John Cena: Run Out of Hollywood

1. 0:00 – 2:14

   Opening

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      [upbeat music] What part of your body has taken the, like, the biggest hits in, like, when you, when you feel your body in the morning, w- there's got... Is it-

   2. SPSpeaker0:09

      So, honestly, uh-

   3. TNTrevor Noah0:09

      ... is it your shoulders? Is it your knees? Is it your... Is there any part of your body where you go like-

   4. EUEugene0:12

      I was thinking the hand. I was like-

   5. SPSpeaker0:13

      Yeah, 'cause it's, that's the, yeah. That's-

   6. TNTrevor Noah0:13

      You're like, his hand is tired

   7. EUEugene0:14

      ... the hand is like-

   8. SPSpeaker0:15

      That's the bread and butter. That's the money maker, dog.

   9. TNTrevor Noah0:16

      The wrist. [laughs]

   10. EUEugene0:18

       [laughs]

   11. SPSpeaker0:18

       Yeah. Yeah.

   12. TNTrevor Noah0:19

       Is there something that you have kept from your days of not having money that, like, just still sticks with you?

   13. SPSpeaker0:25

       Uh, being broke.

   14. TNTrevor Noah0:26

       Yeah.

   15. SPSpeaker0:26

       Like, I'm never going back. [bell dings]

   16. TNTrevor Noah0:28

       John Cena teaches us how to use deodorants.

   17. EUEugene0:31

       [laughs] [bell dings]

   18. SPSpeaker0:31

       When you look at what we do, tons of crowd shots, crowds chant. It, they're, they're literally like European football crowds.

   19. TNTrevor Noah0:39

       Yeah.

   20. EUEugene0:39

       Yeah. Yeah.

   21. SPSpeaker0:40

       But we don't want them to shut up. We want them to keep being as rowdy as you can, because if we perform to apathetic silence, it's not... It's really just kinda two guys in their underwear doing stunts, you know?

   22. TNTrevor Noah0:50

       Sounds like a normal Saturday for you.

   23. SPSpeaker0:52

       Yeah. You know, you know about that, right?

   24. EUEugene0:54

       [laughs] Hey, I was too slow.

   25. TNTrevor Noah0:57

       [laughs]

   26. SPSpeaker0:58

       You know what I'm talking about?

   27. EUEugene0:59

       Oh, I hate you.

   28. SPSpeaker0:59

       You know what I'm talking about?

   29. TNTrevor Noah1:00

       Hey, I was too slow. [upbeat music]

   30. EUEugene1:02

       They sometimes want to heal the relationship that they never had with their fathers by having kids.
2. 2:14 – 4:06

   John Cena Teaches Us How to Use Deodorant

   1. TNTrevor Noah2:14

      You know what I've never seen before?

   2. EUEugene2:15

      Yeah.

   3. TNTrevor Noah2:16

      I saw it at your house. I saw this deodorant that doesn't smell like anything.

   4. EUEugene2:20

      Yeah. Just like a neutral...

   5. TNTrevor Noah2:24

      Wait, what's the point?

   6. EUEugene2:26

      Because you don't-

   7. SPSpeaker2:26

      It stops sweat

   8. EUEugene2:27

      ... thank you.

   9. SPSpeaker2:28

      Yeah.

   10. TNTrevor Noah2:28

       Wait, it stops the sweat?

   11. EUEugene2:29

       Yeah.

   12. SPSpeaker2:29

       Yeah, that's-

   13. TNTrevor Noah2:30

       And then you smell like what?

   14. SPSpeaker2:31

       Well, you can have, you can have a scent for that. You can have a cologne or a perfume, an eau de parfum.

   15. EUEugene2:36

       No, guys.

   16. TNTrevor Noah2:36

       Doesn't it throw you off that you put on-

   17. EUEugene2:38

       No

   18. TNTrevor Noah2:38

       ... 'cause you always wear something that smells really nice.

   19. EUEugene2:40

       Yeah.

   20. TNTrevor Noah2:40

       Doesn't it throw you off that then you're also putting on an underarm deodorant that smells different to that?

   21. EUEugene2:45

       Yeah, because the combat is different under there.

   22. TNTrevor Noah2:48

       Yeah, but you don't need, like-

   23. EUEugene2:48

       Like, that's guerrilla warfare. That's trench warfare.

   24. TNTrevor Noah2:50

       Yeah, but you don't need... You just need smell prevention.

   25. SPSpeaker2:53

       You just stop sweat. Yeah.

   26. TNTrevor Noah2:53

       Yeah, that's all you need.

   27. EUEugene2:54

       So that just blocks the sweat?

   28. TNTrevor Noah2:55

       Yeah.

   29. SPSpeaker2:55

       Yeah.

   30. EUEugene2:57

       No, man. But it says scentless.
3. 4:06 – 7:18

   Growing Up in Massachusetts

   1. EUEugene4:06

      Mm.

   2. TNTrevor Noah4:06

      You just have, like, a... I've always wondered, is, is your vibe because of Massachusetts, or is your vibe because of you?

   3. SPSpeaker4:13

      Ooh. Uh, so what I'm hearing is, is it environmental or, like, um, ex- experience driven?

   4. TNTrevor Noah4:21

      Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

   5. SPSpeaker4:23

      Whoo.

   6. TNTrevor Noah4:23

      'Cause you have a very welcoming-

   7. EUEugene4:26

      Easygoing vibe

   8. TNTrevor Noah4:26

      ... warm, wise, folksy vibe to you.

   9. EUEugene4:29

      Mm.

   10. SPSpeaker4:29

       That's not Massachusetts.

   11. TNTrevor Noah4:30

       [laughs]

   12. EUEugene4:32

       [laughs]

   13. SPSpeaker4:32

       There's, there's a term out there called Massholes, and they, that is a real thing.

   14. TNTrevor Noah4:36

       [laughs]

   15. SPSpeaker4:36

       So w- well, your, your explanation, thank you very much for the kind words.

   16. TNTrevor Noah4:40

       Yeah.

   17. SPSpeaker4:41

       I, I would say that's less geography and probably more life experience. Yeah.

   18. TNTrevor Noah4:44

       How, how different are you to your siblings in that regard?

   19. SPSpeaker4:47

       Uh, I think we grow more similar every day.

   20. TNTrevor Noah4:49

       Really?

   21. SPSpeaker4:50

       Yeah, I think, you know, as we get into the, I guess, act three of our life, um, we're not trying to be heard as much. You know, uh, I grew up in a household with four brothers, and we're all real close. My oldest brother's 52. I'm, I'm gonna be 50. And then it's 48, 46.

   22. TNTrevor Noah5:06

       50?

   23. SPSpeaker5:07

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.

   24. TNTrevor Noah5:08

       There's no way you're turning 50.

   25. SPSpeaker5:09

       In April, I hope so. I don't, I haven't made it there yet, but I hope so.

   26. TNTrevor Noah5:11

       [laughs] But you look good for 50.

   27. SPSpeaker5:13

       Thanks, man.

   28. TNTrevor Noah5:14

       You look great.

   29. SPSpeaker5:14

       I'll take I look good. I'll, I, I, g- good and great.

   30. TNTrevor Noah5:16

       Yeah.
4. 7:18 – 9:20

   Self-Expression and Identity

   1. TNTrevor Noah7:18

      for becomes the thing that you either get over or start to want the opposite of. And I was wondering, like, when I was thinking of you getting dressed when you're a kid, like, trying to be as different as possible. Try- Was that part of trying to find your identity, you think?

   2. SPSpeaker7:30

      Nothing's changed, man. Look, look at this.

   3. TNTrevor Noah7:31

      You think so?

   4. SPSpeaker7:32

      Yeah.

   5. TNTrevor Noah7:32

      Hm.

   6. SPSpeaker7:33

      I look like a chocolate bar with pumpkin streaks, you know? I'm, this, I, I would-

   7. TNTrevor Noah7:37

      I think you, I think now you, like, blend in, man

   8. SPSpeaker7:39

      ... so, so I actually think I'm, uh, f- fashion is, uh, expression.

   9. TNTrevor Noah7:42

      Yeah.

   10. SPSpeaker7:42

       It's also, you feel comfortable. I feel comfortable in this. This was me at, like, 12.

   11. TNTrevor Noah7:49

       Oh.

   12. SPSpeaker7:49

       Just the MC Hammer-

   13. TNTrevor Noah7:50

       Yeah

   14. SPSpeaker7:50

       ... pants, and it was not a suit jacket. It was just like that Kid 'n Play rayon top front.

   15. TNTrevor Noah7:55

       Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

   16. SPSpeaker7:56

       Like, I'm kinda doing the same thing, you know? Um, it's, it's interesting you bring that up. I think as we evolve, obviously our, we shouldn't be the same person we were yesterday.

   17. TNTrevor Noah8:06

       Right, yeah.

   18. SPSpeaker8:07

       And also, I don't think it's restricted to just being a young person. I think we're always searching for a greener grass.

   19. TNTrevor Noah8:12

       Yeah.

   20. SPSpeaker8:12

       I think that's human nature, right?

   21. TNTrevor Noah8:13

       Mm-hmm.

   22. SPSpeaker8:14

       You know, I got this, but yo, if I could only get this, life would, I'd be on easy street. The, the problem is that's, it's not true. There, there really is no easy street. There's just, every situation comes with its own set of issues, uh, its own set of pros and its own set of cons.

   23. TNTrevor Noah8:27

       Right.

   24. SPSpeaker8:27

       Um, granted, that's, you know, you're on a relative scope. There, there are people that are, you know, brought into this world who really have some steep hills to climb.

   25. TNTrevor Noah8:35

       Yeah.

   26. SPSpeaker8:36

       Um, and wanting to aspire to do more, that's great. But I think, at least in my experiences, when I've focused on the, "If I just get this, I'll be happy"-

   27. TNTrevor Noah8:47

       Yeah

   28. SPSpeaker8:47

       ... as soon as I get that, I'm just looking for the next thing.

   29. TNTrevor Noah8:50

       Hedonic adaptation, man.

   30. SPSpeaker8:51

       You know? So it's, it's-
5. 9:20 – 12:18

   The Trap of Chasing Happiness

   1. TNTrevor Noah9:20

      realized is nobody advertises the process to us in general, right?

   2. SPSpeaker9:24

      Mm-hmm.

   3. TNTrevor Noah9:24

      So if you think about it, you know, you and I have had this conversation. There are so many young boys who grow up dreaming of a Ferrari, and I mean, like, full-on dreaming. "Oh, man, Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari. If I can get a Ferrari, if I could..." And they believe it. They truly believe that a Ferrari is the car that they want.

