My wrestling dream was to become a Division I national champion. That was my No. 1 dream - not Olympics, not money. Just winning that tournament.
To be honored with the WWE Hall of Fame, I cannot put into words how big it is for me.
I believe that I will be the WWE World Champion one day. I know that a lot of people say that; it's easy to say. If I were to go away without accomplishing that task, I would feel unfulfilled, to be completely honest.
Being the first-ever three-time ROH world champion is pretty surreal.
Everyone's talking about Phil Davis and what he did in college. It's an accomplishment to win an NCAA title. I don't want to discredit that. But I believe if I would have wrestled him in college, I would have beat him.
I've actually been in more Elimination Chamber matches than any other human being on the planet. It really has been a badge of honor for me.
I have nothing but respect for Adam Cole. I've known him for a very long time, and he's one of the best in the world.
I always wanted to be mentioned in the same breath as all of the great wrestlers.
If I aspire to be the king of WWE, one day if I keep working at it, I will be the king of WWE.
I have this little, tiny Dusty Rhodes figure they make in Japan that people always give me in my bag. I set it next to the title and took a picture of it in my bag. That was my big goal in the industry. I wasn't able to achieve that in his lifetime, but he always believed.
Winning the Intercontinental Title for the first time, in 2010, was a real milestone, as I grew up living off some of those Intercontinental Title matches.
Obviously, winning the World Heavyweight Championship was a memorable moment, but nothing tops the feeling of defeating the Undertaker.
I became one of the top wrestlers outside of WWE in the world, and it all happened because I started giving it my everything.
In wrestling, if you want to be the best wrestler, you show up at the U.S. Nationals. If you win that, you go to World Team Trials. You make the World Team, you go to the World Championships, and we all know who the best is at the end of the year.
Wrestling seemed like something I might be good at, so I stuck with it and gave it a shot. I ended up in a pretty good place. I was very fortunate.
I have wrestled in almost every tournament in the world. I've won the Olympics, NCAAs, and World Championships, but none of those can truly compare to the feeling I felt when I won my first and only state championship my senior year of high school.
I would have never thought that somebody like me from the small country of Bulgaria could make it in WWE.
I was one of the best wrestlers in Ohio.
I have kind of reached the pinnacle of wrestling.
When I won the belt, it was kind of a precedent... The only Canadian to have ever held it.
Without Ring of Honor, I wouldn't be the wrestler I am or have the confidence needed to continue to grow in this ever-challenging sport.
