In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Trevor Lee spoke about his best work as a wrestler, his relationship with his recently deceased father and more. Here are highlights:

On showing fans the real Trevor Lee: “I would love to go to WWE or New Japan. I’ve done a lot in the United States in terms of big independent companies, I’ve wrestled in Mexico, Canada, England, and India, but I’d love to go to Japan. The best work that I’ve ever done in my life has never been on TV. My TV work has been to help the product, but outside of that is where you see the real Trevor Lee.”

On his relationship with his father: “My father started OMEGA with Matt Hardy in 1997. My fondest memories are having a wrestling ring in our yard. Matt and Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore, and guys from all over the Cameron area were training in that ring. At school, kids would say, ‘Why do you have a wrestling ring in your yard? That’s not normal.’ They would have a basketball goal in their yard, but to me, wrestling was just a normal way of life. Me and my father always stuck together. He was married three times, and we lost a couple things through those divorces. When I was in the sixth grade, we had to move out of our house after a bad divorce. We ended up living with my grandmother, and me and my father actually shared the same room until I graduated high school. In ninth grade, my father put on a show and I saw this match between Kamikaze Kid and Ultra Dragon. They had a high-spot type of match, and I fell back in love with wrestling. I’d been getting in trouble a lot in school, but I just needed an outlet. My father started a new promotion, so I had a wrestling ring with regular availability and I started training again. I always knew how to take bumps. I’ve been practicing suicide dives with Jeff Hardy since I was four. My father helped me find that avenue back into wrestling. He made me believe that I was really good at wrestling, and that everything we went through was for a reason. I was extremely close with him and it was difficult to lose him. But that’s made me stronger, as well.”

On going to WWE: “I’m willing to try anything. I wouldn’t mind wrestling in the 205 Live scene. It’s a good spot with great talent, I like those matches. I feel like I can compete in the top guy scene, too. Guys like Rollins and Balor aren’t that big, and I feel like I could be right there with them. I used to live on the same street as the Hardy Boyz and see them come home after being on the road. Ultimately, I’d love to follow in their footsteps.”