Hey guys and gals! I hope everyone is healthy, happy, and faring well in their day to day life. I am doing fantastic, busier than ever. But what else is new? HA! It's been a bit since I've had the chance to post something.. Sooo.. I MADE the time today because I felt like I owed you guys. 

First and foremost, it's time to get my ECW Championship back at the Royal Rumble in Detroit on Sunday. I gotta give it to Jack Swagger, he's a helluva talented guy and his best days are definitely ahead of him. But with that said.. Swagger wouldn't even be the ECW Champ right now if he didn't have the help of an exposed turnbuckle to knock me out. I proved last Friday on Smackdown that I had his number-when I became the first person to pin him and beat him on WWE television after he suffered an unfortunate Twist of Fate. 

I wanna thank everyone who has asked me about Jeff and his condition after that crazy pyrotechnics accident. I have to admit, that's one of the most freaky, horrifying events that I've ever seen-especially considering my brother was in the middle of it. Rest assured, I'm taking care of Jeff. As always the case with my brother, he may be down, but he's never out.

Let's get into the topic that I'm gonna address today, which is also the title of this blog-"Byproducts That Are Created By Success." For me, there are many positive byproducts created from my 10 plus year career and hectic schedule with the WWE. The first being happiness and gratification. Being a WWE Superstar was a dream for me in the true sense of the word as a kid. Whether you love me or hate me, there's no denying I've had an amazing WWE career and stand out as one of today's top stars. Being fortunate enough to have accomplished that standing has led to other things for me. Being able to influence and inspire others,  being able to give back to the wrestling business, amazing life stories, personal satisfaction, and financial security.  Whenever I look in the mirror I remind myself how blessed I am. I'm also happy and at peace with the person I see in the mirror looking back at me. I did things the right way, by earning everything I've ever received. I started from the absolute BOTTOM of the pro wrestling world with no inside connections to fast-track me. I have busted my ass every step of my journey and was happy to do it. I've never stabbed anyone in the back or cut anyone's throat to get where I'm at. And whether you agree with that or not.. I will always be proud of that fact.

There are so many wonderful and positive things my success has made possible and allowed me to do. On the other end of the spectrum though, there are other byproducts created by success-critics and negative opinions. It comes with the territory and I have learned to not only accept them, but to embrace them as motivation. Which brings me to some comments that were made about me that I was recently made aware of. I'll be the first to admit, I love keeping up with my profession on all levels, including the rumor-mill known as the internet. The last two weeks I've had such a hectic schedule between my day job and my other projects, I've haven't been up to speed on the current internet "topics." A good friend of mine showed me some comments a former power broker in the sports entertainment business made about yours truly. After I read his comments, I actually started laughing they were so off the mark. He then proceeded to make a couple of comments about Jeff, without knowing actual facts, which just made him look like a rotten person. Here's verbatim what was said about me..

"Matt, you are a friggin goof. Your recent recap of your “lifestyle” frames you as a candidate to the Jake Roberts Hall of Fame. Your suggestion that you and your generation are “smarter and more responsible” than previous generations of wrestlers makes me sick. You are a mid-card talent that should be grateful to even get a check every other week. Enjoy it while it lasts. And rather than looking down your nose at previous generations of professional wrestlers, donate a portion of your check to one of them and ask them to point out all the parallels between your current career path/lifestyle and theirs.

I find it funny that my "suggestions make him sick", yet he cares enough about me and my blog to read it and actually comment on it. Because I certainly didn't even know he had a blog or gave a damn about it until someone made me aware of it. So I'm gonna give this individual just what he was looking for by taking a couple of ignorant jabs towards someone he apparently cares about-some publicity on the net.  Alright, let's break this down..

"Matt, you are a friggin goof. Your recent recap of your “lifestyle” frames you as a candidate to the Jake Roberts Hall of Fame."

