Quotes from Eli Drake

It's been phenomenal to finally be recognized for my talents and to be on a worldwide stage where people can see me, see what I do and see what I say. It's really been incredible.

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.

I have amazing respect for Tessa Blanchard; I've told many people that she is easily the best female wrestler in the world. She is so intense with everything she does, and her facials, and moves.

But I've been day trading stocks and I've been doing it pretty successfully.

Comedy and silliness has a place in wrestling, but there's still gotta be some level of believability.

I was one of the top paid guys at Impact, thankfully. With that money, I invested a bunch of it and I've been taking classes on learning day trading with stocks.

I think that there is eventually going to transition in to a way where - I think cable is eventually going to go the same way as just regular radio. Where people still listen to it, it still exists, but for the most part, they've got MP3, they've got satellite radio, they've got Pandora.

There's a big etiquette thing with wrestling, but every day you come in, you shake everybody's hand, you introduce yourself, you say hello.

When I was at the Performance Center, I was super hated for probably two or three months because I'm a quiet guy. I'm very much an introvert and it shocks people when they see what I do on TV because I'm verbose and I talk a lot.

You know, Billy Corgan has a big vision. He has a great idea for what he wants to do and how he wants to distribute it and I have always liked Billy and Dave Lagana's platform as far as being more character-driven and just kind of let us do our own thing and let the talent be talented.

The biggest advertising dollars are coming from television - not to mention there's just a certain 'aura', there's a certain feeling about being on TV where it still is special to a lot of people.

I don't think most guys can handle a mic even close to what I do if I'm honest and I say that with no ego, that's the honest truth. I know what I do and I'm self aware.

The casual audience was never really turned on by crazy moves, they were turned on by crazy characters.

One of my biggest gripes with wrestling in the last decade is it has seen a lot of silly, goofy characters. I feel like every other match is a comedy spot, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think if there is a comedy spot, it should be special.

A lot of people try to evolve in unreasonable ways and I don't agree with them. But you must evolve and be better than the same guy next to you, at the same time being able to work with the guy next to you.

After 4 years with Impact Wrestling, some ups, some downs, I would like to thank them for the overall great experience.

Look at the wrestling business today. You've got a bunch of guys jumping around doing dangerous stunts and silly-looking dance moves. Like, I'm gonna dance before I kick you in the head or whatever.

I just like my lifestyle living in L.A. I didn't want to move to any other state, I didn't want to go anywhere else.

If you look at WWE 1998-99, was it over the top? Sure it was, but they were still doing well. If you get into 2004-05, you've got HLA, Katie Vick and things like that - that's where it just gets dumb.