Jack Swagger Speaks Out, Announcer/Punk Quitting

– The Carrolton County Times in Maryland recently interviewed Jack Swagger, here is an excerpt: "It was awesome. It was a monumental feat. Once you're a world champion, you're always a world champion and to put those two words besides your name, it really is humbling to say it out loud. It changed a lot of things in my life; it changed my perspective toward things and how I handled myself. You really can't put it into words what it means; it's different for every person. But, it was a lifelong dream, and at the same time, it's just the tip of the iceberg because it makes me want more. I want more world championships. Once you have a taste for it, it's like a shark in the water smelling blood. You gotta go for it and you gotta give it everything or you're going to come short."

– Qumas Zaman, the baseball announcer who quit on the air with a speech featuring words from CM Punk recently commented on his speech, here is what he had to say: "I've been reading so many people's comments about what I said. I'd like to put it out there that I did take some lines from both Punk and Joey Styles (who had his own exit speech in 2006) and inserted them in my own speech. I did this not to plagiarize them (which technically you can't, because it wasn't published), but to accentuate my feelings. I was inspired by the way they handled having to leave something they love. I love what they do and similarly, I have a passion for what I do. I didn't want to harbor any bad feelings with anyone, but rather explain the situation. And, I always feel that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I just hope that CM Punk and Joey Styles feel flattered that they were inspirations for my speech."

Source: The Carrolton County Times