Shawn Spears’ decision to leave WWE was a tough one for him not only because he was leaving the job security to explore the indie wrestling world but because his wife Peyton Royce still worked for the promotion at the time as well.

During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, the former WWE star talked about a number of things and also explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave the promotion.

Spears first mentioned how there were a lot of things that could have kept him in WWE but he would have regretted not taking a shot at himself and that made him take the leap of faith.

“If I didn’t leave and take a shot on myself and see what I was at least capable of, in 30-40 years down the road, I was going to say I should have. I knew that that’s what I was going to do.

I was going to look back on this time and go, ‘Damn it, I should have took a shot on myself.’ And I’m a big believer in – the worst feeling in the world is probably regret. And there’s nothing… At a time where you can’t do anything about it.”

The chairman of AEW also said that it was not about the money or being in the main event. According to him, it boils down to waking up every day and being excited for the work.

Things worked out well for Shawn Spears in the end. He signed with AEW not long after leaving WWE where he has recently joined MJF‘s Pinnacle stable.