Hmm.. Absolutely no disrespect toward Jake Roberts, a guy who sacrificed to keep the business up and running so I could work in it one day, I don't think you could possibly be any further off. Besides my wrestling income, I have other projects and situations that produce income for me. I'm a little bit of an entrepreneur, kinda like you, HA. I could have retired already, dating back to 2005. I'd say that's pretty responsible for someone who just turned 34 years old. I'm not a drug guy either-I've never been in trouble, I've never had to battle demons, and the Wellness Program loves me. For the record, when I was out all night at Shane Helm's place, it was a New Year's Eve party. The majority of America stays up late that night. I was off the next day, and was able to get enough sleep to catch up. The following Friday after our Ft. Lauderdale live event, I went to eat with a friend after the show around midnight and hung out for a while. And because my sleep schedule had been wacky for a couple of days, I was wide awake. Sorry, didn't have or was willing to take any kind of "substances" to put me to sleep before my 4:30 a.m. wake up call. Had to disappoint you. Or the condescending "pro wrestling journalist" who writes for the preposterous Minnesota .com site who also made some patronizing remarks about the same situation. Once Saturday night rolled around, I was back on my regular sleeping schedule. You guys do realize we keep outrageous hours at work that constantly change depending on scheduling and traveling right? Just checking..

"Your suggestion that you and your generation are “smarter and more responsible” than previous generations of wrestlers makes me sick."

First and foremost, hope you're feeling better. And by the way, since you were singling him out, my brother does not make up my entire "generation." Things have changed SO much for the better since I started with the WWE full-time in 1998. I consider my generation roster beginning from around the time myself, Jeff, Edge, and Christian started with the WWE, 1998ish. Even before the Wellness Program began, the majority of my generation didn't want to end up dying early or broke if they were fortunate enough to make a good living in the business. And we learned that from those who had come before us. The majority of us were smart enough to learn from the mistakes of those who paved the way for us. The business isn't perfect, but it's damn sure better and more responsible than it's ever been. I stand completely behind that statement. If you have an issue nowadays, you have to either change or be gone. If I'm not mistaken, you're friends with DDP-he was around some of our generation for a while, ask him his opinion on the subject. On top of that, Vince McMahon and the WWE have been working diligently on all levels-in an honest attempt to keep their employees as safe and as healthy as possible by utilizing the Wellness Program, cardio testing, impact testing, and constant physical check-ups. 

"You are a mid-card talent that should be grateful to even get a check every other week. Enjoy it while it lasts."

HAHAHA!! Ewww.. Scott Hall finger thing.. Mid-Card, grateful to even get a check.. Wow, that's upsetting. I'm going on 11 years with the WWE and my 1099's (which I just looked at for 2008) certainly don't have a number on them that implies I'm lucky to be getting a paycheck. And just for the record, for the last 11 months, I have consistently been at nearly all televisions tapings-more than any other talent has. Enough of justifying myself though, I feel in good company. If I'm not mistaken, that's the same sentiment you had about Steve Austin-and he turned out ok. Maybe there's a small ray of hope for me yet..

"And rather than looking down your nose at previous generations of professional wrestlers, donate a portion of your check to one of them and ask them to point out all the parallels between your current career path/lifestyle and theirs."

I don't look down my nose at anyone. No one from any walk of life. I don't even see how you could take my comments out of context that far to even suggest that. I am especially grateful to the previous generations who kept the business alive so I could leave the life I do today. Anyone who knows me well personally knows that. I've busted my ass for a long time with a master plan of positioning myself into a certain situation. A situation that I'm responsible for where I'm happy, secure, and free to dictate my daily activities. On my own, I've more or less gotten to that point. I've never asked for any donations, so I don't feel responsible to give out any. And call me crazy, but I think my current career path/lifestyle is gonna be just fine. 

Thanks for giving me some good, yet easy, topics to respond to and blog about. Made my morning go by faster. 

Quote of the day - "Never mind what haters say, ignore them 'til they fade away" - T.I., Live Your Life

Matt