08/17/2026
Paying my dues is the way I was brought up. I was taught to respect the business, respect the people who came before me, work for what I want, and never expect anything to simply be handed to me.
To me, paying your dues means all of it. It’s showing up early and staying late. It’s helping set up the ring, tearing it down after the show, carrying equipment, putting up posters, selling tickets, working merch, shaking hands, promoting the event, helping the locker room, taking the matches nobody else wants, driving hours for a booking, working in front of 50 people just as hard as you would in front of 5,000, and learning from every single person willing to teach you.
That mindset is still with me today.
But the truth is, we’re all not the same. Everybody has a different journey, a different path, and different circumstances that brought them to where they are.
What worked for me may not be the same road someone else takes.
I’ll always believe in paying my dues, putting in the work, earning respect, and remembering where I came from. But I’ve also learned that just because somebody’s path looks different than mine doesn’t mean their journey isn’t valid.
08/16/2026
08/15/2026