   4. SPSpeaker9:41

      Mm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah9:41

      But what we don't realize is none of us have ever driven it. But we all know that it's the car for us. We all believe that it's the car that'll come with a certain lifestyle.

   6. SPSpeaker9:49

      Mm.

   7. TNTrevor Noah9:49

      We all... And I always think so many of us are unlucky or lucky to bump into the thing and then experience this strange moment of, like, where's the happiness?

   8. EUEugene10:02

      Yeah.

   9. TNTrevor Noah10:02

      'Cause, 'cause you go-

   10. EUEugene10:03

       Yeah

   11. TNTrevor Noah10:03

       ... if I get, if I get the Rolex, the happiness comes. If I get the Ferrari, the happiness comes.

   12. EUEugene10:07

       I get the fame.

   13. TNTrevor Noah10:07

       If I get the fame, the happiness comes.

   14. EUEugene10:08

       The money.

   15. TNTrevor Noah10:08

       If I get the promotion, the happiness comes. If I get the... And a lot of these things do come with a level of happiness. You know, I, I never say to people, "Don't want something." I always say to you, "It's not, wanting is not the issue," but it's what you just said. Oftentimes we want what we've never had, believing it'll give us something that we actually have had, which is a feeling.

   16. SPSpeaker10:25

       Yeah.

   17. TNTrevor Noah10:25

       That always, like, throws me.

   18. SPSpeaker10:26

       And, and I also think it's okay to, like, man, I'm an auto enthusiast, and, uh, I'm, I'm wearing the crown. This is my one.

   19. TNTrevor Noah10:33

       What you, what you got there?

   20. SPSpeaker10:33

       This is, this is my one. Uh, I, I used to get into the watch game, but I only have one left.

   21. TNTrevor Noah10:37

       What size? Do they have to add extra links for you?

   22. SPSpeaker10:39

       They sure, they sure do. [laughs]

   23. TNTrevor Noah10:40

       Yeah, I can see that. Look at this. Yeah.

   24. SPSpeaker10:42

       And, uh-

   25. TNTrevor Noah10:43

       Look at this

   26. SPSpeaker10:43

       ... so it's weird that we, you know, you-

   27. TNTrevor Noah10:45

       Wow, guys. I can take the watch off while I'm wearing...

   28. EUEugene10:48

       I'll just wear it as a neck piece.

   29. SPSpeaker10:50

       But you bring up Rolex, right?

   30. TNTrevor Noah10:51

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6. 12:18 – 13:47

   The Pocket Watch Philosophy

   1. SPSpeaker12:19

      you s- you numb one, you numb them all So like, I, I feel all of that stuff. Doesn't matter who's on the poster, doesn't matter what the bank account says, doesn't matter the good days, the bad days, what's on my plate for dinner.

   2. TNTrevor Noah12:30

      Yeah.

   3. SPSpeaker12:31

      I feel all that stuff 'cause I'm human. And regardless of opportunities and, and lottery tickets and luck, you, you, you always feel that stuff. And I think we, we have this vision of people that, the, uh, my bride and I say, like, "Must be nice." You know? Like, "Oh, look at that. Must be nice." I don't know, man, because every situation, even if, if you were born gold spoon in your mouth, never have to know want from a financial-

   4. TNTrevor Noah12:55

      Yeah

   5. SPSpeaker12:56

      ... perspective. That comes with a whole list of issues that I don't want to even, um, understand.

   6. TNTrevor Noah13:00

      Yeah.

   7. SPSpeaker13:00

      The expectations, trying to walk in the shoes of who, who got you that-

   8. TNTrevor Noah13:04

      Mm-hmm, mm-hmm

   9. SPSpeaker13:05

      ... resource and luck.

   10. TNTrevor Noah13:06

       Keeping the gold spoon.

   11. SPSpeaker13:06

       Like, dog, I don't even know.

   12. TNTrevor Noah13:07

       Living up to the gold spoon.

   13. SPSpeaker13:08

       It's, it's something I don't know about, but-

   14. TNTrevor Noah13:09

       Making other gold spoons.

   15. SPSpeaker13:10

       Hey, damn.

   16. TNTrevor Noah13:11

       Yeah.

   17. SPSpeaker13:11

       But I look up, I look a level up and be like, "Ah, it must be nice. They must have it easy." Uh, they have the resource to have freedom, to have pr- a set of problems I don't know about, but that doesn't mean they're not human. You know what I'm saying?

   18. TNTrevor Noah13:23

       Mm. I just in my head never thought John Cena... I guess we, we often take for granted that we're always living inside ourselves.

   19. SPSpeaker13:32

       Mm.

   20. TNTrevor Noah13:32

       Do you know what I mean?

   21. SPSpeaker13:33

       Oh, that's it. No, we see life through-

   22. TNTrevor Noah13:34

       Yeah, yeah, yeah

   23. SPSpeaker13:34

       ... through this lens. Dog, that's it.

   24. TNTrevor Noah13:36

       But, but I'm, I'm in myself, so I'm going like, mm, doubt, okay, worry, concern. I see you. I've never looked at you and thought that ever, ever, ever in my life. I've never thought to myself... I'll be like, "Oh, this is a wise guy,

7. 13:47 – 16:25

   Insecurities Even as John Cena

   1. TNTrevor Noah13:47

      smart guy, funny guy, caring guy," but I've never thought to myself, "No doubt, no doubt." You, because it, because I'm not inside you.

   2. SPSpeaker13:54

      Yeah, and that-

   3. TNTrevor Noah13:55

      Hey, hopefully not

   4. SPSpeaker13:55

      ... I mean, was he-

   5. TNTrevor Noah13:57

      Man, yo

   6. SPSpeaker13:57

      ... was he, was he the guy screaming in my convertible?

   7. TNTrevor Noah13:58

      Hey, yo. [laughs] Hey, yo. [laughs] Your timing is amazing. [laughs] Your comedy timing is- Your comedy timing is crazy ... yeah, man. [laughs] Truly like, yeah. [laughs] Have you ever done any type of stand-up, ever, like?

   8. SPSpeaker14:12

      No, I, I honestly, it's, it's so odd how stand-up runs so parallel to pro wrestling. Uh-

   9. TNTrevor Noah14:21

      So, hey, don't do that to us

   10. SPSpeaker14:22

       ... so, we're... No, I'm, I'm serious. There's so many parallels. First of all, uh, even at the highest level-

   11. TNTrevor Noah14:28

       Uh-huh

   12. SPSpeaker14:28

       ... m- most of the time they're very rare cases. You pay your own way, you book your own travel, you organize your own life. Uh, you are responsible for your own gear. Um, it's, the act is yours, right?

   13. TNTrevor Noah14:41

       Mm.

   14. SPSpeaker14:41

       Even though you're a part of this giant body. Uh, you're out there, uh, usually with one other person in front of thousands of folks who are hecklers and enthusiastic, and they know they're part of the show. And you plan a routine in the back, but you also have to be ready to tell that first joke to crickets. And when the crickets happen, you gotta be like, "Change it up right now. Do this."

   15. TNTrevor Noah15:07

       Yeah.

   16. SPSpeaker15:07

       Or if you have a whole elaborate thing planned, and you go out and you look at each other-

   17. TNTrevor Noah15:12

       Yeah

   18. SPSpeaker15:12

       ... and people are going nuts, "Scratch the plan. Do this." So, like, you have to be quick, you have to pivot.

   19. TNTrevor Noah15:17

       Interesting.

   20. SPSpeaker15:17

       You have to know your audience.

   21. TNTrevor Noah15:18

       Yeah.

   22. SPSpeaker15:19

       You have to know-

   23. TNTrevor Noah15:19

       Yeah

   24. SPSpeaker15:20

       ... timing. Every, uh, you, you, you guys are kind enough to say you have great comedic timing.

   25. TNTrevor Noah15:24

       Mm-hmm.

   26. SPSpeaker15:25

       I just think it's timing, because pro wrestling, sports entertainment is timing. It's not what you do. You have to do things at the right spot. If you've been in the... The guys who have been in the ring with me, I'm the loudest talker. If you're in the first six rows, you hear the match before the match.

   27. TNTrevor Noah15:40

       Oh, for real?

   28. SPSpeaker15:40

       I'll be like, "Come hit me. Give me the DDT. Do the..." And then I'll be like, "We missed it. Wave it off. Don't do anything." Like, I, I have never been as athletically skilled as the greatest talent in the ring. I'm always present, and I'm always sensitive to the energy of the audience, and I think that was something that allowed me to have such a long career. It's like, it's not what I did, it's doing it at the right time.

   29. TNTrevor Noah16:02

       When you were doing it.

   30. SPSpeaker16:02

       It's a sense, a sense of timing. Yes.
8. 16:25 – 17:27

   Comedy and Wrestling: The Same Parallel

   1. SPSpeaker16:25

      And we're, we're all gypsies. It's all road shows.

   2. TNTrevor Noah16:28

      Man.

   3. SPSpeaker16:29

      And it's a ton of towns.

   4. TNTrevor Noah16:30

      Everything you're saying, I, in a weird way, I got goosebumps, and then I was just like, "This is-"

   5. SPSpeaker16:34

      You start small

   6. TNTrevor Noah16:34

      ... it's surreal.

   7. SPSpeaker16:35

      You start working these POS places that are like-

   8. TNTrevor Noah16:38

      Yeah, yeah

   9. SPSpeaker16:39

      ... underground clubs, but in wrestling it's like flea markets. My, I, I started performing in front of five people. Five.

   10. TNTrevor Noah16:45

       This is exactly-

   11. SPSpeaker16:46

       It's-

   12. TNTrevor Noah16:47

       ... stand-up. I would have never said... The only other person who said this to me about their career, like stand-up, is a stripper.

   13. SPSpeaker16:53

       I would s- I would honestly, uh, I would use that reference if the stripper was, like, a traveling stripper. Like-

   14. TNTrevor Noah17:01

       Okay, okay

   15. SPSpeaker17:02

       ... one night-

   16. TNTrevor Noah17:02

       If they don't have a home

   17. SPSpeaker17:02

       ... one night in Dallas-

   18. TNTrevor Noah17:03

       But they would-

   19. SPSpeaker17:03

       ... one night in Fort Worth-

   20. TNTrevor Noah17:04

       Got it. Got it, got it

   21. SPSpeaker17:05

       ... one night in Houston-

   22. TNTrevor Noah17:05

       Yeah, yeah, yeah

   23. SPSpeaker17:05

       ... one night in New Orleans.

   24. TNTrevor Noah17:07

       Yeah.

   25. SPSpeaker17:07

       'Cause you know, dude, a lot of it is just living the road life. If every set was at home, oh my God, you could walk home every day.

