it’s so important because this is where you learn by talking to some of the veterans who you share rides with. Wrestling isn’t just about living your dream and having fun. This is a business, and we talk about any variety of topics just to keep awake, from current events to your future, to what’s going on with your career. A lot of younger guys don’t realize that it’s hard to find that longevity in this business. I’m sure Christian can Google name after name of guys who have come and gone in this business using his iPhone. Guys who didn’t know anything about the importance of financial planning or trying to build for their future. That’s the kind of stuff you learn in the car. If you’re a young guy just starting out, the most important thing you could do for your career is to ride with a couple of veterans so you can learn about this business the right way.
Measuring Up
Evan Bourne
One time I was traveling with Colin Delaney and we had just gotten on the road. We were the super rookies at this point, and we were riding with another guy named “Cadillac” Casey James, who was a developmental guy who never really made it on TV. But while we were driving, we all started having this debate: How long are the white stripes in the middle of the road? Blazing down the highway, they look like they’re only three or four feet, but Cadillac says, “No, they’re ten feet long. I swear to you, they’re ten to twelve feet long.” Me and Colin are like, “Hell no. At max these things are six feet, but the lines are not taller than us. These lines are not longer than me.” So we end up pulling over into a Whataburger parking lot and go out to the street to stand out there on the lines and measure foot to foot, toe to toe. And I’ll be darned, these white lines in the middle of the road really were twelve feet. We were dead wrong. So here we are, Colin and I are in the middle of the street at like one in the morning, walking a tightrope along these lines to measure, when we see another car pull into Whataburger. They turn right by us, and it’s Teddy Long and Mark Henry. They both just looked at us, they looked at each other, and Teddy was like, “What are you boys doing out there in the middle of the street?” It was definitely a shocking experience for them to see us out there, but we had to know who was right about those lines. I still can’t believe they’re twelve feet.
That’s the Jam
MVP
My musical tastes are real eclectic. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and jazz. I’m really into Jamiroquai, Paul Wall, Led Zeppelin, Young Jeezy . . . depends on my mood. I had Chris Masters in the car with me a while back, and as we’re driving along we were listening to jazz for a while. And this was classic jazz . . . a trio with the drummer, pianist, and a trumpet. I love jazz, especially the classic stuff with Charlie Parker, and after about five or ten minutes, Chris Masters turns to me and is like, “Man, this is really cool.” He had never really listened to jazz like that before. After a while, the song is over and there’s a commercial on the station, so I change it, and Living Colour is on with “Cult of Personality.” He had never heard that song before. Then when I told him they were black, I blew him away. He was like, “For real?” A couple of minutes later, Fleetwood Mac came on with “The Chain,” and he had never heard that either. I think by the time we had finished our drive, I had enlightened him and broadened his musical horizons. Everyone always looks at me and thinks, “MVP: hip-hop, rap, and that ballin’ Superstar,” but musically, my tastes are all over the place. I like what I like. I can talk music for hours.
The All-American American’s
Ultimate Road Hit List
Jack Swagger
One thing people don’t know about me is, I love to sing. That doesn’t mean I’m a good singer—in fact, I’m a horrible singer—but I love doing it. And while I love music, I have absolutely no
Measuring Up
Evan Bourne
One time I was traveling with Colin Delaney and we had just gotten on the road. We were the super rookies at this point, and we were riding with another guy named “Cadillac” Casey James, who was a developmental guy who never really made it on TV. But while we were driving, we all started having this debate: How long are the white stripes in the middle of the road? Blazing down the highway, they look like they’re only three or four feet, but Cadillac says, “No, they’re ten feet long. I swear to you, they’re ten to twelve feet long.” Me and Colin are like, “Hell no. At max these things are six feet, but the lines are not taller than us. These lines are not longer than me.” So we end up pulling over into a Whataburger parking lot and go out to the street to stand out there on the lines and measure foot to foot, toe to toe. And I’ll be darned, these white lines in the middle of the road really were twelve feet. We were dead wrong. So here we are, Colin and I are in the middle of the street at like one in the morning, walking a tightrope along these lines to measure, when we see another car pull into Whataburger. They turn right by us, and it’s Teddy Long and Mark Henry. They both just looked at us, they looked at each other, and Teddy was like, “What are you boys doing out there in the middle of the street?” It was definitely a shocking experience for them to see us out there, but we had to know who was right about those lines. I still can’t believe they’re twelve feet.
That’s the Jam
MVP
My musical tastes are real eclectic. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and jazz. I’m really into Jamiroquai, Paul Wall, Led Zeppelin, Young Jeezy . . . depends on my mood. I had Chris Masters in the car with me a while back, and as we’re driving along we were listening to jazz for a while. And this was classic jazz . . . a trio with the drummer, pianist, and a trumpet. I love jazz, especially the classic stuff with Charlie Parker, and after about five or ten minutes, Chris Masters turns to me and is like, “Man, this is really cool.” He had never really listened to jazz like that before. After a while, the song is over and there’s a commercial on the station, so I change it, and Living Colour is on with “Cult of Personality.” He had never heard that song before. Then when I told him they were black, I blew him away. He was like, “For real?” A couple of minutes later, Fleetwood Mac came on with “The Chain,” and he had never heard that either. I think by the time we had finished our drive, I had enlightened him and broadened his musical horizons. Everyone always looks at me and thinks, “MVP: hip-hop, rap, and that ballin’ Superstar,” but musically, my tastes are all over the place. I like what I like. I can talk music for hours.
The All-American American’s
Ultimate Road Hit List
Jack Swagger
One thing people don’t know about me is, I love to sing. That doesn’t mean I’m a good singer—in fact, I’m a horrible singer—but I love doing it. And while I love music, I have absolutely no
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