in January fair, but there was, I was working out with fit a lot and I was I couldn't even take a bump. Like even a headlock

takeover was was stout, you know? And I just, I didn't know whether or not I'd be back. Did a doctor say to you like, hey, this might be it for you? They just said they don't know. They just don't know what's going on. And like you obviously can't go in there,

take a bump and get a stinger. Like, where you couldn't, I couldn't get off the mat. So I take one and I get just like shock out of my body. And I'd be off the lay there for like what felt like two minutes. You can't wrestle like that, right? So it was a thing where I didn't know. And then the doctors were kind of out of,

they were out of answers. because they couldn't do the surgery because I have like two naturally fused two sets of discs that are fused naturally appear down down there so but it was kind of so basically now every day is a blessing right so now it's like

every time you get out there it's like you know there's time I was close to not being able to do this so I was going to go out there and just have to grab the crack just go out there and put on banger after banger just just tear it up and and just kind of like see if anybody can follow it.

Does it affect the way you work now? No. No. When I first came back, there was still a little bit in there. Like obviously I put a load of weight on the broker after broker thing when they came back because I was hoping to make Domania. When that didn't happen, I just kind of lost a little bit of discipline in my diet and I just took the foot off the gas too much.

But the first couple, it took a while. like it just took a couple. But then I think, I think the main thing I was, the main match for me where I realized I was good was when me, Drew, and Ilya did it three away on my 15th dinner anniversary of Boston. That's when I realized I was good to go. That's when I'm good, I'm back.

Did they call you back too early? Is that why the burger after burger thing happened? No, that's my, that's on me, mate. So I was pushing for Mania. I was pushing for that Walter match of Mania, a Gunther match. Keep calling him Walter. I did on the Pat McAvey show as well.

We know who you're talking about. I know. Walter has quite a few more pounds on him. Yeah, well, so, yes, not anymore. He doesn't. He looks like a swimmer now. Oh, yeah, Walter and Gunther, two different people, like twins. He just had different ideas on diets.

But yeah, so Walter, Gunter, I was pushing for Guntherania, and it just didn't happen. So I just, I was really hoping to end the trilogy on that note. And then that didn't happen. And so I just kind of like, I lost a bit of motivation. It was like full on speed towards that. And then once I heard it, once that was kiboshed, I was like, ah, fuck, you know, whatever. I just, you know, so then I just kind of like took the foot off the gas, probably drank too many Guinness. I enjoy myself too much.

What's the food that you're like, yeah, I can probably have some. I'm not really a burger guy, to be honest. Well, I do like Guinness. I just, a lot of carbs, you know, carb mania. Carbamania. Carpomania. But then I found out, oops, then I found out on the raw after mania that was back to next week and no one told me. So that was fun.

I'm sitting on the couch and there's a package playing it. Shame is back next week. I was like, I am. I checked the phone now and I'm texting me. I'm just watching raw, you know? I was like, all right, I guess I'm back next week. Is this real? Yeah, all right, bullocks.

And then I wore a bicycle shorts. That's not a good idea. It's funny. I get compared to Hunter when he had, um, he was a, we started wearing a bite. What was he tear his groin or something? Yeah, yeah. He was trying to just keep everything. Keep everything in.

I was trying to keep everything in too. Didn't work too well for me. But then like a few weeks later, you're back to be, you know, the way that we normally see you. Once I got back on the rails, you know, come off the rails a bit. Went back on the rails. It was fine. That WrestleMania 28 match with Daniel Bryan, 18 seconds. Did they tell you specifically how long they wanted that match to be?

No, it didn't give us a time. They just, I guess what happened was there was, I heard from, from somebody that there was supposed to, it was either going to be, Punk and Jericho's match was going to be short or me and Brian's match was going to be short. So, there's a difference between a short match and an 18 second match.