   26. TNTrevor Noah17:14

       Do you know what I literally said to Eugene- We're having this conversation. [laughs] ... earlier today? N- no joke. Yeah. This is what I literally talked to Eugene about, is I said, "One of the things that has stuck with me for as long as I can remember in comedy is how

9. 17:27 – 19:11

   The Lonely Life on the Road

   1. TNTrevor Noah17:27

      many comedians were committing suicide around the time that I started- Mm ... on the road in, in, in the United States." 'Cause in South Africa we had such a small comedy scene. We still have a small comedy scene. So you spend more time at home. Mm. I always thought of it as a downside. I was like, "Oh, I wish we had the road. I wish..." I came to the US, I was on the road, nobody knew me. It was literally what you're saying. You, you're just that small act going around, paying your own way, getting from one place to the next. The club owner puts you on its flyers and everything. And then I would just hear comedians in the back room or in the, in the green room go- Mm ... "Hey, you hear about Tony? What hap- Oh, yeah, shame. You hear about...?" And it would be an overdose, an ov- And it was always, like, someone committing suicide or overdosing, always on the road, always by themselves. Hotel rooms. And it was, yeah, it was always like that, that, that, that dingy, lonely hotel room where you go, "Man, this person has just been by themselves trying to do something for such a long period of time," experiencing glimpses of it. 'Cause you see the audience, but they're not there for you. Yes. They're there for the main, the headliner. Yes, yes. You, you just, you just got to sample it, and maybe they liked you, maybe they didn't. And you go home and it's quiet, and then you get in-

   2. SPSpeaker18:32

      It's not even home.

   3. TNTrevor Noah18:33

      Yeah, it's not even home. Yeah.

   4. SPSpeaker18:34

      You go to, like, the Red Roof Inn or, you know-

   5. TNTrevor Noah18:36

      [laughs]

   6. SPSpeaker18:37

      ... where- Microtel or wherever you can stay, you know? Uh-

   7. TNTrevor Noah18:39

      No room service, n- like, we're talking, like, that level of where it was-

   8. SPSpeaker18:42

      Yeah, where you're trying to watch every dollar being like, "Oh, man. I gotta split a r-..." Y- when we, when we wrestled, I'd split a room with six dudes. You do Microtel, 79 bucks, six guys in a room.

   9. TNTrevor Noah18:50

      The first time I stayed in a nice hotel, like a decent hotel that has room service, there was food in the hallway, and I remember seeing someone had, like, a half-eaten burger, and I was just like, "W-

   10. SPSpeaker19:02

       "What is this?" [laughs]

   11. TNTrevor Noah19:03

       ... What i- what is... And then I, I took it. I was like-

   12. SPSpeaker19:05

       Yeah

   13. TNTrevor Noah19:05

       ... "This is-"

   14. SPSpeaker19:06

       Yeah, I've, I've done that. But I was, I was actually quite, quite influenced when I did that.

10. 19:11 – 23:09

    The Puke Burger Story

    1. TNTrevor Noah19:11

       [laughs]

    2. SPSpeaker19:14

       Yeah. It wasn't, it wasn't the first time I saw food in the hallway.

    3. TNTrevor Noah19:17

       [laughs]

    4. SPSpeaker19:17

       It was a time where I needed food.

    5. TNTrevor Noah19:19

       [laughs]

    6. SPSpeaker19:20

       I needed food 'cause I knew the morning was gonna be rough, and I needed food. Uh, gosh, there's a, there's a bigger story there. Uh, we, we got stuck in Ireland because there was a volcano, and we couldn't get back to the States to perform Raw. It was actually the first time they, like, flew new guys in to do Raw like rookies-

    7. TNTrevor Noah19:38

       Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah

    8. SPSpeaker19:38

       ... 'cause we just, we got stuck. And the last thing you wanna do is leave us stuck someplace alone, idle with nothing to do, and boy, we had a great night. And a friend of mine, um, Dylan, who is- who wrestled under the moniker Hornswoggle, and a friend, another friend of mine, Christian Cage, who was Christian in the WWE, Christian took Dylan to bed. Dylan was drunk. He had room service and ended up throwing up on his hamburger.

    9. TNTrevor Noah20:06

       Dang.

    10. SPSpeaker20:07

        Uh, that hamburger, Christian put him to bed, tucked him in. He said, "Dude, I'm gonna get the tray out, put the tray in the hallway." Flash forward two hours later.

    11. TNTrevor Noah20:17

        [laughs]

    12. SPSpeaker20:17

        I am heavily influenced.

    13. TNTrevor Noah20:19

        [laughs]

    14. SPSpeaker20:20

        And food is closed, and there are no options available, and I look and I'm like, "That burger's not even touched."

    15. TNTrevor Noah20:26

        [laughs]

    16. SPSpeaker20:27

        "I'm just gonna bring that inside."

    17. TNTrevor Noah20:29

        [laughs]

    18. SPSpeaker20:30

        I ate the thing.

    19. TNTrevor Noah20:31

        [laughs]

    20. SPSpeaker20:32

        And then I come down to breakfast the next morning.

    21. TNTrevor Noah20:35

        Oh, man.

    22. SPSpeaker20:36

        And I'm like, "Oh, man, you guys cool? You dipped out early." And like, "No, no, yeah, h- he had some problems. I took him to bed. He puked on his hamburger and I put it in the hallway." And I was like, "What?"

    23. TNTrevor Noah20:47

        [laughs]

    24. SPSpeaker20:48

        "Wait, what room are you in?"

    25. TNTrevor Noah20:49

        [laughs]

    26. SPSpeaker20:49

        He's like, "On, on the, you're on the third floor."

    27. TNTrevor Noah20:51

        [laughs]

    28. SPSpeaker20:54

        And, and I ate the puke burger.

    29. TNTrevor Noah20:57

        [laughs]

    30. SPSpeaker20:59

        But it was, I needed it. I needed it.
11. 23:09 – 26:20

    The Fear of Going Broke

    1. TNTrevor Noah23:09

       Right.

    2. SPSpeaker23:09

       Uh, so, you know, living life at 21% interest. Um, that was, it was a happy time, and it was by choice. A lot of folks don't have that choice.

    3. TNTrevor Noah23:18

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    4. SPSpeaker23:19

       They're-

    5. TNTrevor Noah23:19

       'Cause you chose to drive out, and that's when you were, like, at the Gold's Gym.

    6. SPSpeaker23:22

       Yeah.

    7. TNTrevor Noah23:22

       You were living in the car.

    8. SPSpeaker23:23

       Yeah, yeah.

    9. TNTrevor Noah23:23

       Okay. Yeah.

    10. SPSpeaker23:24

        And again, I had, I had safety back in West Newbury. My dad's like, "You got a-"

    11. TNTrevor Noah23:27

        Oh, yeah. You could go home

    12. SPSpeaker23:27

        ... "you got a roof over your head anytime you want."

    13. TNTrevor Noah23:29

        Right. Right, right.

    14. SPSpeaker23:29

        I'm like, "No, man. I gotta, I gotta do this." I just, uh, my parents grew up, or I grew up with my parents, and, and we had times of prosperity and then real hard times. You know, my, my dad's job was eliminated in the '80s. He was a real estate appraiser.

    15. TNTrevor Noah23:41

        Mm-hmm.

    16. SPSpeaker23:41

        And that job became obsolete. It was absorbed by the banks.

    17. TNTrevor Noah23:44

        Hmm. Oh, damn.

    18. SPSpeaker23:44

        So he went to having a, from having a thriving business to having, like, no business overnight. And with five mouths to feed, five young mouths to feed, and, and his wife and himself-

    19. TNTrevor Noah23:54

        Hmm

    20. SPSpeaker23:54

        ... it, we started stretching every dollar. So, like, going from prosperity to knowing that, like, oh, there's, there is another side to this. We made it. Everything's fine. I don't, you know.

    21. TNTrevor Noah24:03

        I see what you mean. I see what you mean.

    22. SPSpeaker24:05

        But I just, um, I'm, I, I'm gonna try my best to make consciously responsible choices relatively, and I'm, I'm super good with budget. My bride keeps me great with that.

    23. TNTrevor Noah24:17

        Right.

    24. SPSpeaker24:17

        Um, I try to keep track of everything. Like, I'm, and that, a lot of that is from wrestling. You, you have to know the money coming in.

    25. TNTrevor Noah24:24

        Hmm.

    26. SPSpeaker24:25

        You have to arrange your own, you know, we're, we, we perform in 50 states, in foreign countries.

    27. TNTrevor Noah24:28

        Yeah.

    28. SPSpeaker24:28

        You pay taxes and all that stuff.

    29. TNTrevor Noah24:29

        Yeah, yeah.

    30. SPSpeaker24:29

        Like, you, you learn, you get, like, um- ... financial lessons through street smarts. So a lot of that knowledge and, and wisdom has helped me over the years, but even still today, I try to not let go of, like, don't ever, don't ever not be aware of what's going on.
12. 26:20 – 29:12

    The Illusion of Job Stability

    1. TNTrevor Noah26:20

       away. Whenever industries shift, when economies move.

    2. SPSpeaker26:23

       Yes.

    3. EUEugene26:23

       Hmm.

    4. TNTrevor Noah26:23

       You know?

    5. SPSpeaker26:24

       Yes, and-

    6. TNTrevor Noah26:24

       Detroit loses its industry, goes out and then it comes back, and then it, like, life is unstable.

    7. SPSpeaker26:29

       It is.

    8. TNTrevor Noah26:29

       You know?

    9. SPSpeaker26:30

       It is. And that's why I say like, "Oh, I'm never going broke." That's not true, 'cause that's out beyond my control.

    10. TNTrevor Noah26:34

        Right, right. But you're just saying, like-

    11. SPSpeaker26:35

        It's, it's, um-

    12. TNTrevor Noah26:35

        ... that's like the thing that sticks in your head.

    13. SPSpeaker26:37

        And, and talking to a lot of, like, first generation entrepreneurs, successful folks.

    14. TNTrevor Noah26:43

        Yeah.

    15. SPSpeaker26:44

        It's like we all struggle with that same thing.

    16. EUEugene26:45

        Hmm.

    17. TNTrevor Noah26:46

        Uh-

    18. SPSpeaker26:46

        Of like, "I just gotta get enough security." And anyone would be like, "Dude, you'll, you'll be the richest guy in the cemetery. Like, what, what's-

    19. TNTrevor Noah26:54

        Yeah

    20. SPSpeaker26:54

        ... what's your problem?"

    21. TNTrevor Noah26:55

        Yeah.

    22. SPSpeaker26:55

        Like, let it go. So I, I am working hard to, like, let it go.

