During his appearance on The Ryback Show, Heath Slater spoke on how being released by the WWE motivated him. Here’s what he had to say:
It was one of those things where some people say you get released and you shrivel up and, ‘Oh no.’ It’s funny, for me, it was like, ‘Damn, I was never gonna quit.’ It’s like that whole weight off your chest type thing to where my life is way more stress-free now. I get to spend way more time with my babies, so that’s amazing.
It 100 percent did. A lot of people are like, ‘How? You were there for so long and there were so many people that knew you and were like family for you.’ I was like, ‘It ain’t like I’ve died or nothing. I’ve got a phone.’ But then again, it’s one of those things where some people get released, and you never hear from them. And they’re not in that circle anymore. I got punched in the mouth and said, ‘Oh shit, I’ve gotta get back up and keep moving because the funny thing about is, I got knocked in my mouth with the reality of you’re 37 and you’re in WWE, so you might as well get back in shape and doing your shit. So, four months before I got released, I had that little bit of fire that I’m gonna start looking better, I’m gonna start doing this, and then I got released. I’m like, ‘I can’t stop.’ I’m gonna keep going.
Credit: The Ryback Show. H/T 411Mania.