Yeah, I don't know what the time was, but they just said the idea was, ding, ding, ding, ding, distraction, finish. So just one move, boom, that's it. Were you good with that? I mean, look, you know, we knew that we could have an amazing match. Like, when we were,

running the US title back in 20, end of 2010, 2011, we knew how good our matches were. And they were putting on such good matches that I think a couple of lads in the main event were asked you asked like, just oh, you don't have to kill yourself. I just kept saying, I was trying to break that glass ceiling. But we're just, we're stealing the show every single night. We're tearing it up, man, knocking the crap out of each other. I remember one time, I don't know where we were. I think it was the night, I think it was just before the, I think it was before the garden.

I think it's actually before us on May 27. But yeah, so we were running really good. Like we're having great matches. We had these street fights. We're baiting up bollocks out of each other, hitting each other with everything you can think of. One time I went for the Brog and this happened,

literally happened on accident. He ducked the Brog. My left foot got stuck between the middle and the top and I flipped over upside down. So it's hanging upside down and outside the ring. Totally by accident. The rope is just like, it's just like, just strangling it like just like,

so much pressure on my ankle. Brian comes around. the bleeding kendo and just starts whacking the shy out and me like you have bastards but that's what it was we just we just didn't we just didn't care we just went out there and just was physical as hell and that's why i loved working brian brian was just like he wasn't again at the time he was so unique because he wasn't the biggest tallest whatever but he just had this this heart in him you know and it's this fighting style and he just never gave up just unbelievable great at lettuceism but also like just very, very physical.

The kicks when you're on your knees. Like he brought, everything he did, every kick he did, it was just, it was brought, was as much intense as he had. And I told us to Regal the day, before we did this, before I did this, before I did this,

while I was doing the stuff with Pete Donne, I felt Pete's exactly the same, you know, he's just, he's very creative, don't think he'd realize that, and he's got a very creative mind, but he's also, when he needs to be physical,

he can be really, really physical. And that's kind of like, when I was doing that feud with Pete Don, it kind of brought me back a little bit to stuff for Brian. I feel like you never phoned it in. Can't. Like any time your name is on the match card, you're like, well, that's going to be a great

match. I appreciate it. What's the, where's that come from? Pride. Irish pride. Pride of me self. Pride of my work. Pride of what I do.

Like I, like, you know, sometimes, I'll be honest. There's been times of my career where like, I've had to be in a situation where I didn't really like the outcome. Well, rather than just go out there and just moan about it and whatever, I just go out there and I put on the best match I can. Like, I think for me, it's always been about the pride of my work because not only,

I'm representing myself every time I go out there, I'm representing my country, where I'm from, where I grew up, north side of Dublin, Cabra West. Like, that's nothing, there's nothing, there's nothing, there's nothing, there's nothing, you know,

there's, it's a lot of true individuals, like people who just, you know, experience some hardship, you know, who just, but just suck it up and get on with it. And I feel, like for me, I do it myself and everyone in the service. I go out there and just like mope or just don't go and do it.

That's why I said earlier. Like I feel like I told, I've said this before, if I feel like I'm at a point where I'm doing that, but it's going to walk away. What's the point? Like just to pick up a paycheck. That's never been my thing.

I could have retired long ago, but I don't want to because I was still a passion. I've still had plenty to give in this business. And for me, that bangor after bangers real. I just, I want people to talk about my match. I want people to be invested in it. I want people to know when they see me up next,

that they're going to see a bleeding slug fest, like a scrap like they've never seen before. That's what I want. It took me years to get here. I'm not going to just piss it away because, like, I'm out in the mood. I think that happens a lot of people. I think a lot of people just, they get complacent.