    23. TNTrevor Noah26:59

        Okay. Okay.

    24. SPSpeaker26:59

        Uh, but that's, that's one thing that as soon as I got my first paycheck from WWE, I was like, "Don't fuck this up. Save as much as you can. Be responsible. Enjoy. Invest in yourself for sure."

    25. TNTrevor Noah27:12

        Yeah, yeah.

    26. EUEugene27:12

        Hmm.

    27. SPSpeaker27:12

        Uh, but man, this is gonna end, and probably quickly. You know, I, I had my eyes on, like, average lifespan for an athlete's three years.

    28. TNTrevor Noah27:20

        Yeah.

    29. SPSpeaker27:21

        Be good. I-

    30. EUEugene27:23

        Hmm
13. 29:12 – 33:06

    Lessons from Hulk Hogan and Mr. T

    1. TNTrevor Noah29:12

       something and everything, is they know that it can be done again, and they know that-

    2. SPSpeaker29:16

       [laughs]

    3. TNTrevor Noah29:16

       You know what I mean? The access is the real thing. Like, John Cena will always be John Cena.

    4. SPSpeaker29:19

       Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah29:20

       Even, even if you may not reach the, the high, the highs that you've reached before or the lows, you will never be just that guy. And, and sometimes that gives me, like, a little moment to breathe where I go-

    6. EUEugene29:28

       Oh

    7. TNTrevor Noah29:29

       ... "Okay, Trevor, breathe. Take a vacation. Spend more time with your friends."

    8. SPSpeaker29:33

       Yeah, man.

    9. EUEugene29:33

       Wow.

    10. TNTrevor Noah29:33

        Say no to that gig.

    11. EUEugene29:34

        Yeah.

    12. TNTrevor Noah29:35

        Because you, you, you will be able to make something out of something, even if it may not get you to the same levels that you were before. Does, does that make sense?

    13. SPSpeaker29:42

        It makes perfect sense.

    14. TNTrevor Noah29:43

        Yeah.

    15. SPSpeaker29:43

        The best bet's on yourself.

    16. TNTrevor Noah29:45

        Yeah.

    17. EUEugene29:45

        I think in most cases we're talking about goals and what people aspire to. I think, I think sometimes those goals, that Ferrari, that fame, that wanting to have the money-

    18. TNTrevor Noah29:53

        Yeah

    19. EUEugene29:53

        ... is just a replacement for experience.

    20. SPSpeaker29:55

        Yes.

    21. EUEugene29:56

        So someone who has the, that thing will be like, "That's not all that life is."

    22. TNTrevor Noah29:59

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    23. EUEugene30:00

        Because they've experienced it.

    24. TNTrevor Noah30:01

        Yeah.

    25. EUEugene30:01

        But also the fear sometimes goes away as we get experience. So if you know that you can always replicate the magic in one way or the other, I mean, you're the king of pivots. I look at you and I go, "You've, you've pivoted hard." I mean, from going to wrestling to acting seamlessly. And even-

    26. TNTrevor Noah30:16

        And even before that, rapping. Do you know what I mean? Bodybuilding. Yeah, you are-

    27. EUEugene30:20

        Yes

    28. TNTrevor Noah30:20

        ... the king of pivots, actually.

    29. EUEugene30:21

        Yes.

    30. TNTrevor Noah30:22

        Yeah.
14. 33:06 – 36:15

    How to Be Useful Every Day

    1. SPSpeaker33:06

       I guess right now I'm just, I'm enjoying what I got, and I wanna try to, to just be useful. And I know that if I get knocked back, gosh, it's all right, here we go. The usefulness is this steep climb again. Let's go.

    2. EUEugene33:16

       Right.

    3. TNTrevor Noah33:16

       Yeah.

    4. SPSpeaker33:17

       You know?

    5. EUEugene33:17

       Yeah. I, I think what makes me sad as I get older is how many people don't have the same disposition as us. I think we look at the sunny side of life. We think to ourselves things are gonna get better over time one way or the other. I often look at people in the hospital. There was this book that I read of, um, a, a lady who was working in palliative care, people who were just dying in a hospice, and she said 10 out of 10, everyone who was asked, "What would you, what would you want to be doing right now?" They would either say, "I want to be outside." "And what do you regret?" "Not spending enough time with my friends and family." None of them said, "I miss my job."

    6. SPSpeaker33:54

       Yeah.

    7. EUEugene33:54

       None of them said, "I miss my money or my house or my bed." All of them said, "If I could get out of this bed and just feel the sun or the wind or the, whatever weather it is, on my face, on my body, on my skin, and hear the laughter of my kids or hear my friends telling that old story that they've been repeating-

    8. SPSpeaker34:09

       Mm-hmm, mm-hmm

    9. EUEugene34:09

       ... over and over again, my life would be made."

    10. SPSpeaker34:12

        Mm.

    11. EUEugene34:13

        You know? And I think we've ... S- sometimes we build these little comforts around ourselves, these little mansions that become little prisons for us not to go outside, not to see the sun, not to spend time with our friends. And we were talking about this earlier on. You were saying you make... He actually makes an effort for all of his friends to find themselves in one room, even those that don't know each other, and we just end up chatting and talking and just hanging out and traveling. And I'm like, I, I ... You are blessed enough to ... N- well, you'll never miss that.

    12. TNTrevor Noah34:41

        Yeah, but the thing, the thing-

    13. EUEugene34:42

        Or whatever happens to you, right?

    14. TNTrevor Noah34:42

        So the thing I've realized is this, is like, it, it's, it's ... I, I, I don't know how to, like, like, clearly articulate it-

    15. EUEugene34:50

        Mm

    16. TNTrevor Noah34:50

        ... but fundamentally, I, I think of it, I think about it as asking yourself the question over and over again because your situation constantly evolves.

    17. EUEugene34:59

        Mm.

    18. TNTrevor Noah35:00

        Do- does that make sense?

    19. SPSpeaker35:01

        It does.

    20. EUEugene35:01

        Mm.

    21. TNTrevor Noah35:01

        And, and I think w- no one teaches us this. I wasn't taught this in life. I've never heard anyone teach it to, to s- me or to somebody around me in life. But, but basically I go, when you are hungry, your primary goal is to get something to eat.

    22. EUEugene35:14

        Right.

    23. TNTrevor Noah35:14

        That's all. So you go, "I need to get something to eat. I need to get something to eat. I need to get something to eat." And you may become very good at looking for something, searching for something to eat.

    24. EUEugene35:23

        Hmm.

    25. TNTrevor Noah35:23

        What we often forget, though, is when we get the something to eat, we don't, we're not really good at switching over to now eating mode.

    26. EUEugene35:31

        Yes.

    27. TNTrevor Noah35:31

        We're still in hungry mode. And so now we're eating, but we're hungry, and that's where someone sometimes will be like, "Hey, hey, slow down."

    28. SPSpeaker35:37

        Yeah.

    29. TNTrevor Noah35:37

        "Slow down."

    30. EUEugene35:37

        [laughs]
15. 36:15 – 38:44

    The Hungry Mode Metaphor

    1. TNTrevor Noah36:15

       "But then when you got to that place, did you do it?" And they go, "No. Well, you know, I mean, I, I got the house, and I ... You know, I was lucky. I got married, and I have the kids, and yeah, but, you know, now we gotta get a bigger..." And then I'm like, "Oh, but okay."

    2. EUEugene36:25

       Hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah36:25

       "Okay, what happens when you get there?" "Well, then when we get there, I'll save, and then I'll ... So that I can spend more time with my family and fr-" Okay, then you get there, and I go, "Now do you spend more time?" "I wish I could, but do you know how much this house costs? And you know, we got the second car, so I mean, I can't just sit around and..." So it's like, oh, but-

    4. EUEugene36:41

       Hmm

    5. TNTrevor Noah36:42

       ... if you're not careful-

    6. EUEugene36:43

       Hmm

    7. TNTrevor Noah36:44

       It's not that the one doesn't need to exist, it's y- you, you have to remember what you're doing at each stage, and you have to keep asking yourself the question, "Why did I want this? Am I there? Why did I want this?"

    8. SPSpeaker36:55

       Hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah36:55

       "Am I there? Why did I want this?"

    10. SPSpeaker36:57

        Hmm.

    11. TNTrevor Noah36:57

        "Am I there?" And then you- that's where you said, that, that's where I think we find ourselves in the correct pockets, you know?

    12. SPSpeaker37:03

        Mm-hmm. There's a, I mean, there's, there's a ton of nuance there, too. Uh, so e- even, even, even the situational approach of like, man, my purpose is a provider.

    13. TNTrevor Noah37:15

        Yep.

    14. SPSpeaker37:15

        So if, if I have everything and we're safe, what the fuck am I providing? I need a bigger house. You know, I gotta, I gotta do this. I gotta go out and do this-

    15. TNTrevor Noah37:24

        I've gotta create need

    16. SPSpeaker37:24

        ... 'cause I wanna, I wanna be a provider.

    17. TNTrevor Noah37:26

        Yeah.

    18. SPSpeaker37:26

        I wanna be a parent. A lot of m- a lot of my friends are having, they're empty nesters now and they're sending their kids off. And a few of them have, like, fractured sense of purpose-

    19. TNTrevor Noah37:36

        Oh, damn

    20. SPSpeaker37:36

        ... because they're a parent. That's, that's what they are.

    21. TNTrevor Noah37:39

        That's what they've been.

    22. SPSpeaker37:39

        And gosh, they've been-

    23. TNTrevor Noah37:40

        Their identity for such a long time

    24. SPSpeaker37:41

        ... they've been damn good. G- that's, that's two decades. Think of that. Like, I, I wrestled for 23 years. It took me five years to understand it was coming to an end fast, to, to plan the best way I could for the fans and the company to, to prosper on the way out.

    25. TNTrevor Noah38:00

        Yeah.

    26. SPSpeaker38:00

        And then to, like, change. Like, I'm, I wrestled. I'm, I'm, that doesn't define who I am.

    27. TNTrevor Noah38:08

        [exhales]

    28. SPSpeaker38:08

        That is a thing that I did, and in doing that, gave me knowledge and wisdom and, and skills-

    29. TNTrevor Noah38:14

        Yeah. Uh-huh

    30. SPSpeaker38:15

        ... that, that I can bet on myself.
16. 38:44 – 41:48

    You Are Not Your Career

    1. TNTrevor Noah38:44

       I'm not saying this from my opinion. He's, he's talking about how he fell in love with The Hulk.

    2. SPSpeaker38:50

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah38:51

       He, he fell in love with what he represented, that character. He fell in love with what, what it felt like in the streets. He fell in love with how he moved through rooms and, and then his family would talk about when he was home, they felt like they were dealing with a, a shadow of the man.

