We all know the difference between sports entertainment and the combat sports that I call, but at the end of the day, they are all spawned from the same source, and there's a lot of mutual respect between the two bodies.
I gave myself the nickname 'Bipolar Rock N' Roller' way back in the 1990s, when - as much as we don't talk about mental health now - back then it was almost nonexistent. And if it was broached, it was done in a very pejorative way.
I go into calling any match, any fight - I don't care if it's the main event or the opener - that these guys have put in their work: they're here for a reason, and there's a reason I'm calling this fight, so I do want to give it as much attention and respect and energy as I would the main event or a championship fight.
I have a lot of critics, and that's fine. I think it's better to be polarizing than to be vanilla. I also think people can't question the passion and sincerity that I bring because I truly am the luckiest guy in the world.
One thing that I've learned is that you don't have to be a prima donna or think you are better than other people in order to succeed.
There are people with much bigger profiles than mine who are talking about mental illness. I am going to try to use whatever platform I have, whatever voice I have to help eliminate the stigma.
The titles aren't merely props in New Japan. They're actually the focus of the company, and that's how it should be if you're going to be in this world, this business. After all, it is professional wrestling. It is presented as an athletic competition, and the titles should mean something.
There is danger involved in combat sports, but this is the purest form of competition. It's all about finding the truth. When you put someone in a cage or a ring, you're going to find out the truth - not only about your opponent but about yourself as well.
My first full-time radio job at 21, I was there for only a couple of months before I was hospitalized. I wrote a resignation letter. My dad wouldn't give the letter to my boss at the time.
My 20s were gone, my 30s were recovery, my 40s is where I am self-sufficient.
I've never been ashamed of being the ham or the provocateur, as it were, in my style of commentary or my style of showmanship.
I've called all sports. I was a radio DJ, club DJ, talk show host, hockey, basketball, football; you name it, I've done it.
