The Miami Herald posted an interview with WWE United States champion Dolph Ziggler. A few excerpts:
On getting a second chance:
“It’s a little scary, no matter how good you think you are or no matter how much you’re progressing. Anytime you’re taken off the full-time roster, and you have to kind of start over and work on your craft some more, when you’re off TV, it’s scar … I told myself if I got another chance, if, then I would be 100 percent ready to go. I went to two practices a day. I was watching my tapes. I didn’t want to come back and have them say, ‘Hey, let’s give this guy a shot. Oh, he’s OK.’ I wanted, ‘Wow, this guy could be the best ever,’ and that’s what I’m striving for.”
On UFC:
“When I was in high school, I was interested in that stuff — UFC 1, 2, 3 and 4 — before it got as mainstream as it is now. I was really into [amateur] wrestling and boxing because I wanted to be the best athlete that I could. I never really had an interest in it, except in high school.”
On College:
“While I was waiting for a tryout with WWE, I was waiting to go to Law School .. I took six semesters of Sign Language at Kent State. We have fans from the deaf community who have come up to me, and instead of them having to write a note or nod yes or no, we were able to have a conversation through signing. I think that’s pretty cool to reach out to people like that.”