    4. SPSpeaker39:05

       Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah39:05

       Mm. He, he would just be, like, quiet and, and it was like, "Terry, is everything okay?" Mm. And Terry just wasn't the same, but Hulk, I mean, he would, you know, and, and, and he, he couldn't resist the allure of coming back to the ring. And then, you know, like, he goes for, you know, I, I don't know if it was WWF back then or when it changes, but then he goes to the other wrestling company.

    6. SPSpeaker39:23

       Yep.

    7. TNTrevor Noah39:23

       And he goes and he, he tries it again, and people are like, "You're old, man. Let it go." And he's like, "No," because, because that thing isn't just who you've become. It's also where you find yourself most useful. Yeah. You know how to make the people cheer. Mm-hmm. You know how to make a room shake. You know how to make people scream. Hmm. You see those little kids in the front go, "Yeah, John. Say that, John. Say..." And now you just leave that behind. Like, when, when you were preparing, I would love to know, when you were preparing for the leaving part and when you were, you know, when you were in your, like, your final wrestling matches and when you... Were there moments where you doubted leaving?

    8. SPSpeaker40:01

       No, not once.

    9. TNTrevor Noah40:02

       For real?

    10. SPSpeaker40:03

        Not once. Yeah. Uh, my, my biggest fear in that last year was getting hurt so I wouldn't make all the dates and, like, just have to go out with, like, a whimper rather than the full final chapter.

    11. TNTrevor Noah40:16

        Oh. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

    12. SPSpeaker40:16

        You know? Um, and y- it's, it's odd 'cause you gotta, you can, you can either be super conservative and do very little.

    13. TNTrevor Noah40:25

        Hmm.

    14. SPSpeaker40:25

        Or you can leave them with the impression they had of you at your highest.

    15. TNTrevor Noah40:29

        Right.

    16. SPSpeaker40:29

        Which I still, I still feel, you know, I retired at 49, so I still feel at 49 like there could be hints of me at 30.

    17. TNTrevor Noah40:37

        Hmm.

    18. SPSpeaker40:37

        I can, if I prep enough and if I recover enough-

    19. TNTrevor Noah40:40

        Yeah

    20. SPSpeaker40:41

        ... I'm not doing, I was used to doing five shows a week. I'm doing, you know, we did 36 dates. That's it. So, um, it gave me enough recovery time. It gave me enough prep time-

    21. TNTrevor Noah40:50

        Right

    22. SPSpeaker40:51

        ... to show when the light was on, it was me, and that was such a clear indicator of like, oh, it is time to go.

    23. TNTrevor Noah40:59

        Okay.

    24. SPSpeaker41:00

        'Cause you are, you are barely hanging on. When you were a kid or when you were younger-

    25. TNTrevor Noah41:04

        Yeah

    26. SPSpeaker41:04

        ... 20s, 30s, even to late 30s, early 40s, you could wake up off a two-hour sleep, do morning media, talk people into the building at noon.

    27. TNTrevor Noah41:12

        Hmm.

    28. SPSpeaker41:13

        Get there, uh, help the merchandising department, talk to creative, plan your match, post-show, drive to the next town, wake up and do it again. It, you can, you can't ignore the data. That was the easiest, the most logical thing to like, it is time to go. But everybody's like, "Dude, you look great." I feel great.

    29. TNTrevor Noah41:32

        Yeah. Mm-hmm.

    30. SPSpeaker41:33

        I'm still relatively strong.
17. 41:48 – 44:13

    Knowing When to Retire

    1. SPSpeaker41:48

       the math isn't in my favor of like-

    2. TNTrevor Noah41:50

       Hmm

    3. SPSpeaker41:50

       ... this is a pretty janky road ahead.

    4. TNTrevor Noah41:53

       We're gonna continue this conversation right after this short break.

    5. SPSpeaker41:58

       I'm talking like 30 days on, 7 days off, 30 days on, 7 days off or less.

    6. TNTrevor Noah42:04

       Damn. Damn.

    7. SPSpeaker42:05

       And you're doing your own promotion. Um-

    8. TNTrevor Noah42:07

       Damn

    9. SPSpeaker42:07

       ... it, so you spend more time as the IP-

    10. TNTrevor Noah42:11

        Mm-hmm

    11. SPSpeaker42:12

        ... than you do as a human. This is why when you talk to Ric Flair, whom I love and respect, even on his doc, uh, Richard Fleer is dead. I'm Ric Flair.

    12. TNTrevor Noah42:21

        Hmm.

    13. SPSpeaker42:22

        Hogan. Terry, he went away a while ago.

    14. TNTrevor Noah42:24

        Right.

    15. SPSpeaker42:24

        Like, I'm, I'm Hulk. You, you can't help but become the environment you're in the most.

    16. TNTrevor Noah42:30

        Yeah.

    17. SPSpeaker42:31

        You know? Uh-

    18. TNTrevor Noah42:32

        I never thought of it that way. Mm-hmm

    19. SPSpeaker42:32

        ... that's the, so, so when it's supposed to be real, you got these guys who are trying to convince f- you know, fans to come in the building and see them, and they, they assume the role.

    20. TNTrevor Noah42:42

        They can.

    21. SPSpeaker42:42

        And it's really tough to shut the switch off.

    22. TNTrevor Noah42:44

        Yeah.

    23. SPSpeaker42:45

        I think it, it, gosh, it was a steep hill to climb for wrestling, but one of the best things they did is admit that it was entertainment It is not pure sport

    24. TNTrevor Noah42:56

        Pretty much every brand offers rewards these days. But most of them, let's be honest, they aren't that rewarding. Well, starting now, Verizon's doing rewards different, rewards you'll love all year round for every customer. They're introducing Verizon Dollars, which gives you cash back every month just for being a customer. That's it. Plus you have the flexibility to use those glorious new dollars how you want. Shop with Verizon, get gift cards for the brands that you love, or transfer them to our partner programs. They're also introducing Verizon Shine, where now every Monday you can snag once in a lifetime experiences like NFL tickets across the globe, all-inclusive music festivals, and the chance to meet your favorite stars. Plus daily drops, tickets, and pre-sale access all week. So let's recap. Cash back in your pocket every month with Verizon Dollars, and epic experiences from Verizon Shine every Monday all year round. Now those are some rewarding rewards, only from Verizon. Enroll today at verizon.com. Everybody has that oddly specific thing that they're curious about. Maybe it's restoring old watches.

18. 44:13 – 47:36

    How Wrestling Evolved in the Culture

    1. TNTrevor Noah44:13

       Maybe it's Japanese ceramic making. Maybe it's watching someone explain why one bridge in a remote area of Norway is secretly better than all the other bridges in the world. YouTube always has exactly what you're looking for, even when you didn't know you were looking for it. With YouTube Premium, those deep dives feel even smoother. You get ad-free viewing, but you also get background play when you need your hands free. And you get offline downloads so you can keep watching wherever you happen to be, even if you happen to be off the grid. It's everything you already love about YouTube, just somehow even better. Yeah, one of my favorite YouTube Premium features is smart downloads. Because how many times have you gone somewhere and realized, "Ah, I forgot to download anything"? And now you're on the way to the airport and you're like, "Download, download, download, download." You're on the plane, "Download, download, download, download." There's no Wi-Fi. "I wish I downloaded." Now all of those things that you were gonna watch are, are just on the internet. Smart downloads basically thinks ahead for you. It automatically downloads recommended videos based on what you like to watch. So even when you forget to prepare, YouTube Premium didn't. I love it. It's like packing for a trip and discovering somebody already remembered the thing you always leave at home. It's always the underwear. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. Sign up now for your free trial at youtube.com/premium. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. [upbeat music] What part of your body has taken the, like the biggest hits in, like when you, when you feel your body in the morning, there's got... Is it, is it your shoulders?

    2. SPSpeaker45:52

       So, honestly, um-

    3. TNTrevor Noah45:52

       Is it your knees? Is it your... Is there any part of your body where you were like-

    4. EUEugene45:54

       I was thinking the hand. I was like-

    5. SPSpeaker45:55

       Yeah, 'cause that's, that's-

    6. TNTrevor Noah45:55

       You know, like his hand is tired

    7. SPSpeaker45:56

       ... yeah, that's the bread and butter

    8. EUEugene45:57

       The hand is like-

    9. SPSpeaker45:57

       That's the money maker, dog

    10. TNTrevor Noah45:58

        The wrist. [laughs]

    11. SPSpeaker46:00

        Yeah, yeah. No-

    12. EUEugene46:01

        Now your face had to go with the hand. Now you like... [laughs]

    13. SPSpeaker46:05

        I'm pretty good, man.

    14. TNTrevor Noah46:07

        Really?

    15. SPSpeaker46:07

        Honestly, I'm pretty good.

    16. TNTrevor Noah46:08

        Hey, man, that's blessed. That's-

    17. EUEugene46:08

        Yeah.

    18. SPSpeaker46:08

        And, and now that, now that I don't have to worry about preparing for those performances-

    19. TNTrevor Noah46:13

        Yeah

    20. SPSpeaker46:13

        ... I can spend a lot of time-

    21. TNTrevor Noah46:14

        What was preparation?

    22. EUEugene46:15

        Hmm.

    23. TNTrevor Noah46:16

        Walk, walk us through preparing for like a-

    24. SPSpeaker46:16

        So it used to... It changes over the ti-

    25. TNTrevor Noah46:18

        Yeah

    26. SPSpeaker46:18

        ... over the course of time. I think it-

    27. TNTrevor Noah46:19

        But give me like a general idea of like how do you prepare for a wrestling match?

    28. SPSpeaker46:23

        So, uh, it went from literally just me doing a couple of jumps to the music hitting to running out there like a Tasmanian devil.

    29. TNTrevor Noah46:30

        No, come on. For real?

    30. SPSpeaker46:31

        For real, man.
19. 47:36 – 52:46

    Why John Cena Doesn't Have Kids

    1. SPSpeaker47:36

       part in like, "Oh, man, I just, my knee's done," 'cause I'm dehydrated.

    2. TNTrevor Noah47:40

       It's just like one mistake.

    3. SPSpeaker47:41

       Or like I didn't warm up enough.

    4. TNTrevor Noah47:42

       Yeah, yeah.

    5. SPSpeaker47:42

       And that's, that's what the math tells you, of like, dude, you feel good. And I, I've also, I've also seen it happen with a lot of my contemporaries. It'll get to a point where you get to the, the twilight of your career and you-

    6. TNTrevor Noah47:56

       Hmm

    7. SPSpeaker47:56

       ... wanna show the young performers you still got it.

