Daniel Bryan Discusses WrestleMania, Being A Vegan, MMA Training & More
Recently, former World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan was interviewed by Ted Gruber of MMA Disputed. During the interview, a number of topics were discussed. Amongst the topics covered, Bryan talked about; his "Yes!" chants, being a vegan on the road, his short match with Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 and his hopes for next years WrestleMania. Here are some of the highlights:
On how his MMA training has influenced his performances as a wrestler and whether it's important: "I feel that it's very important because pro wrestling needs to evolve. What people bought in the 80's and 90's — (they) don't necessarily buy it today.
"There's a big difference the way I throw a kick and the rest of the roster throws one. I don't think the fans can necessarily identify the difference, but they can tell the difference. I think my training has really helped me in that aspect of mixing in the real, legit kicks. My wrestling style has always been tight and my MMA training has helped me incorporate that in the ring."
On where the "Yes!" chants originated and why he does them: "I'm huge a fan of MMA and particularly how Diego Sanchez presents himself walking into the cage. He would use the word YES to get himself hyped up for his fight when he walked out from his locker room. I thought that would be perfect for professional wrestling. I would do it more celebratory than what he did it for which is obvious.
"It is directly from Diego Sanchez but with my own twist. I think Diego is amazing character and even his last fight he was walking out with a cross warding off vampires. He's an amazing fighter and his entrances are cool."
On whether of the not the length of his WrestleMania 28 match bothers him: "Of course it bothers me. I love wrestling and I love going out there and putting on the best match possible. Especially when it comes to Wrestlemania, I pride myself of being one of the best or the best wrestlers on that show. All the eyes are on this, so of course I was a little upset with not being able to display what I am capable of."
On the superstar he'd most like to face at next year's WrestleMania: "I would think it would be really cool and how both are careers have gone, it would be CM Punk. I think that would be a major important match and be awesome to go out there in front of 70,000 people and show them what we can do. Both of us wrestled in front of 35 people so having that kind of crowd in front of us would be amazing."
On being a vegan with a very hectic travel schedule: "I started being a vegan at the end of 2009 due to health issues. The toughest part is finding places to eat while on the road. At home it's easy because you know what you are going to eat and have it right there for yourself. With a lot of vegans they can just eat a lot of junk food. I'm doing this for health issues and my doctor gave me some books to look at.
"On the road I have to pack a lot of protein, nuts and seeds and then stopping to get fresh fruit. When you are driving 250 miles to the next show many guys are stopping at Burger King for food. There's nothing for me there so I have to pack away a lot of stuff that will get me through the weekend."
To check out the entire interview, click here.