They lose their passion. They lose their focus. And they just, they kind of phone it in. And I've seen that. I've seen people here when I started and, and, and they come in and, like, they get to a certain point,

but then they're just like, oh, I'm here now. And I'll just rest in my laurels and I just, just do one off. Fuck that. Like, I'm not, like, that's, to me,

that's kind of like, disrespectful. It's embarrassing. But you just see it all the time, you know, in every aspect, even in sports, like,

even in NFL or even in, like, soccer or, you know, there's people, like, they're getting the page. check and I pick it up and I got a lot. I think they've done all this. I've worked hard to get here. Now I can rest. He can never rest. Even when you retire, it can never rest,

in my opinion. Like, what's the points? Yeah. But yeah, as you can see, I love what I do. I know I bring an element that nobody else can bring. I know when I'm out there, that my job is to make sure that people remember what happened in my segment or my match and they walk away talking about it. Like, I may never be the number one marriage seller, but don't give a shit. I don't want to do that. I want to be, it's what I want to to be remembered for. My style, my passion, my heart hitting, my just scraping myself off the floor and let's go again, fella. It's all you go. Hit me. And I've seen that matches. I'm like, hit me like, you know what the fuck? What the fuck is that? Hit me, hit me. Hit me. You know what I mean?

Hit me like your life depends on it. Because I guarantee when I get off my knees, I am going to beat the shit out of you and slap you around the ring and I expect you to come back and slap me back as hard as you can. That's, that's, that's really what drives me. I just passion me, the love for what we do. Yeah. And there's days, I can, listen, I can, I complain like everybody else. I'll give out like everybody else. And then I go back to Dublin or I talk to someone back home and I'm like,

cop on, will you? Look where you're at, you know? And I was like, I'm right. People forget. But then, and also when people get to a certain point, I feel, there's nobody there to keep them in check. I think the one people, in Ireland, your ma will keep you in check, you know, and your friends will keep in check.

It doesn't matter how famous you are. in Ireland like you're mates you grew up but they'll slap you in the balls they'll take the piss out of you they'll bring it back down to earth like that you know and it's good it's good to surround yourself with people who know who you are and are not afraid to tell you to get a grip on yourself I feel like I've gone off the boil of this question that was great but it's true me yeah but that's what that's what keeps you grounded yeah and that's also what keeps you driven yeah like one thing I remember the phone remember one time we're at the garden I think or we're in New York. I don't know where it was. It was like that loop.

And my firearm was going off. I had this alarm when I first got me phone. I said, treat every show like it's your first, like every match like it's your first match or every show is like your first show. I'd have that remind me probably go off about an hour and a half before the wrestling, before the show started. Yeah. And a couple of lads in the locker room saw that the senior lads at the time and they're like, that's incredible. I said, well, that's, just in case I forget, that's to remind me. Like it was like a reminder. Treat every show. even if you'd had a million matches, treat every match like it's your first match

because there will be someone there who's watching your match for the first time. So, as I said, I don't give a shay about being a top merit seller. I don't care about that stuff. I don't like, I'll just keep fighting away. I'll keep fighting my corner till the very end. And, you know,

and there's a lot of good lads of me. There's a few that, you know what I mean? But heads with whatever over the years, but there's also a lot of good lads in that locker room now. And I love to see them do well. And I love to be involved in that process of them doing well. Prize Picks is America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active users. It's the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports because unlike other apps on prize picks, it's just you against the numbers.

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Like, you bring it in every match. Have you ever had an opponent who's like, hey, man, he's up? Like, oh, yeah. You don't need to hit me so hard. Of course I have. So we're still there, so I'm not going to go down our roads. Sure.

But yeah, but most of them don't. Most of them, like, enjoy it. Like, I think most in the beginning are kind of like, they're a little like they're taking it back there in the headlight stuff. But if you ask them afterwards, that was brilliant. 99% of them after a match like that. Because I'm not dropping them on their head. I'm not breaking their nose.

You know, I did kick out Jeff Hardy's tooth once. That's probably the most damage than done to someone. But, yeah, it's all, it's all, everything I do is say, they think it. Oh, wrestle again tomorrow. It's not like I'm putting them on the sideline or I'm putting them in surgery or I'm putting them in like in hospital or on the shelf. No, no, no. Because they just, they'll come back and they'll say it's awesome.

That was great. And you'll see just kind of like adrenaline going in their face, you know? And do you ease up if they tell you to? No. Absolutely. I go harder. That's the biggest mistake you can do is pretend to ask me to ease up. Not a chance, mate.