    8. EUEugene47:59

       Hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah48:00

       Hmm.

    10. SPSpeaker48:00

        So what you're gonna do is you're gonna go out and do stuff that you shouldn't be doing-

    11. TNTrevor Noah48:03

        Okay

    12. SPSpeaker48:04

        ... to try to set the example of like, "Yo, I can go." And it doesn't look crisp, and you, you set yourself up for injury. So, you know, looking at, uh, the lessons that were put out before me-

    13. TNTrevor Noah48:17

        Mm-hmm

    14. SPSpeaker48:18

        ... and then just looking at the math, like, man, it is, it's time, it's time to go. And, and I love it. Uh, WWE is still, like, pulses through my heart.

    15. TNTrevor Noah48:27

        Yeah.

    16. SPSpeaker48:27

        I'm, I'm putting on an event this, this winter with them called the John Cena Classic because I wanna still be involved.

    17. TNTrevor Noah48:33

        Wow.

    18. SPSpeaker48:33

        So what's the pivot, right?

    19. TNTrevor Noah48:34

        Mm-hmm.

    20. SPSpeaker48:35

        The pivot is event promotion. Take the IP that everybody knows-

    21. TNTrevor Noah48:39

        Mm-hmm

    22. SPSpeaker48:39

        ... and the, uh, the core values that this IP, this human being stands for, and build an event around that with a goal to be like the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic.

    23. TNTrevor Noah48:48

        Okay, got it.

    24. EUEugene48:49

        Nice.

    25. TNTrevor Noah48:49

        Okay, got it.

    26. SPSpeaker48:49

        That way those young able-bodied performers can do the falling down.

    27. TNTrevor Noah48:53

        [laughs]

    28. EUEugene48:53

        [laughs]

    29. SPSpeaker48:53

        And I can be like, "These people are awesome."

    30. EUEugene48:55

        [laughs]
20. 52:46 – 55:28

    Meeting Your Dad Where He's At

    1. SPSpeaker52:46

       off or less.

    2. TNTrevor Noah52:46

       Damn. Damn.

    3. SPSpeaker52:47

       And you're doing your own promotion. Um-

    4. TNTrevor Noah52:49

       Damn

    5. SPSpeaker52:49

       ... it, so you spend more time as the IP-

    6. TNTrevor Noah52:53

       Mm-hmm

    7. SPSpeaker52:54

       ... than you do as a human. This is why when you talk to Ric Flair, whom I love and respect, even on his doc, uh, "Richard Fleer is dead. I'm Ric Flair."

    8. TNTrevor Noah53:03

       Hmm.

    9. SPSpeaker53:04

       Hogan. Terry B went away a while ago.

    10. TNTrevor Noah53:06

        Right.

    11. SPSpeaker53:06

        Like, "I'm, I'm Hulk." You, you can't help but become the environment you're in the most.

    12. TNTrevor Noah53:12

        Yeah.

    13. SPSpeaker53:13

        You know? Uh-

    14. TNTrevor Noah53:14

        I never thought of it that way. Mm-hmm

    15. SPSpeaker53:14

        ... that's the, so, so when it's supposed to be real, you got these guys who are trying to convince f- you know, fans to come in the building and see them, and they, they assume the role.

    16. TNTrevor Noah53:24

        They turn into.

    17. SPSpeaker53:24

        And it's really tough to shut the switch off.

    18. TNTrevor Noah53:26

        Yeah.

    19. SPSpeaker53:27

        I think it, it, gosh, it was a steep hill to climb for wrestling, but one of the best things they did is admit that it was entertainment. It is not pure sport.

    20. TNTrevor Noah53:36

        Mm.

    21. SPSpeaker53:36

        Because it was dishonest. Now we're honest. So that was mid-'90s, tough hill to climb.

    22. TNTrevor Noah53:43

        Yeah.

    23. SPSpeaker53:43

        You gotta re-correct.

    24. TNTrevor Noah53:44

        Hmm.

    25. SPSpeaker53:44

        You know, you gotta, you gotta rebrand. But the audience has always been rabid, whether they thought it was real or they know that they're coming to a show.

    26. TNTrevor Noah53:52

        Right.

    27. SPSpeaker53:53

        Wrestling has always been filmed, shot, consumed as the audience is just as important as the performer.

    28. TNTrevor Noah54:00

        Yeah. Right, right, right. For sure, yeah.

    29. SPSpeaker54:00

        Whether you know it or not.

    30. TNTrevor Noah54:01

        Yeah. Mm-hmm.
21. 55:28 – 58:20

    Make-A-Wish: Being a Conduit for Joy

    1. SPSpeaker55:28

       that I started.

    2. TNTrevor Noah55:28

       Oh, okay.

    3. SPSpeaker55:29

       So we switched to, literally we changed the rating of the program to PG, which means some of the, some of the stuff we can't do.

    4. TNTrevor Noah55:36

       Yes.

    5. SPSpeaker55:36

       Uh, blood is no longer a thing.

    6. TNTrevor Noah55:37

       In South Africa, that's when grandmothers were watching and our aunts were watching.

    7. SPSpeaker55:41

       Yeah.

    8. TNTrevor Noah55:41

       On Sunday.

    9. SPSpeaker55:42

       So, uh-

    10. TNTrevor Noah55:42

        Yeah, I never, but I didn't notice that it was so intentional.

    11. SPSpeaker55:45

        Ah.

    12. TNTrevor Noah55:46

        Makes so much sense.

    13. SPSpeaker55:46

        Well, here's the good thing about PG. You can ship it anywhere. A lot of countries won't take PG-13 or MA content.

    14. TNTrevor Noah55:52

        Oh, okay.

    15. SPSpeaker55:53

        If they know-

    16. TNTrevor Noah55:53

        Yeah

    17. SPSpeaker55:53

        ... if they know it's PG, now we can go global.

    18. TNTrevor Noah55:56

        Mm.

    19. SPSpeaker55:56

        That takes time.

    20. TNTrevor Noah55:58

        Oh.

    21. SPSpeaker55:58

        But after, like, 15 years of doing that, everybody's like, "Yeah, I watch the wrestling." And I will say the success of content creators, so, you know, 2008 people start posting on social media, the advent of Instagram, and the success of YouTube. It used to be like you were in movies or you were in television, and you were an actor. You played pure sport, and you were an athlete.

    22. TNTrevor Noah56:17

        Mm-hmm.

    23. SPSpeaker56:17

        Wrestlers are none of that. They're just carnies. Like, we used to be just carny folk.

    24. TNTrevor Noah56:21

        Yeah.

    25. SPSpeaker56:21

        Mm-hmm. And then everybody started making content, and there became multiple lanes to success, multiple lanes to relevancy, to resource.

    26. TNTrevor Noah56:31

        Hmm.

    27. SPSpeaker56:32

        So it's like, oh, man, these people have a voice, and they have influence.

    28. TNTrevor Noah56:35

        Yeah.

    29. SPSpeaker56:35

        WWE was on the cusp of all that, and our, our accounts, like, our social accounts are off the charts. Our audience is super engaging.

    30. TNTrevor Noah56:42

        Mm-hmm.
22. 58:20 – 1:08:56

    From Wrestling to Hollywood

    1. TNTrevor Noah58:20

       took you seriously? Do you remember the first time, obviously w- maybe it wasn't one moment, but where just somebody was like, "Huh"?

    2. SPSpeaker58:27

       So honestly, I think it's an ongoing process, and I think that moment of, "Huh" isn't taking me seriously. It's like, "Wow, that's a surprise. That's a pleasant surprise."

    3. TNTrevor Noah58:39

       Okay. Okay.

    4. SPSpeaker58:39

       It's still... A- and it's a s- it's a struggle. Like, that's the hard thing that I don't mind doing. That's the-

    5. TNTrevor Noah58:44

       Hmm

    6. SPSpeaker58:44

       ... how can I be useful today? I will spread the good word that these performers are able-bodied, athletic. They can speak publicly. There's no second takes. They're out there doing whatever they want.

    7. TNTrevor Noah58:53

       Hmm.

    8. SPSpeaker58:53

       They travel the world. They're responsible for themselves. They know failure and embarrassment. Like, they also know elation, and they know hard work. I can be a good ambassador to try-

    9. TNTrevor Noah59:02

       Hmm

    10. SPSpeaker59:02

        ... to help melt that, those problems away.

    11. TNTrevor Noah59:04

        Okay. Yeah.

    12. SPSpeaker59:05

        And of course, the, the connections we have being owned by TKO, which is owned by WME, having deals with ESPN, having deals with Netflix, just the, the f-

    13. TNTrevor Noah59:14

        It's become more mainst- it's become more connected as well

    14. SPSpeaker59:17

        ... because you can't ignore the fucking math.

    15. TNTrevor Noah59:18

        Yeah.

    16. SPSpeaker59:18

        People watch the program.

    17. TNTrevor Noah59:20

        Okay. That makes sense.

    18. SPSpeaker59:20

        Across the world, people watch and love what we do, and the fact that major corporations and, and major providers have been like, "Yeah, they watch it, so I'll put it on."

    19. TNTrevor Noah59:31

        Hmm.

    20. SPSpeaker59:31

        And the world has been like, "Oh, I'm no longer embarrassed to be a wrestling fan? Then this is great."

    21. TNTrevor Noah59:35

        Yeah.

    22. SPSpeaker59:35

        And everybody else comes out-

    23. TNTrevor Noah59:36

        Yeah

    24. SPSpeaker59:36

        ... and says this is great, but it's, it's... I mean, we could, we could do a whole show on, like, the complex nuances of how wrestling became comfortable, and it's still, we're still working. You know what I'm saying? We're still working towards it. It's, it's, um, I think they'll always... Of course, we're not gonna reach everybody. There'll always be people who don't understand what we do-

    25. TNTrevor Noah59:54

        Yeah

    26. SPSpeaker59:54

        ... just like this, "All you do is talk shit."

    27. TNTrevor Noah59:55

        Yeah, yeah.

    28. SPSpeaker59:56

        And hopefully one at a time we can change some minds.

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:00:00

        I love this as just, like, a journey.

