WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan recently spoke with DJ Peter Rosenberg on “Rosenberg Radio” for an interview. Below are some of the highlights.
On feeling like a hypocrite for pushing merchandise: “This is where I’m a hypocrite is that what we really need to do is stop people from consuming so much stuff, but my whole job is to get people to consume stuff, right? Like, I work for WWE. They want you to buy Daniel Bryan t-shirts, and Daniel Bryan toys, and WWE video games, and all this kind of stuff. In my last run, I stopped wearing my t-shirts to the ring because I had become so anti-consumerism and not only that, inorganic cotton is really bad for the environment. It’s like one of the worst things.”
On enjoying talking about politics with John Cena: “John Cena, you wouldn’t think that I love talking about this kind of stuff with John.” Bryan added, “but he’s very into the same kinds of topics, but he believes that technology will save the day. Yeah, and I’m not even sure if he’s at the point where he thinks technology will save the day. He [has] had that discussion with me. He’s very good at, like… I love talking to John because he will really make you question your assumptions about stuff, like, ‘won’t this happen? Won’t that?’ and so, yeah, his brain works so fast. We’re still not that close, but I love talking to John. I don’t know. The last time I spoke with him was over Thanksgivingish.”
On being uncomfortable going to the gym with Cena: “When we’ve been in San Diego [California] together, like, we’ll go to the gym [together]. Like, he’ll take me to the gym. Gosh, he had me in whatever car he was driving, like a Maserati and stuff. I felt so awkward traveling to the gym with him because, like, his gym clothes are pristine, right? Like, he has his workout shoes. Yeah, yeah. And my workout stuff is not pristine because it’s like I also do stuff, like, I run, and I’ll do this, and, sometimes, okay, I just so happen to have my gym shoes on and I’ll go garden and now they’re muddy. So I’m getting into whatever car this is, a Maserati or something like that, and I’m like, ‘oh no, this is not good!’ But it’s like, so yeah, we’ll go to the gym.”
On Cena’s promo ability and learning from Vince McMahon in promo class: “It’s not easy, and there’s a real art form to it, but [Cena is] the master of it. If you watch Vince McMahon, I did this promo class with him, Vince McMahon, and he’s really enlightening because he actually had me teach the class. It’s this really weird thing, but it was very interesting to spend that time with Vince McMahon. It was a classroom full of people, but you’re learning interviews from Vince McMahon and watching the way he thinks about it and the way he talks about it, it’s like, ‘whoa, this guy’s on a different level.’ And you could see it in his performance, the way he talks, the way he emotes through his face, the way he uses silence, right? It’s like a masters class in that. I’ve come to appreciate it, but it’s still not my thing.”