Not a chance. It's just listen. It's just this part of my year now, I signed a new five-year deal. It just started about two months ago. I'm loving it. The channel's in a million. A lot of great men of women,

W.E. superstars have given their own time as well to make that happen. So that's not something I go, I've got a million followers. Again, the channel wouldn't have happened only for a lot of the talent were so gracious with their time. And they were so, like, so nice about it. Because they weren't getting any money, right?

They're just, they're on Saturday, you're on the loop, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, whatever, back then. And they'd, like, have a Saturday morning off to get dinner or go to the gym, and I'm, like, dragging them into a Celtic warrior workout, you know. And they gave their time graciously. So definitely thanks to all, every single person has been on that channel because every single one them gave their own time. And I would not have happened without them,

giving their time to make the channel what it is. When you talk about bangers, that match with Ed. was incredible. How did you get the honor of being his last opponent in WWA? I don't know. It was something we talked about. We talked about it. I remember we talked about doing an angle together, a storyline together for a while.

And it just, I didn't think, once we came up with a storyline all, it was, it was shot down. It was, for whatever reason. And then it just happened. They just got a call saying, like, I think it was, because we did the, we did a promo the week before and then we did the match the week after so i think i just contract is coming up but i didn't know we know no one knew if he's going to stay or go no one really knew i didn't know i thought he was that's it i thought he was going to stay um because we're talking doing something after that as well uh but yeah it was just a situation i think it originally was damon priest was penciled in

but then it just turned to me so i don't i don't know however it happened but it was kind of i was really surprised that did happen but it was excited about too because me and edge had never had a one-on-one match. Me and Ray still haven't had a one-on-one match. Me and Punk still haven't. Well, no, before I'm talking about me and Punk did wrestle a couple of times back in the day, about 12 years ago. But for me, it was, yeah, me and, I think the only person there was me and Ray.

I'm trying to think of anyone else that haven't wrestled that will be on the roster substantial amount of time. That's crazy. You haven't wrestled Ray. I know, yeah. There's a couple of four ways, yeah. Talked about it, but it just hasn't happened yet. Hopefully it will one day.

But that's, I'm trying to think of anybody else. There might be somebody else. I can't think right now. Me and Brock never had one. That'd be a great one. That was on the, no, no. We had a live event, but never on TV. Sorry, we did.

We wrestled on live event once or twice, actually, I think. But yeah, on TV or on TV, or in singles, me and Ray, I've never had a match. That would be cool. Drew McIntyre told me that that match you guys had at WrestleMania 39 is the greatest triple threat match of all time. Oh, right, yeah.

It's hard to argue with that. Yeah, man, it was awesome. It was great. It was great. Listen, it was unbelievable. In the Self-Fly Stadium, it was something else. And then the story with me and Walter,

obviously, but then the side story of Drew putting himself, integrating himself into the match, when Drew was supposed to be the best made, and he knew how much this icy title meant to me. It was a great story. And the fact that he was the reason I didn't win as well, was cool. We had a lot of great matches, me and Drew.

Obviously, we go back on French back over 20 years now. So that's special in itself. Like, I remember doing Irish with wrestling shows where we're in like down the country and we'd be having like, we were wrestling in front of 25 people, 30 people. Drew at the time was just a skinny, gangly kid, really tall, but like, and he was doing like leg drops off the top. I think he had me were like five leg drops off the top rope or something. Off the top?

Yeah, yeah. Or off the second maybe. Maybe after second. Yeah, he says, I don't think he's ever going to do that again. But yeah, it's just, it's been incredible. Like, I feel like I've gone through so many stages of WWE where, like, obviously, came in when kind of Taker and Hunter and Sean all on the full-time schedule we're kind of phasing out.