    30. SPSpeaker1:00:02

        Hmm.
23. 1:08:56 – 1:16:15

    John Cena's Car Collection

    1. SPSpeaker1:08:56

       Yes. "You don't need to be around. You're just the dude, man." Yes. "You just give the sperm and you good and..." B- but you know what I mean. It's so interesting that you've said that. Mm-hmm. Whether it's society at large, whether it's us, whether it's not, it feels like f- for a long time people have sort of gone, "Oh, no, there is no emotional burden," or, "There is no emotional expectation- On a man ... or very little- Yeah ... on being a father." Yeah. You just have to be a provider- Yeah ... and then you've done a good job. Yes. And, like, here you are going, "No, no, no. I consider the emotional ramifications of this, not just for myself, but for the potential human being I may meet on the other side, and that's how I'm making the decision." Hmm. It, it's, it's my life. Damn. You know? Like I, that's, that's where, that's where this work, line of work is fragile- Yeah ... because when you say, like, "Man, this is my go-around, and I'm choosing to go this direction," that might turn a lot of folks off. But again, I, I'll state my claim on, like, the fact that I've been able to absorb all of these moments- Yeah ... without my attention being split or fractured- Yeah, yeah ... has led me to be the, the man I am today. Which I, I look at the guy in the mirror and he ain't perfect, tons of flaws, but I love that dude. And I'm, I'm super at peace. Hmm. And I still want to do more and experience more. Hmm. And I, I just... It's, it's my life, it's my, it's, that's what, that's the choice I made, you know? Have you, have you ever noticed how people will question your decision to not partake in something- Mm-hmm ... with, like, a higher level of judgment, but if you are on the opposite side of it and you regret it, then they'll be like, "But then why'd you do it?" You ever notice that? Yeah, yeah. So, like- Yeah ... for instance, if you go, "I don't drink," people are like, "What do you mean you don't drink?" You're like, "Yeah, I don't want, I don't drink. I don't want to drink." Then the people are like, "What? You don't drink? Come on, man, just try the- Yeah ... Come o- man, you don't know what you m- how you gonna-" Just one. Yeah. Yeah. But then if you drink, and then afterwards you go like, "Yeah, I drank, but I didn't w- you know, in my life," and what, then people are like, "You shouldn't have done it then." Shouldn't have done it. Yeah, yeah. There are many people who have kids who then say, "I wish I didn't have kids." And then their kids or other people will judge them and go, "Well, then why did you do it?" What are you like, "Well, because you guys kept asking me why I don't have kids, and I should have a kid. And then I said I don't want a kid, and then I had the kid. And now you're going, 'Why did I have the kid?' And now I had the kid and I didn't..." You see what I'm saying? And, and what I love about your explanation about the relationship that you and your father had, or that you wish you had until you were 45, is you didn't choose to make a human being to heal you. Oh, damn. You became the father that you wish your dad was to yourself. You were present, you were driven, you were there. You did everything. You, you did everything. You didn't create a human and go, "I'm gonna tr-" 'Cause a lot of, a lot of guys do that. They sometimes want to heal the relationship that they never had with their fathers by having kids. Oh my goodness. Wow. Wow, man, that, that's goosebumps. Wow, that's... Yeah. Uh, I did not do that. But me- Yeah, that is... Wow, that's, that hit me like a ton of bricks. I, that's, that is a good one. [laughs] That makes me think. Yeah, it... Man, yeah, you're right. Wow. Well, I'm, I am glad that I finally met my dad where he's at. That's beautiful. 'Cause... And, and gosh, we're, we're doing great. And I'm also, uh- That's beautiful ... I'm, I'm also okay on my stance. And, uh, I think making those tough choices- Yeah ... that are against popular opinion- Mm ... but deep down you know it's the direction that you want to go in- Oh, so hard. Mm-hmm ... that's, now I gotta walk the talk. I gotta live my life. I gotta try every day to have joy in my life. I gotta try every day to be useful. I gotta keep my curiosity. Yeah, yeah. So in saying no to one thing, I've got to commit to be, to walking the talk. So it, it does hold me accountable. That's amazing. I'm not saying that I, I wouldn't be those things. Yeah, yeah, but I know what you mean. But, like, hey, I'm saying no to this because I believe I can travel in this lane. Mm-hmm. Well, fucking let's go. Let's go to work. You know what I mean? Yeah.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:12:50

       [instrumental music] Don't press anything. We've got more What Now? after this.

    3. SPSpeaker1:12:55

       And I remember in 2010, we had a movie, uh, meeting in Houston about, like, this dog shit movie, and the guys were like, "I don't know if you're right for it." Like, it- It was like, it was fucking dog shit

    4. EUEugene1:13:11

       [laughs]

    5. SPSpeaker1:13:11

       And the guys making the movie were like-

    6. EUEugene1:13:13

       [laughs]

    7. SPSpeaker1:13:14

       "I don't know if we can go with you." They get up and leave. I look at Dan, I'm like, "Man, we're never making movies again, are we?" And this is, like, my agent. He's supposed to be like, "No, no, no."

    8. EUEugene1:13:22

       [laughs]

    9. SPSpeaker1:13:22

       He's like, "Nah, we're never making movies again."

    10. EUEugene1:13:23

        [laughs]

    11. SPSpeaker1:13:24

        Straight up. Like, "Nah, dude, it's..." But hey, i- what he did was feedback sandwich. "No, we're not. We are gonna find another way."

    12. EUEugene1:13:31

        Mm. Hmm.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:13:35

        Fall has a way of turning an ordinary night into a reason to gather, whether it is a football game, a Halloween party, or a dinner on a cold evening. Whole Foods Market makes those moments easier with comfort food, seasonal treats, and quality standards built into every aisle. Start with a Whole Foods Market Kitchens lasagna, packaged soup, or a build-your-own family meal from the prepared foods counter, which feeds four for $35. For game day, add made-in-house wings, frozen pizzas, and 365 brand chips and dips. The limited time bakery lineup brings the season home, with pumpkin blondies, apple brown butter cookies, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie. And with no artificial sweeteners like sucralose, artificial colors like Red Dye No. 40, or high-fructose corn syrup store-wide, nothing gets in the way of the flavors you came for. Shop fall flavors with higher standards at Whole Foods Markets. [upbeat music] But I love that you and your dad had... I love that you had that in the life.

    14. SPSpeaker1:14:50

        Yeah, yeah.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:14:50

        Y- you know? I think for so many people-

    16. SPSpeaker1:14:52

        Mm-hmm

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:14:52

        ... like with my mom, she had, like, a, a really tumultuous relat- relationship with my gran. And in the last few years of my gran's life, she was forced to live with my mom. And th- the best way I can put it is they fell in love with each other.

    18. SPSpeaker1:15:05

        That's great.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:15:06

        Do, do you get what I'm saying?

    20. SPSpeaker1:15:07

        Mm, I do.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:15:07

        They, they, they met each other where they were.

    22. SPSpeaker1:15:09

        Mm.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:15:09

        They learned a different side. And my mom always says she's eternally grateful for those years, 'cause she goes, "Those were the years that were everything." Like, she goes, "Everything else almost doesn't matter."

    24. SPSpeaker1:15:19

        Right.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:15:19

        She goes, "Those were the years."

    26. EUEugene1:15:20

        That was their relationship.

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:15:22

        And all it kept me thinking was, for all of us in life is I, I go, man, I said this to you. I was like, [tsks] "I just hope for everyone out there, I h- may your parents live long enough-

    28. SPSpeaker1:15:32

        Mm

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:15:32

        ... that they heal the wounds they inflicted upon you."

    30. SPSpeaker1:15:36

        Mm.
24. 1:16:15 – 1:19:10

    Being Bullied and Choosing Authenticity

    1. SPSpeaker1:16:15

       yeah, I mean, well-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:16:16

       30-somethings.

    3. SPSpeaker1:16:17

       Yeah.

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:16:17

       Around the-

    5. SPSpeaker1:16:18

       Around the late, mid, mid 30s, mid late 30s

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:16:19

       ... but you, I always find that that's, that's often the time. It's the strangest thing.

    7. SPSpeaker1:16:22

       Yeah, about 30. Yeah.

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:16:23

       Yeah. But it's the strangest thing that'll happen to us, is-

    9. EUEugene1:16:25

       And what were you do- Yeah, at 30, you had how many kids?

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:16:27

        Yes.

    11. SPSpeaker1:16:28

        At 30, I was his second.

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:16:30

        Think about that.

    13. EUEugene1:16:30

        And he had a wife.

    14. SPSpeaker1:16:31

        Yes.

    15. EUEugene1:16:32

        And a job.

    16. SPSpeaker1:16:32

        And, and he was about to have another the next year.

    17. EUEugene1:16:34

        There you go.

    18. SPSpeaker1:16:34

        Another two years after that, and another two years after.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:16:37

        Yeah.

    20. EUEugene1:16:37

        And at 30, what were you doing?

    21. SPSpeaker1:16:39

        At 30, I was riding a lightning bolt.

    22. EUEugene1:16:41

        [laughs]

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:16:44

        Isn't that crazy that you live these parallel lives?

    24. SPSpeaker1:16:46

        But that's what I'm saying.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:16:47

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    26. SPSpeaker1:16:47

        Like, I always, I always think that gives, that's one of the things that has helped me find grace-

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:16:50

        That is crazy. Yeah, yeah

    28. SPSpeaker1:16:51

        ... is to sometimes remind myself, I go, "Man, my mom had me when she was 20 what?" Which was normal then, but I'm like, "20?" I even tell her when we hang out, I go, "Lady, forgive yourself for everything."

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:17:02

        Mm.

    30. SPSpeaker1:17:02

        'Cause I'm like, I don't know what you were doing at 20. In fact, I don't even... I wish I could go back in time and as a child look at you and be like, "Lady, you don't know what you're doing. Relax."
25. 1:19:10 – 1:22:00

    Life Is the Greatest Gift

    1. SPSpeaker1:19:10

       and to be a conduit for joy Mm. And if I cannot do that, if I'm not able to fulfill those duties, walk away. I don't, I don't do much with Make-A-Wish outside of WWE because I believe that the environment does not, is not the correct conduit for joy. Okay. Bring a kid to a movie set- Okay ... unless they're a movie junkie, of which I've done. We've put Make-A-Wish kids in movies. Those are long, boring days. Yeah.

    2. EUEugene1:19:39

       Yeah.

    3. SPSpeaker1:19:39

       It's very patient. Mm. Nothing really happens. We do things over and over and over again. And for a young person who probably is, has an awareness of time that most young people don't have- Damn.

