- How do you feel about the move to Smackdown?
I’m excited. I’ve done the ECW thing, won the titles there. Did the Raw thing and won all the titles there. Might as well go over to Smackdown and see what happens!
- We loved the Money in the Bank match, but we had it down to Christian or Kofi to win.
I’ll be honest, I thought Shelton was going to win.
- When did you find out it was you?
Not long before. They keep things pretty hush hush, you find out on a need to know basis.
- It was probably the best Money in the Bank match so far...
I haven’t watched it yet. I’m waiting for it come out on Blu-ray!
- Well, it’s excellent. Kofi Kingston was great.
Yeah, he is a breath of fresh air. It was my third one so I feel like I’m boring and stale.
- We thought it might get to the end of the WrestleMania show and then you’d cash the briefcase in...
A lot of people have said that. That would have been really fun. That would have been rad.
- Do you think that’s the way it will happen again, the shock run-in, or would you prefer to have a straight up match this time?
If it was up to me, I’m a guy who gets bored very, very easily and doing the same thing over and over again isn’t very appealing, I would much rather do it a different way. I’m all for the ambush thing. I thought it was fun and it gets a reaction.
But I’m always thinking character-wise too. No-one ever thought CM Punk would be world champion, and that it was a fluke the way I won it. This time, perhaps I'll silence the critics and call someone ahead of time.
- The last time you were champion you capitalised on Batista's actions on Edge. Do you think the fact that you didn’t win a match for the title harmed your reign as champion?
Not at all. I don’t at all. Edge did it, he was ok. To me it was a bad guy getting his comeuppance. What goes around comes around.
- You’re over on Smackdown now, so is there anyone on that brand who you haven’t got to grips with yet and would like to?
There’s a laundry list of guys that I’ve yet to wrestle, and I’m started to get a little p***ed about it.
Undertaker would be the number one guy now I’m on Smackdown. I’ve never wrestled Cena, Triple H, HBK or Jeff Hardy. To me, those are five huge, huge matches and I would love nothing more than to get in there with those guys.
- You list those five guys, the thing that strikes immediately is that they are all currently babyface, the same as yourself. Is there a chance we could see a heel CM Punk any time in the near future?
If it was up to me, then yes, absolutely. Do I think WWE is ready for a heel CM Punk? No, I don’t. I don’t see it happening any time soon. But man would that be fun.
- Do you have a pick for the ‘next big thing’? Ted DiBiase, a lot of people say, and Swagger is another obviously one.
I don’t think either of those guys can touch Evan Bourne. If we’re talking about guys with potential, he’s head and shoulders above everybody. If used correctly he’s the next Rey Mysterio.
- Interesting you mention him because you and he are almost the last guys to have come from the Indy circuit.
Maybe I’m a little biased. But he’s a wrestling guy. Some people have got into this business in a different way, not that there’s anything wrong with that. The best way to get into the business in 2009 is to do it through the WWE because everything else is dying.
But Evan is a phenomenal athlete – he’s a good looking little kid. What’s not to admire about that guy?
- Did it mean a lot to you that when you were world champion that the man holding the TNA title was Samoa Joe, with the history you two have had?
Me and Joe have talked about this, and I get that question a lot. Joe’s wife actually asked us, we were sitting around at Thanksgiving dinner, and she said: “It’s crazy, did you ever both think you’d be world champions in different companies?”
We both looked at either other and went “Yep!” It may sound egotistical, but we knew we were that good. We were two of the craziest most driven people you’ve ever seen in your entire life. I see something and go after it.
- At Survivor Series 2006, you were teaming with DX and the Hardys. Hunter did his usual mic thing, but handed it over to you and for a minute you were a star above DX, the crowd went crazy. Was that as big a buzz for you as for your fans?
Yeah, but I obviously I think I have a little bit of a behind the scenes twist on it. To me it was like a big middle finger to everybody because I wasn’t supposed to be there, wasn’t supposed to make it. Even from then until now I wasn’t supposed to make it this far.
Some say it’s cocky, but I’m just a confident dude. I’ve always tried to be the best. I’m not saying I am, I’m not saying I’m better than Hunter or the Hardys or Shawn or Samoa Joe or anybody, anywhere, in any company.
I just try to be the best. In the gym, watching tapes, in the ring, out of the ring, some days I have better days than others. But yeah, that day was a bit of a launching pad for me and I remember that very fondly. I just wish they’d done something more with it.