And then we came into the NXT group came, end of the FCW crew, being an NXT group came in. And then the next phase, that I think of like four different phases into the group we're in now you know so many talents it says it just 17 years kind of because it's like when I say I think 17 years going into 18 it's kind of like it feels sometimes it feels it's gone like that and sometimes it feels like it's it's like 100 years you know do you have a number in your mind of how long you want to wrestle for not really I again I just signed a new five-year deal so that'll take you into your 50s

yeah 50 my wife reminds me all the time Is it a 52? Listen, I'll go to the wheels fall off me. You know, I could do it if you can't do it anymore. I love what I do. And listen, there's plenty of time to sit back and read a book and just watch TV. Like, there's a lot of that, you know. And I know a lot of people, I've talked to some talent as well.

But we meet them all at Mania and everything when they come in, like especially the Hall of Fame. But also, everybody gets invited. It's up mania. And you can tell a lot of the talents. who just retired too early. That wearing like, I mean, look, if I had to hang on my boots when that stuff happened in my neck, I'd be at peace with it, right? Because, you know, there's nothing you can do.

But when some talent they've retired before their time, you can tell there's a bit of regret there. Well, there's definitely a difference between people who were forced into retirement and people who said, all right, I'm going to wrestle until this date, this time, and then I'm good with it. But for example, like me, like, let's say, you know, after the bar went away or retired then, right? You know, I got a, the reason, so after, the, the reason the bar ended was because at mania, I don't even know what mania was, one in New York. What I mean, we're in the faraway tag.

There's so many manias, but whenever. Technically New Jersey. Yeah. So that Monday, we were supposed to be off, right, the raw, because we were a Smackdown talent. And then we got pulled in to break up the set, Kofi match. I mean, Tony, you're like, this is, this is horrible. They're just going to shit all over us. People want this, this is the title versus title match, right?

Coffey just beating Brian and then Seth, it beat Brock, I think, maybe, I don't know, whatever it was,

but they're having a, in New York, in New York, right? And Barclysent. We're like, we're going to go in there and break that up.

That's a terrible idea. They're just going to shit on us. So in end, it was a single that turned into a tag. That's when the beach balls came out, fella,

all the beach balls, because people, they're just angry. Like, you know, you took away what you're giving them, which I think, a terrible idea.

And then the next night, then we had a six man. It was me, Drew and Cesaro against All of the New Day. So time but messed up on that one, right? It was like, it just got messed up. And it was a taped show as well, but whatever happened, I ended up getting a concussion, a shin in the back of the head. So I was knocked out cold. I was knocked out on my feet.

I don't remember anything after the kick. And then I went back and I'll remember is I was not good for about a month after. Got a really bad concussion. So, like, that could have been, I didn't know if that was it, you know what I'm, that could have been now. And if I think back then, like, if I'd retired then, like, I'd missed out on the whole, like, you know, coming back during the pandemic era, you know what I mean, going into the banger after bang. Like, all the stuff I've done lately. Like, like, that would have never existed, you know? And that's kind of like, that's kind of really where I started, you know, show people started realizing, like, who it was and how much passion it had and the matches I was putting on.

So you take that out what you get, you know what I mean? So it's like, when do you retire? You know, when do you actually retire? When do you go like, I'm pull the plug? Like, when is the right time? Because if I've been like, okay, a massive concussion, I can't do this anymore, will I be producer or whatever it is? Or just, you know, go on and I went on and then I got like,

then the next stuff, you know what I mean? And then it's like, so, you know, like that wouldn't have existed. I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now. Yeah. So as long as you, I think as long as you've got passion and your body can go. Yeah. Like obviously you don't want to be like. Like, my biggest fear of me, the misses is that like, you know, if you have kids and stuff that I won't be able to play with them or whatever.

But I think for a 47 year old in January, I'll be 47th of January, I feel like I'm doing all right physically. You know, I'm moving around pretty good. But, like, I just, you go until you feel like, I think I'll go to, I feel like, you know, I'm not wanted. You know what I mean? It's a gratifying you like, you know what? Thanks for everything. But, you know, we just don't enjoy watching anymore. You can't do what you can do.

you know, I don't know, when is that time? Yeah. Could be 70. Can you imagine? I don't know. I don't know. I'm just, you know, just trolling stuff out there. It's popping into my head.