    4. EUEugene1:19:50

       Yeah

    5. SPSpeaker1:19:52

       ... not a good experience. Wow. But you bring 'em into an arena at 5:00 when they skip the line, and they get in a private room, and everybody comes to say hi to 'em. Mm. And, like, then we sit down, and we kick it. I'm like, "Hey, I'm wearing this stuff. You guys, where are you guys sitting? What's your sign say? Awesome. You wanna see anything out there tonight? Tips? Strategy?" And they'd be like, "Ah, man, you do this, do this." And I, I plan the action- Hmm ... so I can go back and do it, and I know where they're at. And I go, "Thanks." And it doesn't- Yeah ... it doesn't mess up the show. Oof. I'm not going into business for one consumer. Yeah. But I'm making- But no, man ... I'm, it's a conduit for joy. So again, knowing the room, I love the Make-A-Wish charity. Hmm. I also don't do it a lot outside of WWE because it's not, like, it's not the escape. Yeah. It's more of a burden. Clutter. Yeah. You, you travel the families, and then they get to a place, and it's like, "Ah, this kinda wasn't what I thought." Even the most- Hmm ... shy kids, even, even the kids that are up against it, who have just enough wherewithal to travel, everybody gets a day off. Hmm. Of, of those, ho- however many the number is, everyone gets a day off. Everybody. And, and, like, that's the thing. I don't, I don't do the thing selfishly just to keep doing it. No, I know what you mean. Yeah. This is not the- It's of, it's a purpose ... this is not the environment for that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the purpose. We need to get 'em to the show. You know what I'm saying? I like that. And that's why kinda my chapter there is, is closing, and it should be Roman's turn. It should be Cody's turn. Yeah. It should be Seth's turn. It should be Je'Von Evans' turn. It should be Bron Breakker's turn, and Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. They need to be the conduit for joy, and I think it's understanding what you're doing, and also understanding that, like, yo, just because I've, I've helped promote this thing and some folks would use me as the face of this thing, it's time to pass it on. Right. Sure. Very much like wrestling. The same way you did with- I'm on the front of the poster, but, like, it's time, it's time to go. So being able to, to be that conduit is just understanding what you're doing. And

26. 1:22:00 – 1:28:45

    Navigating Fame with Empathy

    1. SPSpeaker1:22:00

       the experience, the wisdom, the lessons I've learned, I value every, every fucking second. Hmm. Uh, I tell people I love that I love them. I don't, I don't protect the word. I tell people I don't protect it, but I don't waste it. Yeah. It's, it's earned every time it's said, but I won't hold it back. If, if, if the moment is right and I, I realize, like, "My God, I love this person," I love you. And just understanding that no one controls... Like, life expectancy is a thing. It's a statistic. Hmm. But nobody controls when we check out, dude. So, like- No guarantee ... not at all. And I've seen, I've seen these families have so much joy, and, like, what the fuck is my problem? Hmm. You know what I'm saying? That doesn't mean blind optimism. No, but yeah. That, that- Just perspective ... that doesn't mean, like, true positive mental attitude. That means feeling all the feels. Yeah. But also, like, wow, all right, let's, let's do what we can to course correct. Let's get back in a, in a good mind state if we can. And, and also, like, hey, man, we're all, we're all just rent, all of us. Hmm. You know? I don't, I don't know if enough people look at that and process that. Mm-hmm. Like, we... Ev- every one of us is, is going back to the ground. You know what I mean? Hmm. We're all just renting. We are. Yeah, man. We are. And, and, and the, the gets, the Ferraris, the houses, it's not yours. You're just, you're just taking care of it to the next person. That's it. Literally, this is gonna find its way to somebody. My suits went to a thrift store. And so, uh, I, I donate suits when I don't wear 'em. Right. Yeah. I donate suits. Some lady was like, "I found 10 John Cena waistcoats." Yeah, those are mine, 'cause they're just hung- Who wears your size? I don't know, but they can make a couch out of it. [laughs] This'll, this would be nice. [laughs] These'll be nice. Yeah, a loveseat maybe. [laughs] Yeah. Are there, are there things that you, um, that you don't get from acting that you miss from wrestling? There's nothing like WWE. Yeah.

    2. EUEugene1:24:02

       Hmm.

    3. SPSpeaker1:24:03

       There's, there's nothing like it. It, it is a... And that, I guess that's the thing. Like, I struggled. I got kinda, like, run out of the movie business, and then my goodness, you wanna talk about being lucky, I got a second chance. Right. It's just a different thing, and when I was in my 20s, uh, because of a business model decision, it's like, "Hey, you're going to Australia to do this movie." "Why?" "'Cause we're opening our own studio, and if we make you guys movie stars, more people will come to the arenas." Yeah. More people to the arenas? That sounds fucking dope. Let's go do this movie. What do you mean I have to wait around for eight hours? Hmm. What do you mean? So we can't do this, we can't just shoot this 85 pages now, and I can go back to doing the thing? I wanted to... Fuck, I was 20 performing in front of crowds, being athletic. Like- Yeah ... I came from football, so it's like, man, this is... I know football never was gonna work out for me, but, like, this is it. Yeah. Like, this is, this is what I wanna do. I'm doing this other stuff, so what I wanna do can be better. And a lot of times, you know, you, you do ancillary things to, to build the thing. Right. But my heart wasn't in it. And then as I kinda looked at what I was doing, I mean, I played the same character on television for, with WWE for 20 years. Yeah. Wow. And then somebody comes along and be like, "Hey, we'll, we'll give you the versatility to create something." You just need to have a better mindset on those patient days. You know, I, I-

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:25:22

       Mm

    5. SPSpeaker1:25:22

       ... of course, then I was in my late 30s. You get a little wiser, take your foot off the throttle a little bit.

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:25:28

       Okay. Okay.

    7. SPSpeaker1:25:28

       Appreciate the process, appreciate that every job is important.

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:25:31

       Yeah.

    9. SPSpeaker1:25:32

       It gives me a newfound respect for making film, and now I'm as passionate about it. And that was the breaking point of like, "Hey, man-

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:25:39

        Mm

    11. SPSpeaker1:25:39

        ... put the effort you put into WWE into this and just see where it takes you. But don't complain if it doesn't work if you're not doing the same. 'Cause you busted your ass in the gym and it got you to WWE-

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:25:51

        Okay

    13. SPSpeaker1:25:51

        ... and you took the effort and put the same amount of effort into WWE, and man, you, you, you navigated some waters. Let's put the same thing into this. Just fucking leave it all out there.

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:26:03

        Mm.

    15. SPSpeaker1:26:04

        And you're gonna have some good ones, and you're gonna have some bad ones, and eventually it's gonna be over, but at least you know when you look back on it. I look back on that first chapter-

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:26:10

        Yeah

    17. SPSpeaker1:26:11

        ... my heart wasn't in it, and I got run out of town for it.

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:26:13

        Okay.

    19. SPSpeaker1:26:14

        I did a lot of bad movies-

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:26:15

        Right

    21. SPSpeaker1:26:16

        ... because I wanted to be elsewhere. It's like doing the interview with you guys trying to get information out of me, and I'm like, "What the fuck?"

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:26:21

        [laughs]

    23. SPSpeaker1:26:22

        It's tough. It's tough when you have a guest that's a dead stick.

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:26:25

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    25. SPSpeaker1:26:25

        So, you know?

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:26:26

        Yeah.

    27. SPSpeaker1:26:27

        I'm putting everything I got. I'm giving you guys everything I got. I'm trying to engage. I'm trying to be present. I, I want this time with us together at, at the very least if nobody fucking watches it to be productive for us.

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:26:38

        Yeah. That's what we always say. Yeah.

    29. SPSpeaker1:26:39

        You know what I'm saying? This is for-

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:26:40

        We're both-
27. 1:28:45 – 1:54:54

    Replace "Deserve" with "Earn"

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:28:45

       you know, you know where they go and interview you guys for the movies and, and you know, I'm sure you, you've done a, a million of them. You sit there-

    2. SPSpeaker1:28:50

       Just came from, just came from one.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:28:51

       Uh, there, there you go, and people ask you the same question. They ask, it's everything about the movie as well, and your character, and your this, and your that, and your the... And it's so nice to see people who are thinking of new ways to do this. What he does is he takes, um, a movie and he basically breaks it down into its color palettes, if that makes sense.

    4. SPSpeaker1:29:08

       Hmm.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:29:08

       So, like, every scene in the movie, he cuts into-

    6. SPSpeaker1:29:11

       Kinda

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:29:11

       ... a slice.

    8. SPSpeaker1:29:12

       Mm-hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:29:12

       And it becomes like a barcode of color. And then what he does to actors and directors is when they're on the press tour, he goes like, "Yo, let's do a, let's do a, like, a quick, a quiz. I'm gonna pull this color palette up, and then I'll give you, like, three movies that you've been in or that are big or whatever. You tell me what movie you think it is." But I'm talking about imagine I showed you-

    10. SPSpeaker1:29:30

        Hmm

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:29:30

        ... a barcode-

    12. SPSpeaker1:29:31

        Yeah

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:29:31

        ... that was, like, blues and greens with a little bit of red here.

    14. SPSpeaker1:29:34

        Yeah, yeah.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:29:35

        But, like, thousands-

    16. SPSpeaker1:29:36

        Yeah, yeah

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:29:36

        ... of lines, like... And to your point, you should see the difference between the actors and the directors, but, like, some of the actors will just be like, "Oh, yeah, that's, uh, oh, that could be. It's just..." I saw one the other day of Tom Cruise. He was like, "You see the thing you're talking about?" I was like, "Yo, this guy likes his movies, man. He likes making movies."

    18. SPSpeaker1:29:56

        Hmm.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:29:56

        He likes... He, he was like, "Oh, wait, wait, wait. Uh, Eyes Wide Shut. Yeah, yeah. The pur- the scene, that, the pur..." And he, and, and I'm watching him watching that. I was like, oh. He loves it. Yeah, but that's why the, the, that's why the Mission Impossible is what it is, and that's why the- Hmm ... Top Gun is what it is, and that's why-

    20. SPSpeaker1:30:13

        That's why he's had a 50-year career.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:30:15

        Yeah. That's, but- Hmm ... it's exactly what you just said. Some people go, "I wanna be famous." Then they choose the shortcut to fame, which is acting or whatever. Some of them are successful, some are not. But then the ones that are really successful in any field, whether it's fame, business, whatever it may be- Hmm ... we take for granted what you just said. Their eyes light up- When they- ... at the opportunity to- Passion ... wax lyrical about the thing. Yeah, yeah. You should have seen- That is pretty amazing ... his eyes. It was-

    22. SPSpeaker1:30:43

        And, and I agree with you. I think that's in any discipline.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:30:45

        Yeah. Yeah. It really is.

    24. SPSpeaker1:30:47

        Talk to comics. They're-

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:30:48

        Oh, man

    26. SPSpeaker1:30:48

        ... they're about it.

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:30:48

        Com-

    28. SPSpeaker1:30:48

        Especially the, as soon as you get higher tier, the higher you go.

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:30:52

        We, we, we're obsessed with it.

    30. SPSpeaker1:30:53

        Yeah.

Episode duration: 1:54:54