I think last year was your best year as an in-ring performer.

Firing a shot across the young ones.

Was it a conscious effort to show you could perform at a high level?

No, it was knowing our group of superstars. We had a lot of new superstars, a lot of superstars seasoned with other promotions, a lot who rely heavily on their in-ring performance rather than their mic work. I go back to Hogan-Rock, one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Go back and watch it without sound, it’s a little different, but it’s still one of the best matches ever and it’s only because their characters are so well-defined. You get a bunch of new guys in the mix, a bunch of unidentifiable characters, the best way you can relate to the audience is through ability. So let’s give them a hell of a show. I got the opportunity to become United States champion again and with that I wanted to make that something special and almost make it a showcase for anyone. If you aren’t giving anyone an opportunity, send them to me, I’ll take them. Give me your tired, your hungry and your poor. That’s what the United States has always been about.

As a competitor who has main-evented WrestleMania with a movie star like The Rock, is it the same working mid-card programs with young, ascending talent?

Man, now we’re getting into my opinions. Yes, at every AC/DC show, AC/DC eventually comes out. That doesn’t mean that as the opening act you can’t fucking wail. The one thing that tries my patience is when people are upset of where they are on the show. I am healthy. I would love to do the WrestleMania pre-show if I could. I would love to get up there before the pre-show and do a dark match for the people just to get out there and give something. I’m not going to kick anybody’s door down and say you got to put me on the show or if you do you have to put me in the main event. My job was to get healthy and if I get used, cool. If not, then it’s not my time. I’m not of that, "Oh, I’m not in the main event anymore, ugh."

So, placement on the card doesn’t really matter. A performer can steal the show or make headlines no matter where their match is positioned?

I absolutely 100% agree. A seven second match at WrestleMania with Sheamus [and Daniel Bryan] was proof positive of that.

You’ve said in the past that the boos don’t bother you. What about the “You can’t wrestle” chants?

No, because it’s people’s opinions and when you get a crowd of people who enjoy technical wrestling, I’m not Tiger Mask. I’m not Dean Malenko. I’m not William Regal. I’m not those guys. That ain’t me. But I’ll tell you I’m fired up, I’ll get you excited to see what will happen and I will give you my best. Through that journey amazingly enough, the same people who are chanting that in the beginning of the match are on their feet at the end. That never bothered me. I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I know you pay money to come and see me. My job is to make you go afterwards, "Oh, that was awesome." Me trying to do something and failing miserably at it just to prove to some critic that I can “wrestle” in their interpretation is a waste of your money.

What are your weaknesses as a performer?

I’m certainly not the most mobile guy out there. I’m not really good with the high flying agility stuff. I’m good explosively. I’m good with energy. I certainly can take your best shot and get back up. And I certainly have that innate ability to get people interested because I am energetic about what I do. I have this conversation often with a lot of the superstars. They ask me why have I been able to do what I do for so long, it’s because I believe in who I am. Here I’m just a dude in a suit talking shop, inside baseball stuff about WWE. My music hits, those meme trumpets hit, I go through the curtain and I’m mother-fudging Superman. And there’s no one alive that can tell me differently.

You’ve added some new moves, some new stuff…

It’s just stuff. The heartbeat has to be there. If you want to go back to Roman, he is on the cusp of getting that heart truly beating. People know he is very gifted. His in-ring ability is not in question. I don’t care what any critic says. They are just being stupid. He can go. He is an athlete. I don’t really know who he is. Like I said, John Cena is easy: goody-two shoes Superman. Easy. A four-year old kid can tell you that. I don’t necessarily know the heartbeat of Roman Reigns. As soon as that first heartbeat happens, it’s going to challenge me. I’m looking forward to it.