It's going to me pet and out my mouth real quick. So I'm not really thinking. But I just feel like as long as I can do what I do, as long as I enjoy what I'm doing, as long as the fans are enjoying what I'm doing. You know, I keep that banger after banger thing going. To keep the banger after banger after banger here, I just keep going and going. who knows where it could because I'm still enjoying what I'm doing.

Schedule's a little bit, you know, it's a lot better now as well for the talent. So I think a lot of the talents are going to have longer careers because of the schedule the way it is compared to what it was. I think that's good, you know? So. Hey, you guys are getting holidays off?

Crazy, right? I just went to Munich last week, you know? I saw something there online about people giving out about the double tapings and the spoilers, but like, guys, you don't realize. Like those double tapings are great for family life. You know what I mean? Keeping families together.

You know what I'm saying? Like that time off is just, it's invaluable to have like two weeks off that we just get to spend to chill at home and time just for yourself and, you know, your family or whatever is, you do your friends or whatever, your home life.

It's a godsend. And guys, if it's three or four episodes a year, what does it matter? Yeah. It's not going to be great. Yeah. But yeah,

but so I think with all those, those all those those circumstances and the situation way it is now yeah who knows i'm not i'm not putting a date on it i'm not going to put a label on it i'm just going to keep into enjoying what i'm doing and i'm having the crack what is the definition of a banger a shameless match every shameless match that's perfect uh i think this 15 minutes late already with 20 minutes drive to go i got two Got two more for you. Okay. One is, did you hear the reference,

when did you hear the reference of Lobsterhead in regards to your theme song? Oh, man. It's a lot of time ago. Maybe, I don't know, maybe, what mean 2010, maybe? Maybe 2010. People are very creative on the internet, very creative, especially music. I do miss that song, though.

A lot of people were upset. I brought it back, but, you know, I wasn't allowed to keep it. Can we have it back again, maybe? I don't know. Do you want to go on? ask you go ask I'm tired of ask I'm all that I'll ask I'm all that I ask but thank you for everything thank you for all the matches the last question that I have for you yeah gratitude is such an important part of my life so I end every interview with this question what are three things in

your life that you're grateful for right now my wife my family family and friends and my health amazing I I'm my dogs do I'm right for a lot of things there's more than three like you know My wife's been one of my biggest supporters, understanding, and she's always there for me. Tough times, great times. Best me, she's my best mate, you know. My family, who are still all very healthy, thank God, and me mates back home, Ray, Patty, all the boys, grateful for them as well, because there's never a time when, you know, you need to pick up a phone to talk to someone about something, get off your chest, they're always there. Ray, unfortunately, they're at 3 o'clock in the morning, an Irish time when I'm calling them,

long drive and I'm venting about something. And then, of course, my dogs, I've had unbelievable. I've got four rescue dogs. We lost one, Vesper. She was overbred. She was like a seven-year-old staffing. We got her. She was mine.

Like, she didn't call her hair as me, the whole thing. They're kind of like my kids, you know, for, and every time I come home, they're just, they're doing car wheels to see me. And there's no better feeling. And if you don't have a dog or a cat or whatever, you feel like there's something missed in your life, it's probably because you don't have a dog or a cat. So I definitely advise you go to any animal,

wherever you get them is amazing. But I always say, please adopt, don't shop. There's plenty of amazing pets at, like, animal shelters. I just, you know, dying for an amazing home. Yeah, the joy that dog has when you walk through the door. Yes. And it doesn't matter if you've been gone five minutes or five days or five weeks.

It's amazing, bro. Oh, you're back! Yeah. Yeah, it's insane. Like, I love them. Like, it's just, when they're not there, it's just, the place feels empty. My health, of course, and the fact, and my job and the fans of people who supported me my whole life, like everyone who's been out there.

And every time I walk to the curtain, all those people who cheer and go nuts, I can't tell you how much, how great that feels. No, and I'm like that, you all give it down about me. Because it's, you can't put that into words. Like, the feeling of like, love I get from everybody when I go out there is just, it's incredible and it's, I don't want to sound like one of these people, like, just throwing out phony shit, but it really is. Like, I get goosebumps every time I go out when you guys are, like, going nuts. Um, because at the end of the day,

like, looking at COVID and stuff and pandemic, you know, people don't like to talk about whatever happened, but the difference having them, all of you guys, them back is incredible. Like, there's not there, I mean, we got through about a year and a half with no fans, but basically. Like, I don't think would have lasted longer than that without them because that's they are the greatest fans in the world and when people talk about social media and stuff and twitter and all they're the first ones doing all that bringing their signs being involved it's it's it's a it's a it's a two-party you know what me it's it's it's a collaboration with the talent in the ring and everybody in everybody in that arena yeah so yeah i would like to you know that's i'm not i'm not one to uh to give like really

like answers in the box like cute answers in the box you know i have to have to explain what i'm saying i appreciate i'm you know i appreciate it's i'll talk forever you know what a career gift to the gap what a career what a career what a career is the gap and you're still going i'm still going to phoenix going to uh you're doing dale tonight so if i get fine i'm going to split it right yeah it's like 50 bucks right i'll be more than that me oh all right thank you i appreciate it wanted to sit down with you since our last interview which was teenage Ninja Turtles 2. Shit.

When was that? 16? 2016. It's been a long time. You know, the one thing I, I thought you talk about like, what I'm grateful. One regret is that me and Gary Anthony Williams didn't get an opportunity to do a spin-off movie because that would have been awesome. Because me and Gary, like, the chemistry we had was crazy. And a lot of people said when to watch the movie that the biggest thing they loved most was bebop and rock steady.

So the thing I was always hoping that like that me and Gary could definitely do a spin-off and that would have been awesome. It would be so much fun. You guys were great. It was great to do. This was great. Thanks, fella. Shamedous. Maybe you live in Celtic Warrior workout one time, Christy, yeah?

Sure. I'm not going to die or anything, right? No, just do your workout. It's your workout, mate. Everyone does a workout in Celtic Warrior workouts. The brave change, the brave change motto is that, you know, obviously make the grave change, but we do the workout that you do. So I have to do your workout.

That's the whole challenge. And then you explain why you do it, what you like about it, and you tell your story. Sign me up. Yeah. That'd be awesome. Chelsea Green as well. Big shout to Chelsea Green, who did the last workout.

Could become United States champion. That's right. Thank you, sir. Thanks. I'm gone off coiffure. Maybe cut that part out. I'm just jumping. Cheers, fella.

I appreciate it. Well, there we go. Congrats to Seamus for hitting a million subscribers on his Celtic Warrior Workouts YouTube channel. If you haven't subscribed to him yet, go check that out. Go give him a subscribe on there. The CBV Clips channel is getting real close.

real close to a million subscribers as well. So if you're listening right now and you haven't subscribed, man, that would be so greatly appreciated if you took the few seconds that it would take to hit that subscribe button. I feel like 2025 is the year that Seamus wins that Intercontinental title and becomes the ultimate Grand Slam champion.

So that would be, WWE champion, United States champion, intercontinental champion, tag team champion, money in the bank, Royal Rumble winner, Slammy Award winner, and King of the Ring.

Impressive. Intercontinental titles, the only thing he hasn't done there. It's going to happen at some point in time, like he said. He's not going anywhere. He just signed a five-year deal, plans to wrestle into his 50s,

and my goodness, I'm here for it. Like I said during this interview, like I said in the intro, the thing about Seamus is when he's in the ring, you know it's going to be good. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. Snap a screenshot and tag us online.

He's at WW Seamus on Instagram and X. I'm at Chris Van Fleet, and DDP shared this quote earlier this week. I love it. It's from Jim Watkins. A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence. Be great. Be grateful, my friends. Have an amazing day.

We will see you on Thursday with Seth. Freakin Rollins. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock, but there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock?

I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Allie.

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